October 25, 2008
Bullpen Usage
Sean McAdam writes about Joe Maddon successfully using his relievers without a closer. Joe is avoiding the closer by committee tag:
On other occasions, Maddon has gone to his two best relievers early. In Game 2 of the ALCS, after starter Scott Kazmir faltered, Maddon opted for right-hander Grant Balfour and lefty J.P. Howell in the fifth inning when more traditional thinking would have resulted in long man Edwin Jackson getting the call.
"We're willing to utilize either one of those two guys in the middle of the game," Maddon said recently, "so that you actually have a chance to win it in the eighth and the ninth inning. We've done that not only in the postseason, we've done that during the season."
Maddon has sold the concept to the relievers, who aren't worried about ego or job description.
"I like the fact that we have all those options out there," lefty Trever Miller said.
Getting a player to accept an undefined role is tough these days. It's a feather in Maddon's cap that he was able to get his pitchers to buy into this concept.
Posted by David Pinto at
10:26 AM
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Well, if it isn't the Bill James theory of bullpen construction: a flexible set of relievers used situationally, and no closer! If the Rays win the Series, maybe Bill's theory will start to spread.
The idea should spread regardless of the outcome of the series. Unfortunately, too many managers and GMs are totally risk-averse (deathly afraid to incur the wrath of John Kruk and the other BBTN/Fox/TBS bobbleheads) and/or unwilling to acknowledge that the save is a borderline-useless statistic and that just about any pitcher good enough to play in the majors should be able to protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning (as opposed to a first-and-third with one out in a tie-game in the seventh).
Rivera, KRod, Jenks, Papelbon, Lidge, Wagner, Hoffman and a few others aren't so crazy about it either
Neither are their agents!
A modified version of the Bill James theory has been used to great effect by the Tigers and Indians in their playoff seasons: using a competent veteran as the closer to pitch the relatively safe 9th innings, and deploying your really good arms in the critical spots earlier in the game.
In terms of actual wins and losses, there's very little difference between a (pre-retirement) Todd Jones and a Papelbon or a Wagner. The team with the lead in the 9th inning will win virtually every time, no matter who their closer is.
Sooner or later, teams are going to realize that spending big bucks on a closer is a misallocation of resources. And I would not be at all surprised if Papelbon winds up being a starter at some point in his career.
