The Bullpen Report: Is Trevor Rosenthal Emerging As A Save Candidate & More

by Nick Hutcherson

If you read this column last week you can note that two of the five names mentioned are likely now sitting in closer’s roles. Joaquin Benoit was anointed the Phillies closer on Monday over Hector Neris. Matt Bush may be in the mix for saves for the Rangers, though it all depends on his health and when he’s able to return to the mound.

Three to grab

1) Matt Bush- Texas Rangers
Bush leads off the column this week and is elevated from the watch to the grab category and his stuff is electric. Even if he isn’t the closer Bush can help your ratios. He profiles as a high value closer with a high strikeout arm and low walk rate. Keep an eye on Jeremy Jeffress in the short term as Bush is dealing with a shoulder ailment, but make no mistake, this guy is the Ranger’s bullpen arm to own and he has been all spring. Now that Sam Dyson is pitching himself out of picture, you must add Matt Bush.

2) Trevor Rosenthal- St. Louis Cardinals
Rosenthal returned to the mound over the weekend in dominant fashion, striking out the side in a game the Cardinals would go on to allow 14 runs in. Seung Hwan Oh proved to be a lights out closer last season and has to have a firm grasp on his job, right? Well, Oh has struggled to start the season and it was only one short season ago that Rosenthal was viewed as one of the best in the game. Mike Matheny hasn’t forgotten what he has in Rosenthal and if Oh doesn’t right the ship in short order, we may be looking at the role returning to Rosenthal.

3) Shawn Kelley
After Blake Treinen gained the closing gig in Washington Kelley became a forgotten man, as the general belief is that the job will soon belong to Koda Glover. While Glover may be the Nationals’ closer of the future, the future is now for this team. Treinen has had his share of stumbles early this season and I believe Baker will turn to the veteran Kelley if Treinen is unable to get things figured out quickly. Bare in mind the likely end game here is that the Nationals eventually trade for a closer, a la David Robertson.

Two to watch

1) Nick Vincent-Seattle Mariners
Edwin Diaz came into the season locked in as an elite strikeout arm and rock solid closer.  He has struggled early, though much of it can be attributed to bad luck. The leash on Diaz is likely to be long, especially with Steve Cishek (the most experienced closer on the roster) on the DL, but if he can’t break the bad luck spell in the next couple of outings the team may be forced to change directions.  Until Cishek is healthy Vincent may well be the guy to own if that were to happen.

2) Joe Jimenez-Detroit Tigers
Ah yes, the World Baseball Classic darling. Ironically he has quite a similar skillset to Edwin Diaz, mentioned above. The strikeout numbers have been elite at every stop for Jimenez. This comes down to how much you believe in Francisco Rodriguez, because you are reading the work of a guy who doesn’t think that he is closing in Detroit in three months. This happens one of two ways. First, Rodriguez struggles (he hasn’t been sharp thus far) and the Tigers ultimately remove him from the role. Alternatively, and just as likely, the Tigers decide that it is time to sell off all of their aging pieces and trade away Rodriguez. If the sell route is the one they take you can expect that Jimenez gets a trial run in the role. It becomes trickier if they are in contention and Rodriguez struggles, because Alex Wilson becomes an intriguing option for the team in this situation. Of course Wilson has nowhere near the skills upside that Jimenez possesses.