So Much For The Closer

Well, it took until exactly March 9th this year for the Minnesota Twins to endure their first shit-storm of the year. It has been learned through an MRI that All-Star closer Joe Nathan has "a significant tear of the Ulnar Collateral Ligament in his right elbow," which may not only end his season, it may end his career. After all, the dude is 35 (a mere 8 years younger than Old Man Thompson). This may require Tommy John surgery, which usually can shelve a pitcher for about 2 years. Returning to baseball at 37 may be tough for Joe Nathan.

I wondered late last year what was wrong with Joe Nathan. He seemed to morph into a junk-balling pitcher who relied on his slider rather than a power-pitcher who blew batters away with an over-powering fastball. He looked like he was going to die on the mound every time he pitched (even more than usual). He admitted after the season ended that his elbow bothered him and had some "minor" surgery to remove some junk or other. It turns out that the problem was much larger than that. Now, you may or may not believe this, but I was ready to write a blog post the other day and declare that Joe Nathan was my pick "Twin I Am Most Concerned About." I was worried that his late season performance in 2009 would carry over into 2010. Well, we don't have to worry about that anymore. The trouble is, there is no Plan B when it comes to a closer for the Minnesota Twins.

There are some options, however. The Twins can trade an player (Glen Perkins?) for a closer or relief pitcher from another team. The problem is that I don't think Mariano Rivera is currently available. I would guess that a closer may become available from a non-contending team around the trading deadline in the summer. For this to be an option, however, the Twins had better hope they are in contention until the trading deadline. Until then, they would have to live with "closing by committee" with the current relief staff. Here are some of the pro's and con's of the current staff:

Jesse Crain: All con. The next coming of Ron Davis. JC instead of RD. Crain throws the straightest fastball that I have ever seen that often sails 430 feet the other way when hit.

Pat Neshek: Neshek has great stuff and a submarine-style way of pitching that is often unhittable. He is a possibility. And, oh yeah, he hasn't pitched in 2 years because of Tommy John (him again) surgery.

Jon Rauch: Rauch is my dark-horse to be the closer, at least at the beginning of the season. The thing I like about Rauch is that, while he is supposedly a great guy, he looks crazy. He is 6'11" and has one of those creepy neck tattoos. He has this vacant, zombie-like stare and throws hard. All of this is great for a closer. And, he actually had the role with the Washington National for a while, which is like being the lead singer for Spandau Ballet. I mean, who really cares? While Rauch looks the part, nobody knows if he can get anybody out in the closer role on a winning team in a pennant race.

Matt Guerrier: Guerrier is a great set-up guy and eats a lot of innings in relief. I am not sure if it would benefit the team to remove him from this role. Also, he seems like a laid-back kind of dude who may not have the closer mentality. Kind of like having the Big Lebowski close for your team.

Jose Mijares: I don't know. Nasty stuff, but Mijares will most certainly walk the first batter he faces each game. This is not good for a closer. Also, he seems to have Visa and weight issues. You may have to summon him from Hrbek's Pub rather than the bullpen when it's time to pitch.

Oddly enough, 3 of the last 4 great closers that the Twins have had began their careers as starters. Rick Aguileria, Eddie Guardado and Joe Nathan were all starters when they came to the Twins. Jeff Reardon, I believe, was always a closer. Maybe the team's next closer is a starter, which brings up.......

Francisco Liriano: The Twins want Liriano to start, but closing may not be a bad role for him if starting does not work out. Liriano's starts usually go pretty well for about 3 innings before his mechanics change and he gets wild. Most closers only have to pitch one inning, so this may not be an issue. Liriano, however, is another relief pitcher that may not have the mentality for the closer role.

Alas, I do not know the answer. My guess is that the Twins will try the "closer by committee" and then pick up a mid-level closer from another team at the trading deadline. Hopefully, Joe Nathan's injury is not something that will derail what promises to be a very good season. Hopefully, it is the only shit-storm for awhile.

Jeff