March 9, 2015
Atlanta Braves – In 2012, Craig Kimbrel reached a milestone that no pitcher had ever reached before, striking out more than 50 percent (116 out of 231) of the batters that he faced. Kid K hasn’t managed that feat in the two years since; he’s merely settled for being arguably the best closer in baseball. Behind him, though, are a lot of question marks, as Kimbrel will be flanked by as many as three aging former stoppers — Jason Grilli, Jim Johnson, and Jose Veras all joined the roster in the offseason. (Incidentally, so did Matt Capps, but he already got cut.) Grilli and Johnson seem likely to make the team — Johnson has impressed in camp — as do Michael Kohn and James Russell, younger arms who have been steady in their relatively short careers. Luis Avilan also returns, and will definitely be a factor if he’s closer to his 2013 self; less so if the 2014 version shows up.
Starting 2015 hierarchy: Kimbrel | Grilli | Johnson.
Holds candidates: Grilli | Johnson.
Miami Marlins – Steve Cishek is worried that he might get fined a few times for taking too long between pitches, but he’s still a very solid option for saves, especially for those who like closers without much competition. Mike Dunn is a perfectly respectable set-up man, but the lefty doesn’t have overpowering stuff. AJ Ramos, meanwhile, still walks too many guys. We do like this bullpen overall in terms of depth — they added Aaron Crow in the offseason, and Carter Capps has electric stuff, though he hasn’t put it all together yet. So if they can score a few runs, they should be able to bridge nicely to Cishek, who could match the 39-save performance he had in 2014.
Starting 2015 hierarchy: Cishek | Dunn | Ramos.
Holds candidates: Dunn, Ramos.
New York Mets – The Mets bullpen, an abject disaster for the first half of 2014 (Jose Valverde, Kyle Farnsworth, et al.), steadied itself down the stretch and could potentially be a team strength in 2015. They don’t have much in the way of lefthanded relief — Josh Edgin is the only reasonable option at the moment — but with Bobby Parnell returning to join Jenrry Mejia, Jeurys Familia, and Vic Black, the Mets have got four hard-throwing righties who will jockey to hold down the late innings. Mejia will start the year as closer, though Terry Collins turned some heads when he said that the closer job is Parnell’s to lose once he returns. This strikes us as a bit odd, since Mejia had a solid, albeit up-and-down year (56.1 IPs, 2.72 ERA, 60 Ks, 21 BBs, 4 HRs) after being moved to the bullpen in May, and amassed almost as many saves (28) as Parnell has accumulated in his entire career (36). So we figure that Mejia holds the job into May and beyond if he starts out hot; otherwise, Parnell will get it back. Jeurys Familia, meanwhile, continues to look like the closer of the future.
Starting 2015 hierarchy: Mejia | Familia | Black.
Holds candidates: Familia, Edgin.
Philadelphia Phillies – Count us among the folks who can’t wait for Jonathan Papelbon to get his hostile, crotch-grabbing self traded, which would open the door for youngster Ken Giles to ascend to the role he’s destined for. Giles put up a 1.18 ERA last year along with 64 strikeouts in just 45.2 innings. If you’re in a league that drafts any middle relievers at all, he should be one of the first off the board. Jake Diekman is the other power arm in the bullpen; the lefty should gobble up any holds that don’t go Giles’s way.
Starting 2015 hierarchy: Papelbon | Giles | Diekman.
Holds candidates: Giles, Diekman.
Washington Nationals – With Rafael Soriano gone and Tyler Clippard shipped off to Oakland, Drew Storen finally has the closer job all to himself. Aside from a bumpy 2013, Storen has excelled thanks in part to a unique delivery that sees him turn his back to the hitter and then throw entirely across his body. (Related: We miss you, Paul Edinger.) Casey Janssen signed a 1-year, $3.5 million contract in the offseason and will get any save chances when Storen needs a night off. We’ll give the second in line spot to Craig Stammen for now, based on experience alone, though we do like Aaron Barrett to crack the hierarchy at some point.
Starting 2015 hierarchy: Storen | Janssen | Stammen.
Holds candidates: Janssen | Barrett.
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