April 3, 2015
New York Yankees – Dellin Betances has one more outing scheduled before the regular season starts, and it better be a good one, because the stories about his bad spring are becoming increasingly critical. Given his rough March — which included a 6.14 ERA and a fastball that didn’t seem to have as much life as last year — Joe Girardi has been forced to hold off on declaring a closer. This means Andrew Miller might see a few chances in the early going, and could take over the job entirely if Betances’s struggles spill over to the regular season.
Hierarchy remains: *Betances | Miller | Carpenter.
*closer-by-committee
Cincinnati Reds – Despite being a candidate to set up for Aroldis Chapman, Sam LeCure appeared to have lost some velocity on his fastball this spring and didn’t make the big league club. Tony Cingrani, the young lefty who earlier was vying for a spot in the rotation, has transitioned well to the bullpen, posting a 1.42 spring ERA (14 Ks vs 3 BBs) in 12.2 innings pitched, and could step into a prominent late inning role alongside Jumbo Diaz. J.J. Hoover is another candidate for high-leverage holds.
Updated hierarchy: Chapman | Diaz | Cingrani.
Los Angeles Dodgers – Speculation continues to swirl around who might be handed the keys to the 9th inning in Los Angeles. A committee still seems like the most likely outcome, at least in the early going, and we continue to believe that Joel Peralta is the best reliever to own. Sergio Santos, meanwhile, gave up a HR to Mike Trout last night in his final bid to make the club. He still could earn a spot, but probably won’t be a top option in the late innings.
Updated hierarchy: *Peralta | Hatcher | Howell.
*closer-by-committee
