From Koji to Ross… Sounds like a bullpen whirlwind in the shade of a Justin-to-Kelly type scenario. Have things goten so bad north of me… NJ… that they are just trouncing anyone out there. Any retreads? Well, it’s full on guess mode at the late stages of the season for the B0-Sawx. If you are really scraping for saves this late in the game, than you my friend are a desperate man in search of desperation and regret. The Red Sox as a team are near the bottom in blown saves, bullpen ERA and basically look drab and beaten down. The only good news there is I think the Bruins start soon and Papi is chasing 500. Listen, I get that you play to the end of the season, but is Robbie Ross really the direction you want to go to when the end is near? Do yourself a favor, add a quality non-closer work on your rates, your free-style composure and possibly go shop at the merry-go-round for some really cool back to school clothes. Your pitching stats and your swagger will thank you with some compliments and some vulture wins.
- Big Tom in the the Emerald City has 7 saves in 14 days. What gives, next thing you will tell me that Ichiro plays in Miami.
- Glen Perkins looks ready to return by the weekend… maybe. Stash those shares of Jepsen and May, they may be needed when he gets shut down for good.
- At this point, does anyone not think Ken Giles will be over-drafted next year?
- Holy Kyle Barraclough! I think he has a job to start next year. 2 wins, 23 K’s in 16 innings… A.J. is comfy in the closer role, but next year he could find a nice hold situation in front of him.
$12 Salads
You know that restaurant your girlfriend/wife/what-have-you likes to go to that charges, like, $12 for a salad? Every time you go there, you have a thoroughly solid meal. No complaints, except you just paid $12 for a salad when you could’ve went to McDonald’s and stuffed you and your woman for ten schmools and had $2 in quarters left over to make the hotel bed vibrate. These closers are $12 salads.
1. Kenley Jansen — (Jim Johnson, Pedro Baez)
2. Craig Kimbrel – (Joaquin Benoit, Kevin Quackenbush)
3. Trevor Rosenthal – (Kevin Siegrist, Jonathan Broxton)
4. Aroldis Chapman – (J.J. Hoover, Jumbo Diaz)
5. Mark Melancon — (Joakim Soria, Tony Watson)
6. Andrew Miller– (Dellin Betances, Justin Wilson)
7. Jeurys Familia – (Tyler Clippard, Hansel Robles)
Donkeycorns
Imagine you’re following a donkey, who’s wearing a wool cap, through a desert for 1700 miles. Why are you following a donkey? Because he promises you something wonderful and you just need to trust him. Does the donkey talk? Yes. Yes, he does talk. So when you and the donkey in the wool cap arrive at his destination, he removes the wool cap to reveal a horn. The donkey is a unicorn and his gift to you for your trust is saves. These closers are Donkeycorns.
8. Huston Street – (Joe Smith, Trevor Gott)
9. David Robertson – (Nate Jones, Zach Duke)
10. Jonathan Papelbon – (Drew Storen, Casey Janssen)
11. Ken Giles– (Luis Garcia, Justin de Fratus)
12. Zach Britton – (Darren O’Day, Brad Brach)
13. Greg Holland– (Wade Davis, Kelvin Herrera)
14. Hector Rondon (Pedro Strop, Fernando Rodney)
15. Francisco Rodriguez, (Will Smith, Jeremy Jeffress)
16. A.J. Ramos – (Mike Dunn, Bryan Morris)
17. Cody Allen – (Bryan Shaw, Zach McAllister)
19. Roberto Osuna – (Aaron Sanchez, LaTroy Hawkins)
20. Brad Boxberger – (Alex Colome, Xavier Cedeno)
21. Santiago Casilla – (Sergio Romo, Hunter Strickland)
22. Shawn Tolleson – (Keone Kela, Sam Dyson)
Employed
These guys are the men that make the save market go round. They punch in, punch out. Have the job, no real threat to speak of, and are basically just there to collect great benny’s so they can take care of their crippled brother. Who is only really crippled because he is scared of the sun.
23. Brad Ziegler – (Daniel Hudson, Andrew Chafin)
24. Luke Gregerson – (Pat Neshek, Josh Fields)
25. Bruce Rondon – (Alex Wilson, Al Alburquerque)
26. John Axford– (Tommy Kahnle, Scott Oberg)
27. Tom Wilhelmsen – (Carson Smith, Logan kensing)
Brain Freezes
I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing apples, bananas and Carlos Marmol– Wait, he just gave up 12 earned runs and hit Castro in the head with a pick-off throw. Brain freeze! Make it stop! Use the following closers at your own risk.
18. Kevin Jepsen (Trevor May, Blaine Boyer)
28. Sean Doolittle – (Drew Pomeranz, Edward Mujica)
29. Arodys Vizcaino – (Pete Moylan, Edwin Jackson)
30. Junichi Tazawa / Robbie Ross /Jean Machi
