Who Will be the Next Yankee Closer?
By Tyler Angelo
We have had a season to adjust to not hearing “Enter Sandman” in the 9th inning, but unlike the 2014 season, 2015 is filled with questions swirling around the closer role. Last season, the only question was “how will David Robertson handle taking over the legacy of Mariano Rivera?” The question of who never existed then; however, now we are facing the who, when, and why.
Who: Who will be the closer? There are some obvious ideas such as Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller. Betances came into the league with a bang last season. He dominated while lighting up the scoreboard with his power fastball. In his first season he posted an outstanding stat line of a 13.5 k/9, 1.40 ERA, .78 WHIP, and five wins in 90 innings pitched. These numbers were enough to earn him an All-Star appearance and establish him as one of the elite relievers in the game.
Betances definitely possesses the stuff to be the man in New York but there are uncertainties. At times he would look lost on the mound and look like a completely different person; he was either lights out or load the bases and try to work out of a jam. Also, aside from his one save, most of his work was in non-save situations and prior to the 9th inning. It is a whole different experience trying to shut the door in the 9th compared to holding the lead in the 8th.
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It could be the big splash signing of 2015 Andrew Miller if manager Joe Girardi chooses to keep Betances as the set up man. Miller has watched his fall from fame as a starter turn into a reincarnation as an elite reliever. In 2014 Miller had a split season between the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles.
In 2014, Miller boasted a 2.02 ERA with 103 strikeouts in 60.2 innings pitched. Girardi has the new luxury of being able to turn to this arm out of the pen late in the game. However, like Betances Miller only has one career save and that came last season. Between the two elite relievers, there are only two career saves which means a lot of inexperience in the 9th. The Yankees showed that they are still in the process of adding to the bullpen with the recent acquisition of Chris Martin, but would they add a Francisco Rodriguez or Rafael Soriano? That remains to be seen.
When and Why: When might we see certain players and why? In the event that the Yankees do not add anyone and go into 2015 with Betances or Miller, we could see a platoon. Both relievers are statistically dominant but what the stat sheet doesn’t show is that one if a righty and the other is a lefty.
This can create opportunities for both relievers to close the door at the end of games. Miller can neutralize the short right field porch with a deadly lefty vs lefty specialization.
However, the amazing stat is that according to Fangraphs both Betances and Miller kept lefties AND righties to a below .200 average against last season. In a scenario where Girardi creates favorable matchups of righty on righty and lefty on lefty, they might be able to get their batting average against below a .100!
That would drastically turn the 9th inning in to our favor and make it nearly impossible for a game to be blown. In a platoon there will also be less stress on one player. The overwhelming pressure of being a closer would be divided among both players making it that much easier to succeed.