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Taylor as closer?

I've seen that suggested several times in game threads.  I've been doing home renovation stuff in the evenings lately (getting the house ready to sell in anticipation of a move to Colo. in a few years) & haven't been able to join in those threads, so I thought I'd throw the Taylor-as-closer issue out in a separate fan post.

Using him as closer is tempting.  He's obviously the best relief pitcher the Rockies have this year.  He's got a good fastball & a better curve.  Corpas & Fuentes have multiple fails on their track records.   (Whoever ends up with Fuentes next year should just give him a 20-day paid vacation prior to the All Star break.  He's fallen apart at that point the last 2 years.)

But I don't think so.  Great set-up relievers do not always make good closers.  Watching TB-Bos last night & seeing Dan Wheeler (an excellent set-up guy for the Astros & now Rays) struggle to close a game in Troy Percival's absence -- Wheeler was bailed out by a Willie Mays-like catch by B.J. Upton & a stupid caught stealing by Mike Lowell -- reminded me of that.  The Astros tried the same thing last year when Brad Lidge hit a Fuentes-like fail streak.  It didn't work.  Wheeler just isn't a closer.

My view is that Buchholz has found his niche as an 8th-inning setup specialist, after years as an inconsitent starter.  Don't mess with success. It's not his fault if Corpas and Fuentes haven't done their jobs.

But I guess the best counter-argument is:  why not try him as closer this year, when the results don't really matter as far as a pennant is concerned?  Of course with JDLR and Redman in the rotation, the closing opportunities may be few and far between.  Being closer behind those 2 is kind of like being backup  SS on the Orioles in the '90s -- don't expect many opportunities.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Eat. Drink. Be Merry. But the above FanPost does not necessarily reflect the attitudes, opinions, or views of Purple Row's staff (unless, of course, it's written by the staff [and even then, it still might not]).

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