Jose Valverde....a good pitcher. He should do a pretty solid job ending games for the Tigers this year. But I still think the job of Closer is one of baseball's most overrated spots. These guys get paid more than position playing regulars for pitching 60 or 70 innings. They are designated as "special" because the game is "on the line" (OTL)in the 9th.
Well.....the game is OTL in the 7th and 8th inning as well. I still contend if an opposing club's 3-4-5 hitters are due up in the 8th and you're up 1-run its silly to save your best pitcher for the ninth when the game is clearly OTL in the 8th.
All too often The Closer is pitching by starting an inning w/a 2 or 3 run lead and the bottom of the order due up. This isn't the toughest gig in sports....yet by Rep and by Payroll they're treated as such.
I will enjoy Jose Valverde's showman antics....his "stylin' and profilin'" schtick is fun. But Dombrowski's decision to go that route still irks me. The word hinted at yesterday by Kevin Goldstein at Baseball Prospectus that Bryce Harper could drift deep into the first round due to signability is really a red flag.....Detroit has been aggressive to go over-slot and draft guys who fall like Harper. If he's there at pick #19, where the Tigers should have been before coughing up the pick to the Astros for inking Valverde, I'm going to toss my cookies on draft day to be sure.
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