Yesterday, Jon Heyman of Fanrag Sports reported the Washington Nationals don’t think Shawn Kelley will be the closer on Opening Day
With a little over two weeks to go until Opening Day, the Washington Nationals closer competition is in full swing. While no decision has been made just yet, there may be one reliever already out of the competition. In his Inside Baseball column yesterday, Jon Heyman of Fanrag Sports wrote that Shawn Kelley isn’t considered a candidate for the closer spot:
"“The late signing of Joe Blanton gives them nice depth, but with Shawn Kelley not considered a closer candidate due to two past Tommy John surgeries, there’s no easy choice here.”"
Kelley has only appeared in three games this spring and has a ERA of 3.00 and an opponents batting average of .308. He has not pitched in a game since March 9 against the Marlins, but pitching coach Mike Maddux addressed some of those concerns yesterday:
Dusty also said Shawn Kelley, who has not appeared in a week, is "not hurt." Deferred to Maddux, but said just managing workload.
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) March 16, 2017
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If Kelley is out of the competition, the Washington Nationals will likely have to go with an unproven closer in that role to start the season. The two main candidates appear to be Blake Treinen and Koda Glover.
In two of the last three games, Glover has pitched the ninth inning. Yes, most of the Major Leaguers are out of the game at that point, but it is something to keep in the back of your mind. He has ten strikeouts in six games and has yet to give up a run.
The question will be whether or not Dusty Baker and the coaching staff believe Glover is ready to take that role. Treinen, on the other hand, has appeared in only three games, but he has six strikeouts and has yet to give up a hit. Here is what Heyman also wrote on those two relievers:
"“The scouts seem to like Blake Treinen’s stuff while some Nats people seem intrigued by Koda Glover, who’s thought to have the right makeup for the job.”"
With the lack of pitching for both Treinen and Kelley, it makes a lot of sense that Glover is getting a chance to try to win this job and he is taking advantage of that opportunity. He was a closer in college at Oklahoma State, but he hasn’t pitched in many high leverage situations at the Major League level.
All that being said, whether it’s Treinen or Glover in the ninth, it might be best to start Kelley off in the eighth inning. During that inning last season, he had 41 strikeouts to four walks with an opponents batting average of .151. However, he did give up three home runs.
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Now, with Kelley probably out of the running, it’s time to see if Treinen or Glover can deliver when called upon. There will be a lot of growing pains in April, but the Nats are hoping the potential both of them have to succeed ends up happening.