After the Washington Nationals gave Blake Treinen the first shot as closer, it is not clear where Shawn Kelley fits in the bullpen. Wherever it is, the role is vital.
When it became obvious the Washington Nationals had to use one of their own pitchers as closer, the consensus choice was Shawn Kelley. After a Grapefruit League season where he pitched sporadically, it is not clear now what his bullpen roll is.
Most of what happened the last five weeks is not Kelley’s fault.
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He is coming off a second Tommy John surgery. Kelley is not throwing multiple back-to-back games or even the triple-dipping required either down the stretch or in the pressure of the playoffs. Sure, he would not be up and down warming multiple times a game, but fatigue is a factor.
With the emergence of Koda Glover in West Palm Beach and the signing of Joe Blanton, it is not clear who sets up the new closer, Blake Treinen. Glover was the workhorse of the spring, pitching five straight ninth innings at one point.
Blanton offers depth and can fill several roles such as setup or a reliever who can get you five or six outs. For Dusty Baker, he starts the season with a bullpen full of depth.
How the rest of the pen falls behind Treinen remains to be seen. On past performance, along with Baker’s preference for veterans, Kelley should be slotted as the setup man like last year.
Or will he?
There was no structure used in the unimportant Spring Training schedule. When Treinen won the job over Glover, it was a mild surprise. Not that Treinen is a bad choice, but Glover pitched so well until late.
All this makes you wonder if there will be an in-season audition between the kid Glover and the veteran Kelley. The resume tilts toward the vet.
Since finding a place in the New York Yankees bullpen in 2012, Kelley’s strikeouts-per-9 rate hit double-digits. Last year, he had a career-high of 12.4. His WHIP dropped under one to 0.897 and his hits-per-9 was 6.4. At 32, he hit the peak of his career.
Yet, he averages less than an inning a game. He pitched 67 times in 2016 and threw 58 innings. Both were career highs. If you dare look forward to the playoffs, then you know the Nats could never get the extra outs needed from Kelley to close out a series or tight game without risking him.
Make no mistake, Kelley’s live fastball plays a huge factor in what promises to be a tight race with the New York Mets for the National League East crown. Washington will need every inning they can get.
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How Baker uses Kelley is worth watching. After leaving early last year in the NL Divisional Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers due to tightness, there may be more concerns than previously thought.