Red Sox Feel Safe With Koji Uehara, Anyone Better?
Sep 25, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Koji Uehara (19) at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington made it a priority to re-sign closer Koji Uehara to a two-year, $18 million contract, this offseason. Even with new bullpen help from Alexi Ogando, Anthony Varvaro, Robbie Ross, and Zeke Spruill, look for Uehara to continue closing out games for the Red Sox in 2015.
Yet, the man is going to be 40 years old, this season. As much as pitchers can last that long, if not longer, especially if they are excellent closers, should Boston be preparing a ‘Plan B’? Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston stated recently that “only a handful of closers have recorded 30 or more saves past the age of 40,” and mentions the names on that list (ESPN.Go.com). How does Uehara stack up against those other elder statesmen of the ninth inning?
Let’s take a look at the slideshow and have your say to who is the best reliever after the age of 40:
** For the Edes article, click the following link:
April 7, 2014; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees former pitcher Mariano Rivera (right) shares a laugh with manager Joe Girardi at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Perlman/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports
Mariano Rivera
The native of Panama, and arguably the most successful closer in MLB history, had much to smile about in his career after 40.
In 2011 and 2013, Rivera earned 44 saves, while his strikeouts-to-walks ratio was 7.5 and 6.0 respectively. That, in itself, earned him two of his twelve All-Star Game appearances, not that he would have been left out during his retirement tour. And, it was not like he was being a tricky veteran with a variety of pitches. Rivera rarely threw anything that was not a fastball or cutter, even in 2013, both pitches holding strong at 92 mph (FanGraphs.com). In this baseball era, where young pitchers are bursting on the scene with blazing fastballs, only to then require surgery to fix their shoulders, Rivera’s arm seemed to go on forever.
However, it was not all rose-colored glasses for the New York Yankees legend. The 2012 season would be one that Rivera would want to forget, with injuries and questions about whether he was finished. He showed his doubters wrong, being nearly as automatic as ever for saves, blowing only seven opportunities. That tied the most that he has ever failed, but comparatively, it was consistent to the rest of his career.
Many fans and experts alike have only one question: how much of that was Rivera and how much of that was being on the New York Yankees when they were successful for so long? Well, considering last season was more of an excellent coaching job by manager Joe Girardi, and less the firepower of the Yankees’ lineup (ranked 20th in runs per game), having Rivera throwing that fast and with good control at the end of ballgames helped them to win games, six credited to Rivera himself.
An old Rivera on the Yankees would be gold for any other team to have, compared to their closers in their prime. It is hard to argue, even for Red Sox fans, that he was not the greatest at the position, even after 40.
Jul 19, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics former pitcher Dennis Eckersley takes the field during the celebration of the 1989 Oakland Athletics World Series Champions at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports
Dennis Eckersley
The former Boston Red Sox pitcher reinvented himself as a closer in his hometown of Oakland, California, dominating over hitters in the late 1980s and 1990s. The six-time all-star even won the Cy Young Award and American League MVP Award in 1992 at the age of 37, picking up 51 saves in 54 opportunities. He struck out an incredible 93 batters while walking only 11 in 80 innings of work.
After age 40, the Oakland Athletics were not the team that they once were, struggling to put their Hall-of-Fame closer into save opportunities, which he still made 29 in 1995. After moving to the St. Louis Cardinals, Eckersley picked up 30 and 36 saves in the following two seasons, before calling it quits with Boston in 1998.
Eckersley’s decline came with the lower strikeout totals, compared to Rivera. In his forties, Eckersley struck batters out 40, 49, and 45 times between 1995 and 1997. Rivera’s last three relevant seasons saw 45, 60, and 54 Ks, respectively. Eckersley was also hittable at the time, with an earned run average between 3.30 and 4.83, which essentially knocked him out of the game.
Aug 30, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres former closer Trevor Hoffman acknowledges the crowd during his Padres Hall of Fame induction ceremony as his wife Tracy (left, background) looks on at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Trevor Hoffman
The 6’1″ righty from Bellflower, California played sixteen years for the San Diego Padres, imposing his will over opposing lineups for a team who never seemed to get on track. They only made the playoffs four times, often with quick exits, except the World Series run in 1998, losing to the Yankees. Hoffman recorded 601 saves for his career, 552 of them with the Padres.
At 40, much like Eckersley, Hoffman’s strikeout totals were on the decline. He made 30 saves in 34 opportunities in his last season with San Diego, but only struck out 46 batters with a fastball velocity tapping out at 87 mph on a good day (FanGraphs.com).
As he was making over $7 million a season on a bad team, it was not unexpected to see Hoffman dawning a new uniform in his last days. The next year, Hoffman went to the Milwaukee Brewers, picking up another All-Star nod to add to his six previous appearances. He earned 37 saves in 41 attempts, while only posting a 1.87 ERA. That was a far cry from the 5.89 ERA Hoffman posted the following year, while his fastball severely dropped to under 85 mph and, subsequently, he retired in 2010.
Aug 15, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians former pitcher Doug Jones meets with Cleveland Indians first base coach Sandy Alomar Jr. (15) at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Doug Jones
This 6’3″ righty from Covina, California spent most of his years with the Cleveland Indians and stretched his career life to sixteen years, earning 303 saves in 381 opportunities.
After 40, Doug Jones split his time with Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Oakland, with 74 saves to his credit. However, 36 of them were all in 1997, as he played three more seasons, before retiring in 2000. He blew 25 saves in 63 attempts to finish his career. What did not fade was his strikeouts. Jones averaged just under 68 strikeouts each season until retirement, helping him to earn 19 wins.