Bobby Jenks has likely thrown his last pitch with the White Sox, and Ozzie Guillen might be showing us how he plans to proceed without an incumbent closer for the first time in his managerial career.
Matt Thornton closed out Wednesday's 5-2 victory over Boston by retiring the last four Boston hitters. If you haven't counted, Thornton has retired four or more batters in his last five outings, with two saves, two victories, and three straight games finished to show for it.
(Also to show for it -- 7 2/3 innings, one hit, no walks, 10 strikeouts. He's been awesome.)
Thornton isn't the only guy who has been extended in Jenks' absence, either, as Chris Sale worked a two-inning save on Tuesday.
For all I know, this might be borne out of sloth or apathy. With nothing to play for, Guillen just might not care to visit the mound that much. He's basically the anti-Tony La Russa in this mode.
I don't know about you, but I'm seriously down with it.
Most of Guillen's brilliance with his 2005 bullpen was based off his usage of Neal Cotts, the lefty who was slightly better against righties, but could get either side out. Guillen took advantage of it. Before rosters expanded in September and Guillen had a third lefty to play with, Cotts worked at least a full inning in 31 of his 55 appearances.
With Cotts able to handle one batter or five of them, Guillen could pick his spots to deploy Cliff Politte and Dustin Hermanson -- and later Jenks -- and ride the hot hand as much as he could.
After deals with the devil expired and claimed the careers of Cotts and Politte, Guillen has struggled to find that same touch. I don't think he's a fan of specialists, but feels the need to carry them on the roster after some high profile failures.
Over the second half of September, armed with the two-headed left-handed monster of Thornton and Sale, and freed from reserving the ninth inning out of respect to a role, Guillen looks like he's having fun exploring the studio space.
So much fun, in fact, that I wonder if the Sox will have to abort their plan to develop Sale as a starter. He has the stuff to start, because his changeup looks like it can be an asset, and he's been tougher on righties without using it much, anyway. And while his delivery looks like it's maximum-effort, the science of predicting mechanics-caused injuries is basically phrenology at this point.
But when you look at the shape of the 2011 bullpen without Sale, there's a definite void. Thornton and Sergio Santos are fine and cheap. Scott Linebrink and Tony Pena are not. And that's everybody under club control. Knowing that Sale is capable of working the ninth inning, transforming the bullpen and knocking all riskier relievers down a peg, and all for the league minimum, it's going to be awfully tempting to keep him where he is.
With Thornton and Sale, all you need is a right-handed reliever along the lines of what J.J. Putz brought to the table this season, just in case Santos isn't ready to take the next step. Three (or four) late-inning options and no deemed closer is a fascinating prospect to think about.
Guillen has already taken baby steps to take the mystique out of the ninth inning. Thornton has quieted doubters by going 8-for-8 in real save opportunities this season. His two "blown saves" were regular setup jobs for Bobby Jenks that technically qualified as save situations, making that stat as flawed as the save itself. Meanwhile, Sale went from starting games in college to finishing them in the pros, all in the same year.
It could be the recipe for a bullpen that could maximize a deep rotation. With (theoretically) few disaster starts, Guillen shouldn't be at risk of overworking anybody. And a lot of people would see Guillen as a hero of sorts -- somebody who isn't a slave to paint-by-numbers methods. That kind of ingenuity would make him more of an asset to the Sox, or employable if the Sox go in a different direction after 2011.
It could also be the recipe for a media spectacle if it gets off to a slow start, which is the risk. "Closer by committee" has the same connotation as "quarterback controversy," and while a lot of people criticize reflexive closer use, a lot of those same people will panic if the ninth inning is in flux. It's similar to the way much of the media reacts to personality. Players are too programmed, too conditioned, too bland -- until they're too candid.
That makes Guillen the perfect guy to turn the traditional bullpen on its ear with some seat-of-the-pants, hot-hand managing. Guillen doesn't have to try to hem and haw around "closer by committee," just say "(forget) it -- we're all firemen." Goodbye, 40-save guy; hello, three 12-save guys. I think the strategy would work, and while it might lower Sale's ceiling, it elevates the chances of a team that fancies itself as a contender.
If it doesn't? I'd applaud Guillen anyway, for playing strengths and trying to reshape what seems like a very silly, superficial method of distributing innings and money. But if others didn't feel the same way, at least he would be dismissed for what he's doing on the field.
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Speaking of closers, if Freddy Garcia's White Sox career is over, he certainly ended it on a fine note. After seven innings of two-run ball, here's a brief summary of what he gave the White Sox:
- 55-31, 4.33 ERA in the regular season
- 3-0, 2.14 ERA in the playoffs
- Gavin Floyd
That's four valuable years by Garcia, and two great trades and one great signing by Kenny Williams. More of these, please.
