Wood closing in on closer role

[cbbryan]

Wood will be a great closer!

[JimSorgi]

Wood will be a great closer!

That's impossible! He doesn't have experience!

[KingCubsFan]

Serious question: How can people watch LaTroy Hawking blow a whole season in one week in 2004,

 

 

Are you talking about the time when Dusty said he was unavailable due to fatigue? But then waited for Ryan Dempster to put 2 runners on base and then summon Hawkins from the pen, with a rushed warm up session, only to blow it against the Mets?

 

It's not that it doesn't matter who closes, what doesn't matter are the absurd qualities that were listed earlier in this thread. Howry's experience does not give him a lick of advantage of Marmol or Wood. Their lack of saves, a made up stat, does not mean they can't close. If Wood somehow can't handle the position mentally and starts to blow games, replace him with Howry or Marmol. But you don't just make decisions about jobs based on who has the most experience doing it. That's the dumbest possible option.

I wasn't arguing that experience is necessary. I think Wood's the best option for closer. I was talking more about some of the comments I've seen over the years that closers are basically worthless and it doesn't matter who closes out the game.

[Guest]

It's the Hillary Clinton theory on required experience for closers and presidents.

[CuseCubFan69]

Prefer to have someone close who has at least done it once in his career.

 

Why? Almost all closers have to start at zero saves sometime. I'm fine with Woody or Marmol.

Almost all, Cuse?

 

Do some guys get a headstart with like, 10 saves, to start their career? :D

 

Wise guy. When I said that I was thinking of a guy like Howry that had a few saves by throwing a couple of innings while not being anointed the closer!

[Banedon]

It's the Hillary Clinton theory on required experience for closers and presidents.

 

You know, I contemplated bringing politics into this earlier when making this argument, but I didn't want to take it there. Leave it to Tim to take the Cubs into the political gutter.... :cool:

[Guest]

my bad

[A New Era]

Thinking of Kerry becoming the Cubs closer gives me a tingly feeling inside. And I'm not affraid to admit it damnit!

[Mugged By Fluffy]

I would go with Marmol as the closer, I don't think it's going to work with Wood. You guys have mentioned experience but noone has yet mentioned Wood's pitching and mechanics just aren't conducive to a closer's role. it takes him too long to warm up and to settle into a pitching groove.

 

You saw it last season and even when he was starting-- A cold Kerry is not effective. He's off, pitches have no movement, he misses his spots and has bad location.Once he is fully wamed up and into the flow of the game is when he settles into his rhythm and gets better.

 

A cold Kerry walks a lot of guys(something a closer can't do, right Ryan Dempster?) and gets into jams. He doesn't have batters or innings to waste in the closers role.

 

Add in the fact that he does not hold runners well, and I can easily see the leadoff guy who Kerry walked in the the top of the 9th stealing second base on him, and then the next thing you know someone doubles him in to tie the game.

[seanimal]

The "closer" is a ceremonial "position" at best. Our best reliever, Marmol, should be free from such distinctions in order to pitch out of tight spots, which is exactly what's going to happen (probably, I hope). Some of you are really overthinking this.

 

"Well, Kerry Wood trims his fingernails super-short, and there's an old Confucian analect that says "man with short fingernail scratch balls long time," meaning, he'll somehow be worse in the 9th inning than he is in any other inning because of this."

[jersey cubs fan]

Add in the fact that he does not hold runners well, and I can easily see the leadoff guy who Kerry walked in the the top of the 9th stealing second base on him, and then the next thing you know someone doubles him in to tie the game.

 

You know, I could picture that happening. Actually, I would put a little money on that very thing happening at least once this year. I'm sure he'll blow more than one save, and lose more than one game as well. But I'm also fairly confident that he'll be successful at the same rate or better than most closers, and the team won't suffer one bit from having him in there.

[bukie]

Wait, so the argument against Wood being the closer is that he hasn't been the closer before?

 

If anyone actually applied that argument, the closer position would simply disappear over the next 10 years.

[C.C.]

I can't imagine what the crowd will be like after he closes out games. Crazy.

[rocket]

i actually think howry should be the closer, marmol used to get the tough guys out, and wood somewhere in between. i guess that's my ideal setup for the bullpen. best reliever gets the tough guys out in the late innings, your 2nd best reliever is the closer to finish the game, and your 3rd best reliever does something in between.

 

i could also be a moron who doesn't want his howry fantasy draft pick wasted though.

[Andy]

Howry would be a fine choice, and maybe the best choice. I really want to see Wood step up and win the job though.

[fromthestretch]

Add in the fact that he does not hold runners well, and I can easily see the leadoff guy who Kerry walked in the the top of the 9th stealing second base on him, and then the next thing you know someone doubles him in to tie the game.

 

Wood actually does a decent job of holding runners.

[erik316wttn]

i actually think howry should be the closer, marmol used to get the tough guys out, and wood somewhere in between. i guess that's my ideal setup for the bullpen. best reliever gets the tough guys out in the late innings, your 2nd best reliever is the closer to finish the game, and your 3rd best reliever does something in between.

 

i could also be a moron who doesn't want his howry fantasy draft pick wasted though.

 

Yeah, I think you answered your own question there.

 

Kidding.

[erik316wttn]

Howry would be a fine choice, and maybe the best choice. I really want to see Wood step up and win the job though.

 

As someone stated earlier, Wood as closer, Howry in setup, and Marmol as the fireman would be the 2008 version of the Reds "Nasty Boys" bullpen of Charlton, Dibble, and Myers. I think it's the best option, personally.

[rocket]

i actually think howry should be the closer, marmol used to get the tough guys out, and wood somewhere in between. i guess that's my ideal setup for the bullpen. best reliever gets the tough guys out in the late innings, your 2nd best reliever is the closer to finish the game, and your 3rd best reliever does something in between.

 

i could also be a moron who doesn't want his howry fantasy draft pick wasted though.

 

Yeah, I think you answered your own question there.

 

Kidding.

 

brb writing pm to tim

[Mugged By Fluffy]

Add in the fact that he does not hold runners well, and I can easily see the leadoff guy who Kerry walked in the the top of the 9th stealing second base on him, and then the next thing you know someone doubles him in to tie the game.

 

Wood actually does a decent job of holding runners.

 

Nah not from what I remember. The way he throws across his body, his slower delivery motion and with his propensity to throw sliders in the dirt when he is not fully warmed up, I can see guys running on him. I'll have to check on those stats though and see what the steal ratio is on him.

 

Marmol has a lot more of that quick, whiplike Juan Cruz'ish snap delivery that would be harder to run on.

[blufftonbuck]

Kerry has phenomenal stuff when healthy (I know). He will be a dominant closer. Heck he would be a great starter, middle reliever, long reliever, first baseman whatever he puts his mind to. He is a bulldog with great toughness!

 

and if that does not work at least he is not Dumpster.

[KingCubsFan]

I would go with Marmol as the closer, I don't think it's going to work with Wood. You guys have mentioned experience but noone has yet mentioned Wood's pitching and mechanics just aren't conducive to a closer's role. it takes him too long to warm up and to settle into a pitching groove.

Isn't this an argument FOR Kerry Wood as closer? As the closer, he'll have the whole half inning to warm up and he'll know exactly when he's coming in, unlike Howry or Marmol who may be summoned at a moment's notice.

[imb]

i actually think howry should be the closer, marmol used to get the tough guys out, and wood somewhere in between. i guess that's my ideal setup for the bullpen. best reliever gets the tough guys out in the late innings, your 2nd best reliever is the closer to finish the game, and your 3rd best reliever does something in between.

 

i could also be a moron who doesn't want his howry fantasy draft pick wasted though.

 

Yeah, I think you answered your own question there.

 

Kidding.

 

brb writing pm to tim

 

oh nice, personal attacks. /roast

[fromthestretch]

Add in the fact that he does not hold runners well, and I can easily see the leadoff guy who Kerry walked in the the top of the 9th stealing second base on him, and then the next thing you know someone doubles him in to tie the game.

 

Wood actually does a decent job of holding runners.

 

Nah not from what I remember. The way he throws across his body, his slower delivery motion and with his propensity to throw sliders in the dirt when he is not fully warmed up, I can see guys running on him. I'll have to check on those stats though and see what the steal ratio is on him.

 

Marmol has a lot more of that quick, whiplike Juan Cruz'ish snap delivery that would be harder to run on.

 

Runners have stolen 83 bases in 126 attempts (65.9% success rate) against Wood in his career. He's picked off 17 runners. While he may not be the fastest to the plate, he has a decent move to first and a very good move to second.

[CyHawk_Cub]

I would go with Marmol as the closer, I don't think it's going to work with Wood. You guys have mentioned experience but noone has yet mentioned Wood's pitching and mechanics just aren't conducive to a closer's role. it takes him too long to warm up and to settle into a pitching groove.

Isn't this an argument FOR Kerry Wood as closer? As the closer, he'll have the whole half inning to warm up and he'll know exactly when he's coming in, unlike Howry or Marmol who may be summoned at a moment's notice.