John Axford started the year strong. He started the year with one scoreless game in March and then had seven saves in eight opportunities to go along with a 2.79 ERA in April. At one point he was leading the American League in saves. Then came May and with it a sudden loss of effectiveness for the Cleveland Indians’ newest closer. Axford currently has an 11.25 ERA in five games this month. He has blown one save opportunity, had to be taken out of another, and opponents are batting .333 against him in May after starting the year at .200. Yesterday Tribe Manager Terry Francona announced that Axford has been removed from his role as closer and that the Indians would go with a closer-by-committee approach. While Francona said that the goal is to get Axford back to pitching the way he was to start the year, one has to wonder whether or not the time is now for the Indians presumed closer of the future.
Cody Allen has been considered a possible option to end games for the Indians ever sense his debut with the team in 2012. While he was not a regular closer in the minors, Allen has the talent and seemingly the attitude to take the job and run with it. He also has had the results in setup roles to make one think he could be successful. Currently Allen is off to the best start of his career as he is 2-1 with a 1.84 ERA and leads the team with seven holds. He is also one-for-one in save opportunities. His 1.16 WHIP and the fact that he has held opponents to a .222 batting average this season show that his ERA is no fluke, and his twenty-two strikeouts in 14.2 innings show that he has electric stuff. Allen’s career numbers are solid as well as he sports a career ERA of 2.68 in what is roughly the equivalent in two seasons with the Indians. All of these signs point to the idea that the Indians’ closer-by committee (of which Allen is a part) should simply be a committee of one.
So how about it Tribe fans? Should Cody Allen be made the full time closer of the Cleveland Indians? Is he more valuable as a setup man who can be used at any point in the game? Does he need more experience, or are the Indians just delaying the inevitable? Let us know your thoughts below.
Last year I got nervous when Perez showed up with a 2 run lead. With Axford I’m nervous if we have a 3 or 4 run lead. Don’t know if it’s Allen time, and I’m intrigued by the push by some for no “designated” reliever, but certainly it’s not Axford time.
I’m happy Tito has decided to use a closer by committee, depending on context. It’s a long-overdue innovation, especially when a team has a deep bullpen.
Bryan Shaw. Not Cody Allen.
i would keep shaw for the setup…ive been rooting for allen to close since the perez meltdown last season
After yesterday’s game as well as seeing Cody Allen melt down other times in his fresh career, I would say that it still is too early to rush Allen into the role of closer. Bryan Shaw will do a fine job until we get some state of stability in Axford or before Tito goes out and finds another closer on the market or through a trade. Why rush Allen into this role and risk losing all the progress he has made up to this point by him getting shelled and beat-up in the 9th… Shaw has been strong and Tito will ride this until we all see differently.
Cody Allen has more value to this team as a high-leverage situation set-up man than as a “Closer” (trademark). By allowing him to have the mindset that he can enter the game with runners on base, when the game is truly on the line in the late innings, he won’t be pigeonholed into the lazy save situation. I believe studies have shown that, throughout the history of baseball, from the time when starters finished nearly every game, through the fireman era and up to the current era, teams that are ahead in “save” situations in the ninth inning win 95% of the time. It just doesn’t change.
Whatever happened to Matt Capps? Didn’t he come to Spring Training for us twice?