In his first full season in the new role, Cleveland Guardians closer Cade Smith has hit the 40 save mark
I am rooting for him for many reasons.
Guards
Hot
Canada
Clase’s records cannot stand and K’d is our only hope
K’d is a dope nickname
Do you think we can just give Cody Allen back his spot on the all time saves list? I want to pretend the bad man didn’t exist.
Imma pretend it’s Bob Wickman
Doug Jones is more reasonable. His last changeup should be crossing the plate any day now.
If anything, games where he got the save but spiked pitches should be taken off his record
I mostly agree with point 4, Clase done goofed just to make what is basically a penny on his salary.
So happy the Gaurds managed to just spawn another elite closer after the Clase situation
He was around and elite when Clase was the closer.
dude has ice running through his veins
For as analytics heavy as the Guardians are, they really love to annoint one reliever as the closer and give him every single save opportunity, even if there are higher leverage moments at other points in the game. It’s like a horseshoe theory 10000 IQ strat they have that saves are actually really good.
Combine that with a team that plays lots of 1 run games (and produces great relievers) and this team just pumps out save leaders.
Analytics don’t always take sports psychology into account. While there may be higher leverage situations in a game, having a set closer allows one guy to get comfortable in that unique role and allow everyone else in the pen to fall into their own routines.
While I don’t doubt that Cade could come in for any high leverage situation and succeed, that then leaves someone else to possibly fill the final inning role that they have trouble mentally preparing for.
The real cheat code is having a good/elite closer and a second elite bullpen arm you can throw around in any other high leverage spot.
Yes, but if you blow a high leverage opportunity, you might not end up with a save situation at all.
If it’s the 6th inning with bases loaded and one out in game 5 of the ALDS with the top of the order due up, I want Cade Smith.
And if you blow the save the game is likely objectively over without the potential to make up that deficit.
While analytics may indicate an earlier inning leverage situation is higher than a save spot, players aren’t robots and a manager has to take into account how a guy is going to respond in certain situations.
You don’t have to slavishly use your closer only in save situations, but I’m also not burning my best, most consistent reliever in a 5th inning high leverage situation. We can talk about situations in the seventh inning maybe, and smith has been used more than a few times in multi inning save situations this season.
Guess I’m saying I’ll take my chances earlier with guys like Sabrowski and Gaddis (tonight’s outing not withstanding) and utilize Cade in high leverage situations when the team will have fewer opportunities to respond if anything does go wrong. Either way you’ll have to use your non closer relievers, so I’d rather roll those dice earlier and give my offense more opportunities to respond if need be.
It genuinely pisses me off so much, glad I’m not the only one. All I can think is “the closer’s the closer because he’s the closer”, some real Sonoma stompers shit.
That quote reminds me of Jose Mesa, who earned over 300 saves with a 100 ERA+
its kinda a baseball thing at large. you’d be hard pressed to find a team who has an elite “closer” type reliever and doesn’t pitch him in the 9th. part of it might be that it could be seen as arbitration manipulation, since saves demonstrably get relievers paid in arb.
2016 ALCS Andrew Miller transcends space and time but on the topic, 2014 - 2015 Wade Davis was a fucking fireman mutant too i felt he walked into every saloon in town and killed everyone then someone else got the save
Andrew Miller was also allowed to be the “fireman” bc Cody Allen was absolutely lights out that postseason too.
The only time you don’t really see it is when a team has multiple guys that could fill the role. And even then, it’s more likely you see one of those guys get traded at the deadline than not unless the team is a serious playoff contender.
Of the teams with elite closers (Houston, Milwaukee, Tampa, Atlanta, Philadelphia, San Diego, Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland), Cleveland is the ONLY team where only one reliever has multiple saves. Cleveland is dogmatic with one closer getting every opportunity. Every other team sees at least a few other relievers get a handful of save opportunities. And we know Cleveland has good non-closers and plays in plenty of one run games.
It’s round number SZN
K’d
