Baltimore Orioles Roster – 10 Items for the Next 10 Days
Jul 10, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles catcher
Matt Wieters
(32) congratulates pitcher
Tommy Hunter
(29) after a game against the Texas Rangers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles defeated the Rangers 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports
Who will be the Orioles closer?
As always, before talking about closers, I feel obliged to throw out there my personal view that I don’t believe in designated closers, except in those rare occasions where a team has a “lights-out” reliever. I don’t see that person on the Birds.
However, since it is the craze to name a closer, I suppose we are going to be going with Tommy Hunter in this role. He indeed has the proper personality and mindset for this position. He has had some propensity for giving up the long ball, and that has been seen somewhat this spring.
I would rather see a sinker-ball pitcher in the role, though the Orioles had that in the past with Jim Johnson – who would often see hard-hit grounders through the infield put multiple runners on base. New addition Ryan Webb is such a pitcher. My hopes were/are that he may have sufficient success to end up in this role. I don’t see Darren O’Day as ever being that person.
Interesting possibilities could be Zach Britton who has had a tremendous spring season. Or perhaps he could become part of the rotation, with Bud Norris moving to a 9th-inning role. Other possibilities could be Suk-min Yoon or Alfredo Aceves.
All in all, though Tommy Hunter could indeed prove to be a year-long success in this role, I fear it is going to take some sorting out before a final solution is settled upon. This could be the most painful part of this team to watch.