BSN Exclusive: Scott Oberg shares insights on developing a closer's mentality

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The Colorado Rockies currently find themselves in the midst of a closer crisis.

In the last week, Wade Davis has been front and center to four late losses and has seen his ERA balloon to 6.00 and 9.00 at home.

He has gone through bad stretches several times throughout his career and been able to recover, including last season when he set the Rockies franchise record for successfully converted saves.

It is fair to suggest that his resume is one that should provide him some patience and it is fair to believe that he could get back to his best self in time for Colorado to get back on track.

But it is also fair to ask how long the club that just slipped out of postseason position can wait around for that to happen.

One bit of good news is that, though they have a strong history of doing so, the Rockies don’t need to make a trade to give themselves a more reliable ninth-inning man.

They need look no further than their best reliever since September of 2018, Scott Oberg.

In fact, Oberg already has experience from this season in which he has excelled. Stepping up while Davis was on the 10-day IL, he maintained his phenomenal numbers and did not blow a save.

“I try to keep everything the same but obviously you know it’s different because it’s the end of the game,” he says, “so I try not to put too much internal pressure on myself and try to treat it like any other inning.”

So far, he has been able to accomplish this task, posting a 2.04 ERA on the season. Most recently, in a game that saw 20 runs scored between the Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers – featuring yet another bad outing from Davis – Oberg was the only pitcher for either team to truly dominate an inning, striking out the side.

“I just feel like I’m in a pretty good place right now,” he says, “I’m not making too many mistakes and when I do they are mostly out of the zone.”

Oberg finds himself quite possibly on the brink of taking over the Rockies full-time closer job not just because it looks like they may need a new one, but also because he has survived years of ups and downs and crafted himself into a pitcher that deserves such a chance.

Bud Black recently intimated that the Rockies are “contemplating” moves at the backend of their bullpen.

After a long slog through the minor leagues, Oberg looked lost throughout most of his first two years of MLB and even in the first half a season ago when he had to be demoted because he couldn’t keep inherited runners from scoring.

Since returning, he has been the most consistent reliever in the Rockies bullpen and come up huge in some of their biggest moments.

The most famous of these moments came when he struck out the final four batters that the Chicago Cubs sent to the plate in the Wild Card game. It was Oberg who was embraced by the other hero of that game, Tony Wolters, as Colorado advanced in the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.

“I think all of the experiences that I’ve had over the last few years have really helped me,” he says, including some of the times when he really struggled.

“But pitching in the playoffs definitely helps understand how to navigate those high-pressure situations,” he says. “It helps put my mind in a calmer zone.”

And the Colorado Rockies are going to need that calm mind, and wicked fastball/slider combination for the rest of the 2019 season if they are going to keep themselves in the hunt.