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DENVER — Now that the full details of the Greg Holland signing are in, the question remains, who will be the Colorado Rockies closer in a 2017 season where the club is hoping to contend?
It would be misleading to suggest that the decision has already been made, but as has often been pointed out, successful Rockies teams have needed multiple guys to pick up Saves over the course of a season. While strict roles can help players settle into a job they can grow comfortable into, scenarios arise over the course of the season that will almost certainly require some of the load of finishing games to be spread out. A least a little bit.
Bullpen coach Steve Foster acknowledges this and says the Rockies are set up well for such cases. “We have several guys that are potential closers this year for the Rockies,” he says. “I think Greg will tell you he came here to help this team win and I think the other guys in our bullpen will tell you the same thing.”
Adam Ottavino hasn’t been able to hold down the job for an extended period of time (because of injury) and therefore doesn’t have the resume that Holland does, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he isn’t just as well, if not better, suited to close games for the Rockies. He has been dominant in his short stints, is further removed from his own Tommy John surgery, and has years of experience at the confines of Coors Field where Holland does not.
It seems likely that these two will have to let their production on the field be the deciding factor, and Foster sees an opportunity there. “Our success [in 2017] will be built on competition in our bullpen.”
As for Holland, he believes he can get back to his All-Star form, and if so, fully expects to be an impact player at the backend of the ‘pen.
“Well I think as a competitor and as a player that is what I expect out of myself,” he says. “They signed me here to do a job and that is what I anticipate myself doing. Being an All-Star is a completely different thing. You can be really good and not make an All-Star team. I just want to go out there and get people out.”
Getting people out is, of course, important in the 5-8th innings as well, and Foster showed no concern that setting up might throw Holland out of his comfort zone. “From the fifth inning on he’s focused and he’s going to be another great piece to go along with some of the guys that we have down there,” he says. “The guys that I found out that are able to succeed here have the one overarching quality that Greg possess and that is mental toughness. When the ball falls, when you don’t get an umps call, the air is light and ball carries out, it is all about the next pitch. The fact he [Greg] already admitted to having a short memory is a great quality for a major league closer and that is what makes a major league closer.”
Holland, Ottavino, Jake McGee, and Carlos Estevez have all displayed closer’s stuff in their careers and each one could be called upon given the right circumstances. And Foster claims nothing but the highest confidence in handing them the baseball.
For now, Holland is focused on getting back on the field and leaving these decisions in the hands of his coaches. “I am gonna get to Arizona as early next week if I can, so these guys can get eyes on me and see me off the mound as many times as possible. I just want to be healthy April 1 when games start getting ready to pitch and I think the back-to-back, two out of three is something to look at once we get closer. Good news for me is, I do not have to worry about it.”
