Dave Roberts has recently stated that Craig Kimbrel has been removed from the closer role for the Dodgers and that the role will be handled by committee. Roberts is a manager that likes to develop relationships with his players and creates an environment where everyone is more than a number or a statistic and is valued beyond simple transactional measures. Over the course of a 6-month marathon of a season, a less transactional environment, like Roberts creates, is best suited for dealing with the ups and downs that baseball presents. But, playoff time is different, it’s all about results. so Roberts has made a transactional decision that gives the club a couple of weeks to audition the role.

Evan Phillips

Phillips is the most logical choice, in my opinion, if the Dodgers end up making the role exclusive again, for a multitude of reasons. The obvious is that he has performed and has been lights out in 2022. His ERA this year is 1.24, his WHIP is 0.74, his average against is just .149 and his K/BB ratio is 4.8:1 and he has walked just 14 batters in 58 innings. All of those metrics fall in line perfectly for high-leverage situations, including a closer role, because they show how hard Phillips has been to hit, that he doesn’t give up free bases regularly, and, when in a jam, can strike hitters out. From a “stuff” perspective, the closer role suits Phillips as well, IMO. His slider breaks left, his 2-seam sinker breaks right and his 4-seam gives the rising effect. That mix is very Mariano Rivera “ish” in terms of how it sets up and attacks hitters and we all know how his career went. If you click the picture, you’ll see all of the shapes mentioned and how difficult it is on hitters.

Blake Treinen

I hesitate to put Treinen on this list because he has been fighting injury and I’m not sure anyone is exactly sure if he’s going to be available, and if he is, at what capacity. When healthy though, he is one of the best relief pitchers in the game. Treinen is currently on the 15-day IL due to right shoulder tightness, and my experiences with shoulder issues have never been one that ended up with a quick resolution. He just recently came off the 60-day IL, which was the 2nd time this year he had been put on the 60-day IL. He threw 7 times for OKC in August and threw 6 innings total, then has thrown twice for LA for a total of 2 innings with the big club, so he has thrown 8 innings total since April 14th. There is no chance he could take the exclusive role of closer at this point, but, if things do work out and he becomes available in the playoffs, he can get 3 outs at a time, and they might be the last 3 outs of a game. We know he is more than qualified from the mental aspect of it, so his case is in the stage of “wait and see”. In his last outing, his 4-seam was 96-97, which is very good, his 2-seam sinker was 96 and his slider was 84, so, his velo numbers looked good, but, again, we’ll have to wait and see if he’s available and to what capacity.

Chris Martin

Martin would be my 2nd choice if, again, the Dodgers ditch the closer by committee concept and go back to having the role be exclusive to just one pitcher. He was picked up in a trade with the Cubs and has been completely dominant since coming to the Dodgers. Since becoming a Dodger, Martin has an ERA of just 1.71 in 21 innings, a WHIP of just 0.52, an average against of just .133, and a strikeout to walk ratio of 10 to 1. He has walked just 4 hitters in 21 innings, so that would equate to less than 2 per 9 innings. Those statistics “play” in any role, and should bode well in the high-leverage situations he is surely going to be in moving forward. Martin features a 4-seam that is touching 97, and at 6’8, has a great “rising” effect to it and gets a lot of swing and miss at the top of the zone. He also throws a cutter in the 91-92 range, a 2-seam sinker at 95-96, and also throws an occasional splitter that sits in the 88 mph range. Click on his picture to see all of his stuff in action.

Brusdar Graterol

Graterol is one of the most powerful arms in the game and hit 100 mph on 3 different pitches in his last outing. He has also had a very good year, despite injuries, that set him back some in 2022. Graterol has an ERA of just 2.96 on the year, a WHIP of just 0.92, an average against of just .196 and a strikeout to walk ratio of 4:1. He has walked just 10 hitters in 45.2 innings, which would be 2 walks over 9 innings which is very good. Like Phillips, these metrics are ideal for high leverage because not many runners are getting on, and when they do, he has strikeout stuff to get out of jams. Graterol’s stuff is classic closer type stuff with 2 speeds, hard and harder. His 4 seam is 100+ and, when he needs to, he pairs that with a slider that breaks left, a 2-seam sinker that breaks right, and a cutter that is meant to move away from barrels.

Alex Vesia

Vesia might be the best left-handed relief pitcher in the game. I haven’t crunched and compared all of the lefties in the MLB, but if there are any that are better, I’d like to see them. Vesia has an ERA on the year of 2.26, a WHIP of 1.14, an average against of just .172, and a strikeout to walk ratio of 3 to 1. Vestia is perfectly suited as a middle relief, match-up lefty, or set up, but could close some games with the right matchups if Roberts sticks with the idea of closing by committee. Vesia features a 4 seam, that gives the rising effect, a slider that he throws to the back-foot and back door that breaks right, and a changeup that tumbles downward and fades left. So, he has every shape needed to get both right and left-handers out in a 3-6 out save scenario. If you click on his picture you can all of this in action.

Yency Almonte

Almonte was hitting 95 consistently with his fastball in his last outing with AAA OKC, so he is ready to return to LA. Almonte came to the Dodgers in the off-season from the Rockies and immediately ditched his 4-seam in favor of his 2-seam sinker to pair with his ++ slider and it has been a total game changer for the right-hander from Miami. He has started throwing his 4-seam again, but more as an addition, and not as a replacement to his 2-seam. Almonte is a long-shot for this role, but, again, if this role is done by committee, he is more than capable of getting 3 outs at any time in a game, the last 3 outs included. Almonte has an ERA of just 1.15 this year, a WHIP of just 0.89, an average against of just .187, and a strike-out-to-walk ratio of 3 to 1. So, as you can see, he has been great this year with the Dodgers and is, easily, a candidate to be one of the closers by committee if that’s how the role continues to be used. If you click his picture you’ll see him in his most recent action on 9-23 with AAA OKC, and you’ll see just how ready his stuff is.

Caleb Ferguson

Ferguson has had some stops and starts to deal with in 2022, but has, overall, had a great year for LA. His ERA is just 1.97, his WHIP is just 0.97, his average against is just .171 and his strikeout to walk ratio is 3.2 to 1. Ferguson has exclusively been a 2-pitch pitcher recently featuring a 4-seam that is sitting 95, and a curveball that is 77-78. With just 2 pitches, his stuff fits that of a match-up guy out of the pen, but that’s not to say he can’t get the last 3 outs of a game if the matchups are good for him. Click his picture to see his 2 pitch arsenal.

Tommy Kahnle

I know, I know, Kahnle is a super, super dark horse, and don’t think that by putting him in this article I am implying that there is any chance that he would be considered to take over the closer’s role exclusively. But, Kahnle is very good and could serve a purpose out of the pen in the playoffs, and could possibly get the last 3 outs of a game if things lined up right and he was needed. Kahnle, like Ferguson, has been exclusively a 2 pitch pitcher recently with his 2 pitches being a 4-seam fastball that is 95 and a changeup in the 88-90 range. His changeup is his best pitch and he throws it a lot, so, with the amount of tumble and fade that pitch generates, it could get a lot of swing and miss in big situations when hitters have some extra adrenaline. Again, Kahnle is not a candidate to take the closer’s role exclusively, but, his changeup is ++, so he could easily get some huge outs for the Dodgers, and maybe the last 3 outs of a game if the matchups were right.

Become a subscriber to our YouTube page and follow us on Twitter @dodger_poke or Facebook or Instagram @dodgerpoke or tiktok @dodger_poke and become a subscriber to the Dodgers Daily podcast on the podcast streaming service of your choice. Just put your email in the box below and you will get notified every time a new article is released.