Alfredo Aceves Named Boston Red Sox Closer

The Boston Red Sox have announced their closer for the start of the 2012 season, and it’s not the player many expected.  Rather than going with offseason acquisition and former Houston Astros closer Mark Melancon, the Red Sox have elected to enter Opening Day 2012 with Alfredo Aceves as their finisher.

Once the significance of Andrew Bailey’s thumb injury, which will cause the right-hander to miss at least the first half of the regular season, was announced, it became evident that the Red Sox would have to hand off ninth inning duties to another reliever.  Many expected Melancon to fill this role, as he compiled 20 saves for the Astros last season while posting impressive numbers.  Instead the Red Sox have elected to enter the season with Aceves as their closer.

Entering the spring, Aceves had an outside chance of cracking the Red Sox starting rotation.  However, the club said last week that the right-hander would start the season in the bullpen, where he spent most of the 2011 season.  Now, Aceves is prepared to enter the year as not only a reliever, but the reliever.

While Melancon has a history closing games, Aceves has also compiled a few saves over his four year major league career.  In 2009-10 as a member of the New York Yankees, Aceves collected two saves and then two more last season with the Red Sox.

Though the decision was initially surprising, when you take a closer look at the numbers maybe it shouldn’t have been.

Aceves (240 IP) has tallied more than twice the number of innings Melancon (112 IP) has at the major league level while posting a superior ERA (2.93 to 3.21) and WHIP (1.105 to 1.259).  Boston may also have been swayed by Aceves’s longer track record of successful pitching in the American League East.

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