Houston Astros: Luke Gregerson Named Closer
The Houston Astros have finally decided on a closer, giving Luke Gregerson the nod for now.
Following speculation that offseason addition Ken Giles would replace Luke Gregerson as the Houston Astros closer, the team announced Gregerson will remain in the role to start the season, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Astros manager A.J. Hinch said Giles will still be used in high leverage late inning scenarios.
Giles was acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies this offseason in a seven-player trade and was expected to take the job from Gregerson, but a shaky spring led to the decision. Giles posted a 6.75 ERA over 9 1/3 innings during spring training, but was among the game’s best relievers last season after finishing the year with a 1.80 ERA and an 11.19 K/9 rate.
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Experience may have been the deciding factor, though, as Giles only managed 15 saves in limited time as the Phillies primary closer last season. Gregerson, on the other hand, converted 31 of 36 save opportunities for the Astros while posting a 3.10 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. While Gregerson’s upside is limited at this point and he isn’t quite the flamethrower that Giles is, he’s still a reliable late inning option that can get outs in a variety of ways.
Hinch said that the closer job will mainly be Gregerson’s, but could change depending on the day or situation.
“I’m going to have Giles pitch in a couple of different roles, depending on what the highest-leverage situation of the game would be. That’s not to say Giles isn’t going to get a lot of saves; not to say Giles isn’t going to close some games. But for the purposes of getting guys prepared, it’s important they know generally how they’re going to be used,” Hinch said to reporters at Yankee Stadium.
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The team will have to wait to see either pitcher in action, however, as their matchup with the Yankees has been postponed due to inclement weather. Look for Gregerson and Giles to both play major roles in what should be a dominant Astros bullpen throughout the season.