Oakland Athletics: Bob Melvin Officially Announces Closer Platoon

The Oakland Athletics started the season with a bullpen full of potential pitchers who could pitch the ninth inning as the team’s closer.

On Opening Day there were four experienced closers in the Oakland Athletics bullpen and a kid in his sophomore season who set an MLB record as a rookie for not allowing an inherited runner to score from April until early July.

Left-hander (and the bullpen’s lone southpaw) Sean Doolittle, 30, had been the A’s closer in 2014. He was an All-Star that season but had spent much of the past two seasons on the disabled list with shoulder injuries. Right-hander Ryan Madson, 36, had taken over the job for Doolittle in 2016.

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Thirty-four-year-old John Axford had led the National League in saves for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2011 with 46.

He closed out 43 games for the Colorado Rockies, converting 26 of 31 save opportunities the year before he joined the Athletics.

The A’s signed 36-year-old Santiago Casilla to a two-year deal this past offseason.

He began his career with the Athletics under the name Jairo Garcia and spent six somewhat rocky seasons in Oakland before crossing the Bay to play for the San Francisco Giants.

He amassed 123 saves over seven seasons with the Giants, really becoming the closer in 2015.

He converted 38 of 44 save opportunities and began the 2016 season as the team’s closer. He was later removed from the role after blowing nine saves.

Then there was Ryan Dull, the aforementioned 27-year-old kid who set an MLB record in his rookie season.

Besides his aptitude for not allowing inherited runners to score, thus saving the starting pitchers some earned runs, he posted a 2.24 ERA while finishing nine games and collecting three saves in 2016.

The consensus was that the A’s were going to go with the “closer by committee” approach until one player emerged as the only closer.

But Wednesday, just over a week into the regular season, A’s manager Bob Melvin made an announcement on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM.

He’s decided to go with a closer platoon consisting of Casilla and Doolittle “depending on the match-ups.” It’s not unprecedented to have multiple closers but it’s not often that you have a “closer platoon.”

His decision makes sense, however, with Casilla being a righty and Doolittle a lefty.

Axford is now out of the equation, on the new 10-day disabled list with a shoulder injury.

Dull is still young at age 27 and could probably use more big league experience.

He’s played in two games so far this season. While he did well in his first outing by striking out he side, he struggled in his second outing, allowing three runs and raising his ERA to 13.50 in 2017.

It’s a little more curious that Melvin was so quick to exclude Madson. While Madson did blow nine saves in 2016, he’s been nearly flawless this season, pitching three innings allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out three batters. He still has a perfect ERA on the year.

Whatever swayed Melvin towards Casilla and away from Madson is a mystery. Both are 36-year-old right-handers and both blew nine saves in 2016.

Doolittle makes sense, not only because he is the only lefty, but because he has always been a strong pitcher when healthy.

It’s unclear if the “closer platoon” will stick for the remainder of the season, but for now Melvin has made his decision.

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