The Texas Rangers new closer has yet to give up a run since inheriting the role on August 1. Could he work in the role long-term?
When the Texas Rangers traded Keone Kela to the Pittsburgh Pirates, many were unsure who the Rangers would trust with closing duties, but the pitcher with the best strikeout rate was entrusted with the role, and that’s been the right choice so far.
Of course, it wasn’t just strikeouts that made Leclerc the obvious choice. He’d been dominant all season, dropping his walk rate nearly in half and seeing the benefit of it, with an ERA under 2, and a FIP that says that’s not crazy.
However, in spite of incredible stuff, no one could have predicted just how dominant he’d be. Since taking over as closer on August 1st, Leclerc has now thrown 11 innings, with 8 saves, with a 0.00 ERA, 0.36 WHIP, and a 3/20 BB/K ratio.
Leclerc’s pitch mix is primarily a mid-90s fastball and a split-change that comes in at the low-80s. Nearly 90% of his pitches are those two, though he does throw a hard sinker and a curve.
Leclerc stands just 6′ tall and 190-ish pounds, and he has a fairly intense delivery to generate the velocity and break that he gets. That could lead to some risk that his control improvements this season could backtrack in future seasons, but he’s also shown much better command on top of his control as well.
With a bullpen of hard throwers that the Texas Rangers are developing, having one player like Leclerc who has worked through his early control issues could be excellent as a mentor to guys like C.D. Pelham as they begin working into the major league bullpen from the minors.
The Texas Rangers were able to make deals from their bullpen at the deadline due to their depth, and in Jose Leclerc, they may have found the guy to anchor the back end for years to come.