How long will Grant Balfour’s closing duties last?
The Oakland A’s have finally made a decision on who will replace Andrew Bailey as the anchor of the bullpen this upcoming season. Bob Melvin announced that Balfour will be his closer to start 2012. The job has hardly been won yet, and you shouldn’t be entirely confident that Balfour will be in this position the entire season.
Brian Fuentes was in the running all along, and some sources actually tweeted the A’s were leaning towards him winning this position before the decision came in. However, Fuentes isn’t the only competition gunning for the ninth inning duties in Oakland.
Fautino De Los Santos is a young(er) guy who could easily step in if things go awry for Balfour. With three pitchers vying for save opportunities, it’s hard to imagine Balfour will make it the entire year in the same spot, especially given his recent history.
In 2011 Balfour blew five saves in the seven save opportunities he had. That doesn’t exactly look good on your resume going forward. Balfour was excellent when it came to holds, recording 26 for the A’s last season. But something about that late-game pressure brought the worst of him. It’s not to say he won’t be successful as a closer this season, but there is reason for concern.
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