Matt Capps, CL, Pittsburgh Pirates

June 6, 2007 @ 14:26:55

By Scott Ehrlich
Edited by KFFL Staff and Ryan Dodson

The closer spot for the Pittsburgh Pirates has been a revolving door since Mike Williams was traded to Philadelphia late in 2003. Since then Jose Mesa, Mike Gonzalez and Salomon Torres have all taken a turn in that closer spot. Of the three, only Gonzalez seemed to have a shot of being a long-term solution at the position until he was dealt to the Atlanta Braves for first baseman Adam LaRoche prior to this season.

However, the Pirates, who have had little luck developing pitchers, may have found another stopper for the foreseeable future in Matt Capps. Capps, the big 23-year-old righty, has been very effective in his brief big league career. He did a great job closing in the minors in 2005 and has been one of the bright spots in Pittsburgh's bullpen since his call-up.

Table: Matt Capps, CL, Pittsburgh Pirates

Year	Team	W-L	IP	H	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2005	Pittsburgh	0-0	4	5	0	3	4.50	1.25
2006	Pittsburgh	9-1	80.2	81	12	56	3.79	1.15
2007	Pittsburgh	2-2	31.1	26	6	24	2.87	1.01
Total	--	11-3	116	112	18	83	3.57	1.12

He also does the most important things a reliever can do if he wants to have a successful big league career, and that is he throws strikes. During his last minor-league season, Capps walked just six hitters in 73.2 innings and continued that success rate, with just 18 walks in 116 major league innings thus far. Capps also has the closer physique, as a 6-foot-3, 245-pound fastball-throwing machine. He has 15 holds thus far to lead the National League, showing he can effectively protect a lead.

Torres has struggled in the closer spot this year, with five blown saves in 17 attempts. This follows three very solid years in the primary setup spot, where Torres seems far more comfortable. With the Pirates still a building team (as they have been for about 15 years), they have little use for a 35-year-old closer, making it seem that Capps will be the man for the foreseeable future. However, Torres will gain his old role back while Capps is on suspension, although it should just be temporary. His hearing for the appeal is Friday, and he's expected to miss the upcoming weekend series.

For the long-term, Capps appears to be the guy with Torres setting him up. However, the Pirates do have some options in the minors such as right-hander Matt Peterson, who they got from the New York Mets for starter Kris Benson a few years back. Peterson finally seems to be setting into a relief role after struggling as a starter since his arrival in the Steel City. It is also possible that former top prospect John Van Benschoten could be moved into the bullpen at some point in an attempt to keep his arm healthy. However, neither one of those will likely be a threat to Capps until next season at the earliest. For the rest of the season, expect Capps to be the man. With mediocre pitchers like Jose Mesa and Mike Williams notching 40-plus-save seasons, the Pirates offense still weak and their pitching still is decent, Capps could emerge as a prime closer the rest of the season. He comes highly recommended. Torres, on the other hand, has little value. Try and trade him when he's filling in during Capps' suspension and hope that your partner doesn't realize the save opportunities are only temporary.

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Scott Ehrlich

Scott Ehrlich has been involved with sports for the last four years. He spent parts of three seasons working with various minor league baseball teams and internet sports sites. In 2004 he hosted his own sports talk show on 790AM in South Florida, featuring guests from all four major sports. Scott currently resides in Ft. Lauderdale, FL but will be attending law school at the University of Florida in August, where he hopes to one day be the guy responsible for holding your favorite player out of training camp.

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