Burgos out as KC closer

August 15, 2006 @ 16:00:00

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Ryan Dodson

After his 11th blown save of the season Friday, Aug. 11, the Kansas City Royals removed pitcher Ambiorix Burgos from the closer's role and decided to take the closer-by-committee approach.

Burgos has not been stellar this season, converting only 18 saves in his 29 opportunities. He has a 2-5 record and a 5.68 ERA in 57.0 innings pitched this season. He is however, only 22 years old, and the Royals decided that it could be critical to his development if he was to undergo any more meltdowns. He will remain in the mix however; as he does possess good stuff (averages over one strikeout an inning), and he could easily bounce back from this.

Another reason why Burgos could return sooner rather than later is the other options out of the bullpen don't inspire a lot of confidence. There are four pitchers currently with the team who could get a shot at closing. Relief pitchers Jimmy Gobble (a converted starter) and Andy Sisco each have one save with the team this year. Gobble has a 3-4 record, with a 4.76 ERA, and he has converted one save in two opportunities. Sisco has put up a 1-2 record, with a 7.38 ERA, and he has converted just one save in four tries. Neither of those pitchers looks to be the answer closing.

Relief pitcher Joe Nelson could also be given a look, although he has never recorded a save in his career. He does have a decent ERA at 3.00, but he might be better suited for the middle relief innings or as a setup man.

Relief pitcher Scott Dohmann is the other pitcher, currently on the roster, who has a save this season, although it was when he was with the Colorado Rockies. Dohmann has a 2-2 record this season, with a 6.12 ERA, and he has converted one save in two tries this season.

With the season seemingly lost, the Royals could also call up highly touted prospect Ryan Braun, who began the year at Double-A Wichita before being called up to Triple-A Omaha. With Wichita, Braun racked up 10 saves and posted a 2.21 ERA, although he did have a 1-6 record. He also struck out 58 batters in just 40 2/3 innings. He has been solid since moving to Omaha, getting two saves and sporting a 2.93 ERA. He has struck out 16 batters in 15 1/3 innings. He has potential as a closer, or at least as a setup man, for the Royals and could be given a shot this season.

With it being such a shaky situation for the Royals, it would not be surprising for Burgos to find himself back in the role after a few games. Neither of the other options seems to be a viable closer for the Royals, and the team could just be giving Burgos a break to get his head straightened out. Hold on to Burgos because he has the best chance at earning the saves.

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Bryce McRae
Bryce McRae is a Managing Editor with KFFL and has been involved in fantasy sports since 1999. He joined KFFL as a volunteer writer in March 2005 before becoming a Hot off the Wire Analyst in March 2006. He began working in his current capacity in September 2008. His work has appeared on fantasy sports sites such as Yahoo! and CBS Sportsline as well as in print. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a B.A. in History and U.S. Studies.

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