Ron Gardenhire announced yesterday that the Twins will begin the season using a “closer-by-committee” approach with Joe Nathan out for the year following Tommy John elbow surgery:
Aside from steroids there’s nothing the mainstream baseball media seems to freak out about more than a team without a so-called established closer, so expect plenty of hyperbolic, logic-be-damned reactions if the Twins blow a couple leads early in the season. In fact, expect some of those reactions right now. However, the odds of Minnesota sticking with a committee approach all year are very slim. Gardenhire has made it clear that he wants to find one man for the job, so mixing and matching Jon Rauch, Matt Guerrier, Jose Mijares, and Jesse Crain early on will likely just be a way for him to determine the best fit for the role. I’d be surprised if the committee approach lasts longer than six weeks and, assuming the Twins don’t trade for a veteran closer, would bet on Rauch leading the team in saves. In the meantime we’re bound to hear all about how monumentally insane the Twins supposedly are for treating the ninth inning just like the seventh and eighth inning, which says a lot about how wrapped up everyone is in a role built around the save statistic.
We are a committee. Our closer role is a committee. We’re going to try just about anything. I’ve never had to do it. It’s going to be an experience trying to mix and match as best we can. But I’ve got some capable arms that we’re going to rely on.
I’ve seen committees work. It’s not always the easiest thing in the world, but you just have to ad lib. When you lose your closer, it’s a little different. That’s how we’re going to start, and we’ll go from there.