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Earlier this week, Carlos Estévez went on the Injured List with a foot contusion. Until he returns, the Royals will need someone else to close games. So we asked who Royals fans would choose if they could have their druthers. The results were overwhelming in selecting one guy.
73% of respondents said they preferred that Lucas Erceg do all the closing for KC until Estévez gets his mojo back, and it seems like Matt Quatraro agrees with them. In three save opportunities since Estévez’s injury, Erceg has gotten the call twice. The third game went to John Schreiber, but only because Erceg had already pitched two games in a row.
Interestingly, fans were not at all high on once-and-now-again reliever Matt Strahm; he received only 4% of the vote, barely ahead of potential rookie Luinder Avila’s 3% – Avila is set to make his first major league start tonight, in any case.
One in five thought that a closer by committee would be the best option since the Royals have so many relievers on their roster with late-game experience. Closers by committee always seem like shaky endeavors to me, so I’m perfectly happy to just let Erceg handle things with Matt Strahm seeming to take over quasi-fireman duties, pitching in whatever situations late in the game. For example, pitching the seventh in yesterday’s game because that was when the heart of the Twins order was due up, hoping that the lower part of the lineup would be easier for Steven Cruz to handle. Obviously, it didn’t work out that way, but it made a lot of sense in the moment.
Now, what I’m curious about is whether everyone thinks Lights Out Lucas should just continue saving even when – or if – Estévez has his foot and mechanics fixed. Depending on how long he’s out and how well Erecg does, it could end up being a controversial decision either way.
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