Karinchak Remains as One of the Frontrunners for the Indians 2021 Closer Role
The Tribe placed closer Brad Hand on outright waivers in October of 2020. It was a rather shocking move as Hand led the American League with 16 saves last season. It was seen as a cost cutting decision but one that left an important position to fill.
The clear option would be 25-year-old right handed pitcher James Karinchak, who was given the nickname "Wild Thing," due to his various traits much like Ricky Vaughn.
He wears number 99 just as the character, Vaughn did, in the movie Major League.
Karinchak is a hard throwing pitcher who made his debut with the Tribe at the end of 2019.
He only pitched 5 1/3 innings that year but showed a lot of promise. In 2020, Karinchak was often the set-up man for Hand. He pitched 27 innings with a 2.67 ERA and 53 strikeouts.
As Spring Training progresses, Karinchak has some competition eyeing the closer role. The main threat to Karinchak would be right hander Emmanuel Clase.
Clase missed the entire shortened 2020 season due to a PED suspension.
However, he’s eligible to pitch this year and has showed he’s fighting for the closer position. He made it clear he wants to compete.
Clase is a fireball throwing at speeds in the upper 90’s and triple digits.
He was acquired by the Indians, from the Texas Rangers, as part of the Corey Kluber trade. In 2019 with the Rangers, he registered a 2.31 ERA in 23 innings.
Nick Wittgren rounds out the top three closer options. The 29-year-old right-hander has been a strong part of the Indians bullpen for the past two seasons. He carries a 2.99 ERA over a combined 80 appearances in those two seasons.
One thing that Wittgren has in his favor is the way manager Terry Francona uses the bullpen. The veteran Wittgren has gained the trust of Francona as a reliever. He had 13 shutdown appearances last season which was tied for fourth most in the league.
The sample size for these pitchers has been small so far during spring training. There has yet to be a clear decision on who will land the role.
Karinchak does appear to be the choice however, Indians pitching coach Carl Willis had this to say about him, “I don’t really want to anoint him the closer today. We got a lot of competition going on in the bullpen.
"We’re going to make the best decision we can make for the club. It’s difficult, extremely, but it’s difficult for everybody that closes at this level, even guys that have done it for years and years. It’s just a vital position.”
Whichever direction the Tribe choses to go, one thing is certain the arms in the bullpen are strong.
