Texas Rangers Not Ready To Name Closer

José Leclerc picked up his third save of Spring Training on Wednesday when he closed out the Texas Rangers’ 2-0 win over the Chicago White Sox.

No Rangers pitcher has more saves this spring than Leclerc. But that doesn’t make him the closer Opening Day, at least not to manager Bruce Bochy.

“We have some pretty good options,” Bochy said. “So I don’t have an answer for you right now who definitely would close the first game or the second game, whatever. But you know I think there’s some pretty good names down there.”

Bochy sees a number of quality options for the role.

Leclerc is one. He’s coming off a 2022 in which he reclaimed the closer job after missing all of 2021 and part of 2022 due to Tommy John surgery. Leclerc finished the season with seven saves.

Another is Joe Barlow, the Rangers’ Opening Day closer last season. The right-hander had 13 saves before blister issues derailed his season.

There’s also Jonathan Hernández, who had four saves last season after returning from Tommy John surgery, much like Leclerc.

That’s just what is left over from last season. It doesn’t include Will Smith, who signed earlier this month. The left-hander has 91 career saves and has been part of the last two World Series champions. He also played for Bochy with the San Francisco Giants.

There’s even Ian Kennedy, who was the Rangers’ Opening Day closer in 2021 and had 16 saves before he was dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Bochy is even willing to toss left-hander Brock Burke into the conversation, even though he was the club’s top set-up man a year ago.

So what’s up? A couple of things.

First, Bochy knows the game has changed since he stepped away from the Giants after the 2019 season. Back then, MLB didn’t have the three-hitter rule for relief pitchers. These days, starters aren’t going as deep into games as they used to. Bochy believes he needs a flexible set of relievers that are capable of working more than one inning when needed.

To that end, he needs pitchers who are OK with flexible roles. At least one of his would-be closers is.

“I’ve talked to José about this, and he told me, ‘I don’t care where I pitch I just want to help us win,’” Bochy said. “That’s what you want to hear.”

Second, he’s done the one-closer routine more often than not. When you manage closers like Hall-of-Famer Trevor Hoffman, Brian Wilson and Sergio Romo, you get used to handing that ball off to one guy in the ninth inning and, to a degree, taking it for granted.

Those outs, Bochy acknowledges, are a “different three outs.”

For those three outs, he needs a certain kind of pitcher. Bochy knows the profile. If he knows who’s getting those three outs on Opening Day, he’s not saying. Yet.

“More than anything (I need) a strike-thrower,” Bochy said. “You’d obviously like to see the stuff and a guy that’s going to be comfortable out there getting the last three outs.

“Jose’s done it. Hernandez has that ability. Will Smith has done it. You know, Kennedy’s an option. I think more than anything is to just make sure these guys can find the strike zone.”

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