Closers: Most Overpaid Profession in the History of Time
What is it you say ya do here?
This off-season, closers have been a hot commodity. Whether it was through trade, like Sergio Santos or Huston Street, or through Free Agency, like Jonathan Papelbon or Ryan Madson. My only question is – why?
First, let’s take a common sense approach. If you told an economist, accountant, or anyone who works with numbers, that an organization is paying the same salary to someone who has efficiently worked three hours compared to someone who has worked nine hours, they would look at you and laugh. An average “closer” pitches around 65-70 innings. That means they get 210 outs in a season. Given that there are 27 outs in a game and 162 games a year, there are a minimum of 4,374 outs in a season. So if we take 210 and divide it by 4,374 – we get .05. That’s right. Closers are responsible for 5% of a team’s outs.
This is what drives me absolutely crazy about certain General Managers. Jonathan Papelbon had some of the greatest numbers a reliever had in 2011. His 3.0 fWAR was second only to Craig Kimbrel’s 3.2. Papelbon’s WAR was .01 ahead of Bartolo Colon. Bartolo Colon was signed for peanuts (possibly actual peanuts) last season, and Jonathan Papelbon was making over 10M in arbitration because he was being paid as a closer. Fast forward to this season, Papelbon signs a 4-year, 50 million dollar deal with the Phillies, and Bartolo Colon is still looking for a job.
GMs need to buy outs efficiently.
Moneyball was all about buying runs in the most cost-effective fashion. It wasn’t about replacing a player’s talents and production, but rather about getting that production through other means and under-appreciated statistics. Billy Beane has used his Moneyball template in terms of relief pitching as well, and he has executed it flawlessly.
Beane uses normal relievers, throws them into the closing position, and sells high or earns compensation from them when they depart. This is the right way to do it. You can get a “closer” and have him under team control, while you laugh at other teams who spend recklessly on players who determine 5 percent of a team’s success.
Someone else end this madness!
Ryan Madson doesn’t deserve 8.5 million, Jonathon Papelbon deserves 2/3rd of what he makes, Mariano Rivera is good – not for that money, though!
Sure, you can give me the psychological mumbo jumbo, but that’s a load of you know what. Sergio Santos, who was a freaking shortstop like 5 years ago, turned into one of the better closers in the game over night! Give a pitcher enough opportunities and he will learn to close.
The concept of a “closer” is one of the worst things that revolutionized in this beautiful game. It’s like something Scott Boras would create in order to sell his clients.
Closers are a lot like placekickers, but it’s 100 times worse. Placekickers actually have a skill. Not everyone can do what they do. The difference between a closer and a 5th starter is slim to none. Also, placekickers aren’t nearly paid as high as closers.
I repeat, what is it you say you do here?
