Jose Leclerc To Enter Camp As Closer
5 years agoTexas Rangers relief pitcher Jose Leclerc will open spring training as the team's closer. “To the degree that we are putting the bullpen on paper today, I’d put him down at the back,” general manager Jon Daniels said recently. However, Daniels hedged his comments by saying that Leclerc and his swing-and-miss stuff might play better in a setup role down the road. Leclerc led the team with 14 saves in 2019, but he was also removed from the ninth-inning role for a big chunk of the season due to his struggles. "I’d like [Leclerc] to be the closer; that would be ideal," manager Chris Woodward said. "I don’t think he has anything to prove as a good, elite reliever, but finishing games is a different story." Leclerc will have low-end closing value because of his short leash in the ninth to open the season. Rafael Montero, Joely Rodriguez, Nick Goody, Jesse Chavez and Brett Martin are options if Leclerc struggles again, but the group has a total of eight career saves between them.
Source: The Dallas Morning News - Evan Grant
Source: The Dallas Morning News - Evan Grant