Sooooo.... Capps

[SweetOne69]

@John Bonnes,

 

Actually an Elite Closer converts about 90% of his save opportunities, the average closer is probably closer to 80%.

[Loosey]

My concern with Capps is and always has been is that he isn't a prototypical closer. Most closer have at least one out pitch to get them out of a jam. I don't see that with Capps. He has a fastball that doesn't move and tops out at about 93 mph, a slider that hung a lot last year and an average changeup. He is fine for a run of the mill reliever, but my belief is that if you are going to designate a guy your closer he needs to have something that is an A+ pitch that can get guys out for 1 inning. If I were the Twins I would treat the 9th inning like any other inning and pitch to the situation, instead of designating a guy who realistically has a 50/50 chance (4.50 ERA = 1 Run every 2 innings pitched) of giving up a run every time he comes into the 9th.

[Loosey]

I just replied to this conversation in general but wanted to add on to your 90% conversion rate. I think Capps will have an ERA around 4.50 this year. Again some back of the napking figuring tells me that in an average 9 inning game he would give up 4.5 runs. Now extrapolate that throughout an entire season and inning by inning and you could figure that he would give up 1 run every other save opportunity. Now if you figure he gets 60 save chances and assume that 1/3 of those are 1 run leads he is in to protect. Of those 1 run leads using this forecasting assumption he would blow 10 of 60 save opportunities (assuming he never gave up more than 1 run and converted all 2 and 3 run leads). 50 out of 60 is 83%, which is well below the average. Personally I think Capps is more like to convert somewhere between 70-75% which is 15 blown games. . . I guess what I am longwindedly getting at is, I don't think Capps should be a closer. Go into the 9th and play the odds and the situation until you find a legitimate closer.

[mysonlikes7]

I didn't read anywhere in these posts anyone complaining about Capps continuously going out to pitch when he knew he was injured. Why is that fact being ignored? To me that is the most irritating thing about the whole situation. I understand not using it as an excuse, but if you are injured you are injured. Go and the DL and get better.

 

My opinion on the Capps signing is that the Twins knew they weren't going to be needing a closer that much this year. No need to go crazy and pay big money to a closer that probably is not much better than Capps. Sign Capps and hope if by some miracle the Twins contend this year, Capps will be able to do the job. If they are out of it by July, try to trade him and have Perkins and Guttierez audition in the second half of the season for the closer spot. When the Twins turn this around, the majority of these players aren't going to be on the team. The next two years are basically buying time until the younger players improve.

 

By the way, you got to love Rick Anderson's response to the fact Capps is working on a new pitch. He said pitchers come up with a new pitch when they are starting to lose it. He didn't say that exactly, but I am paraphrasing.

[81Exposruledbaseball]

6-5 Twins, 1 win, 1 close...

[Gernzy]

Capps wants to prove to all the Twins fans he can close. Last night he did. Now he has to keep doing it.

[minn55441]

Every closer we have ever had, made me nervous. The thing I like about Capps? He throws hard and he throws strikes. Everyone eventually gets knocked around, but make them earn their way onto the bases. Did you see Broxton last night. Two HBP's in a row to lose the game for the Royals.

[Highabove]

I believe that Capps is a good Pitcher, but today was a prime example of why most Closer's need to be power Pitchers that miss bats.

 

Pitch to contact + too many Balls in play can = trouble.

 

They dodged a Bullet.

[Seth Stohs]

2-for-2!! Woo hoo!

[BigVin]

I don't care how Capps does it, as long as he finishes his job. he'll blow a few, but his track record shows more then a few, hope 2012 will be different. -Go Twins!

[Harrison Greeley III]

Some guys just know how to get the save.

 

#yesthatisinfactsarcasm

[Riverbrian]

My Opinion... Closers are overrated and underrated at the same time.

 

I believe that many pitchers possess the make up and ability to be closers... I dare say that there are probably better closer options then Matt Capps setting up on other squads. Yet Teams will shell out big money to acquire them. This makes them overrated.

 

However, Watching Ron Davis do his thing and knowing that when the closer blows it. The team rarely has enough time to come back. This Makes them underrated. It's the sticking with the bad ones that drives you nuts.

 

I hope Capps keeps getting the job done. Build up his value and then move him for prospects if a decent offer comes along and then give the job to Perkins. Hopefully Perk builds up some value and then repeat the process and move on to the next.

 

I will probably get attacked for saying that.

 

Either way it's a tough job. Fans almost always denegrate them.

[WJ]

That was an Guardado-esque save today by Capps!

[TwinsFan01]

That was an Guardado-esque save today by Capps!

Yes it was. Matt Capps has accomplished the seemingly impossible...making me long for the days of watching Edge-of-your-seat-Eddie.