Here's the deal. The kid is 22 years old (will turn 23 in May) and has a lightning bolt for an arm. His radar readings on his fastball are always in the upper 90 mph range and they went over the 100 mph mark on some questionable radar guns last year.
Argument for closer:
1.Those who want him as the closer want a sure thing (or what they perceive to be a sure thing). Feliz had 40 saves last year, which was the most since Francisco Cordero had 49 in 2004.
2. They also say there is no one in the bullpen currently who can be a closer.
My argument against those scenarios.
1. The statistic "save" is the most over-rated thing in baseball next to the batting average. Only 27 of Feliz' 70 games last year did he enter the game with a one-run lead or in a tie game. Of those 27, he blew tie or lead 4 times. Therefore, he recorded 23 (in-effect saves). Managers will give closers the ball when up by 3 and only needing 3 outs many many many many many times just to boost their statistics. It's ludicrous. The one-inning save as we know it didn't really even exist before Lee Smith in 1982. The game was played for 100 years or so before we thought it was time to trick it up with over-thinking managers and rock music and wild hair and beards for crazy fireballers. It's a sexy part of the game, that's for sure...but just not needed.
2. Before Francisco Cordero saved 49 games for the Rangers in 2004, he was a setup man in '03 to Ugith Urbina until the trade deadline of that year. Francisco became the closer and saved 15 games and was handed the job with no previous experience as a polished proven closer. Also,
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