Brandon Brown
Throughout the season, CBS Sports MLB experts will bring you a weekly Batting Around roundtable breaking down just about everything. The latest news, a historical issue, thoughts on the future of baseball, all sorts of things. Last week we discussed the automated attack zone. This week we’re going to cover the best close-ups in the game.
Who is the best striker in baseball?
RJ Anderson: I think you have to give that title to Mason Miller now. Here we are in June and he is striking out almost two batters per inning. It’s hard to understand. He has also demonstrated the ability to record more than three strikeouts at a time; This isn’t too surprising given his early history, but it adds value, in my opinion. The other two candidates I would hear arguments for are Emmanuel Clase and Ryan Helsley. Both have longer track records than Miller, and I wouldn’t disagree with anyone who picked them. (Note that I didn’t forget Devin Williams and Félix Bautista; I just think it goes against the spirit of these questions to answer with an injured pitcher.)
Dayn Perry: I have to agree that it’s Mason Miller now. It’s simply impossible for me to ignore a high-leverage reliever who is striking out more than half the batters he faces and running a 0.87 FIP. On another level, I expect close-in dominance, and Miller’s ability to overwhelm hitters with his triple-digit fastball and strikeout slider checks that box in a big way. Clase is right behind Miller for me.
Matt Snyder: I will go with Robert Suarez. Not only was he tasked with taking over San Diego for a guy who has been the best outfielder in baseball in the recent past, but he is also the only outfielder in baseball with at least 10 saves and zero blown saves. He’s been incredible across the board and hasn’t wavered in defensive situations yet, so I’ll go with him.
Mike Axisa: Am I really the first to mention Josh Hader? I know he’s had a terrible start to the season — he’s allowed eight runs in his first 7 2/3 innings and nine appearances — but he’s been classic Hader since mid-April, including striking out more than 40% of the batters he faced. That difficult start to the season was a blip, not the new normal, and the track record of elite play is quite long here. First impressions are important, although Hader’s first impression in an Astros uniform does not accurately represent him.
Anyway, to answer the question, I prefer Clase over Hader and Miller, especially now that he’s rediscovered the swing-and-miss ability that sometimes eluded him last season. There are so many great closures, though. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a hitter look comfortable against Andrés Muñoz. Clay Holmes never allows home runs and that’s a valuable skill when you only pitch in close games. Would anyone be surprised if Edwin Díaz dominated after overcoming the problem? Jeff Hoffman has been out of this world for the past two years and is now in a closer role. There are a lot of great close-ups out there. Force me to choose one and I’ll take Clase.
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