Value of Batista and other so-so closers

[jazzfunk2]

Now that everyone in NY, Toronto and the Cafe has picked up Miguel Batista, how do we value him and the other limited save compilers?

Last year I brought Rocky Biddle aboard under similar circumstances. For the first month, Biddle saved games and avoided imploding. Then Rocky hit the iceberg and it was over, along with my ERA and WHIP.

Do we play these suckers or save them for insurance or try to pawn them off on overzealous owners? I bring this up, because I checked up on Batista's ERA and WHIP in save situations. Even though he went 5 for 5 last year, his ratios were yikes and ouch (bunch of 2.50 WHIP's). Yahoo's breakdowns show that Batista's ERA for pitches 1-15 was well over 5.00. There goes the ninth inning.

What do you think?

[AcidRock23]

I tried a bunch of marginal closers last year and don't think that it's a very productive strategy as it ends up being a crap shoot. 'Maybe (Riske/ Rhodes/ Batista/ Farnsworth) will mow people down today and maybe not'. The rewards are pretty minimal when they are on and, when they are off, your pitching #s take hits across the board.

FWIW, the new SI had a thing about Verducci's ST experience w/ the Blue Jays that made Batista sound like Gagné or something like that....it might be floating around online or something like that...

[stumpak]

People are crapping all over Batista, but he should be good for 30+ saves if he doesn't blow up (or course the same could have been said of Riske last year). His K rate is also derided, but if you look at his historical K rate from seasons where he mostyl worked out of the pen, it is around 6- to 7 per 9 innings. I am betting that a season of pure relief work would land him the 7+ per 9 range, wich is not stellar for closer but it is well out of Kolb territory.