Does Greinke have a shot at closing for KC?

[Misfits44444]

Greinke looks to be doing well out of the pen. If Dotel cant regain his closer form do you think Greinke will end up the closer over Soria?

[Danger]

I doubt it. KC still has Soria if Dotel really can't hold it together. They need Greinke to be a starter more than a closer.

[TEAM MVP]

i agree. no way they can afford to have grienke not in the rotation for long.

[TonyCee]

They need Greinke to be a starter more than a closer.

[nakgxf]

The previous three comments actually run against everything I've heard from the team on local (I'm in KC) talk radio, press conferences, etc. Greinke is saying that he likes pitching more often and enjoys not waiting four or five days between starts. The Royals seem more than happy to accomodate him, especially since he is a bit, how should I say this..."fragile" mentally.

And I must ask, why is it that the Royals need Greinke in the rotation right now? Meche and De La Rosa (minus tonight) have been very good so far this year, and Perez has put up six or seven quality starts in a row. Bannister is doing OK, and will continue to get his innings all year, and we need to see if Elarton is going to be worth holding on to. Greinke will stay in the bullpen for a while.

OK, all that said, he likely won't be closing. Soria has had his hiccups, but overall has been very good, and Dotel just got off the DL. It seems like Greinke would be more useful as a middle reliever. We all know he is capable of throwing several innings, and has been very effective in that role so far. I don't see him picking you up any saves any time soon.

[Misfits44444]

The previous three comments actually run against everything I've heard from the team on local (I'm in KC) talk radio, press conferences, etc. Greinke is saying that he likes pitching more often and enjoys not waiting four or five days between starts. The Royals seem more than happy to accomodate him, especially since he is a bit, how should I say this..."fragile" mentally.

And I must ask, why is it that the Royals need Greinke in the rotation right now? Meche and De La Rosa (minus tonight) have been very good so far this year, and Perez has put up six or seven quality starts in a row. Bannister is doing OK, and will continue to get his innings all year, and we need to see if Elarton is going to be worth holding on to. Greinke will stay in the bullpen for a while.

OK, all that said, he likely won't be closing. Soria has had his hiccups, but overall has been very good, and Dotel just got off the DL. It seems like Greinke would be more useful as a middle reliever. We all know he is capable of throwing several innings, and has been very effective in that role so far. I don't see him picking you up any saves any time soon.

Thanks for the post. I agree that he will stay out of the rotation, but was hoping that he would end up being worth a roster spot.

[SmartassBoiler]

and we need to see if Elarton is going to be worth holding on to.

If Scott Elarton is a reason why Zach Greinke isn't in the rotation, than the Royals are more of a joke than they're made out to be. Elarton is a 31 year old barely-was that offers no upside to the franchise whatsoever. Greinke is a young kid who would benefit the organization far more as a starting pitcher than as a reliever. Odalis Perez, if you guys are smart, will be traded at the deadline for whatever you can get in return. Bannister is just a place holder until something better comes along. Meche and De La Rosa? Those guys are obviously worth keeping. The other 3 are not.

If you want to make the argument that Greinke isn't starting because he'd be happier (thus more effective) as a reliever, I can see that. That makes sense, especially with someone who's not all together mentally. However, the current starting rotation should not factor into the equation.

To address the topic at hand, if Greinke stays in the bullpen, it'll be in KC's best interest to let him adjust to the bullpen and ensure he's mentally stable for a while before moving him into the pitching role that offers the highest stress.