Welcome Chris Perez to closer duties; Kerry Wood out
Chris Perez will finally get the chance to show us his closer stuff. It was announced that Kerry Wood would miss the next 2 months with a strained muscle in his upper back. This is an opportunity that has been long awaited by analysts who feel Perez is a born and bred closer. Perez has a 98 mph fastball and a tight breaking ball that makes in a dominating closer. For Perez owners, you have to worry about his high BB/9 rate and control. So far in his short career, Perez's control has been the source of most of his problems. Regaining control of all his pitches, particularly his fastball is the next step for the 25-year old pitcher. I did see Perez make major improvements late last season, but with the Indians throwing in the towel early, you can only get so much out of those numbers.
With Perez closing, he will have a different mindset when he goes out to pitch. You will see more fastballs and less walks. He will pound the strike zone and if all goes well I don't see him losing the job. Wood is in the last year of a two year contract, which isn't good for the aging closer At best the Indians will trade him, but not likely find any takers.Go and get Perez on your roster ASAP. The 25-year old pitcher will have his growing pains and I wouldn't expect a super low ERA, but expect the WHIP to go down and the strikeouts to increase.
