With Brandon Workman traded to the Phillies, Matt Barnes has taken over as the team's closer. And I just recently added this auto to my collection:
Barnes has been with the Red Sox since 2014 and has primarily been a setup man during his career. He is being given a chance to prove himself as a closer with one year left before free agency. Barnes has always been a high-strikeout pitcher, but he also tends to walk too many batters and is a bit prone to the longball. Barnes currently has a record of 26-21 with a 4.12 ERA in 319 games, covering 332 innings pitched. He has walked 157 batters, but struck out 432. He has eleven career saves, with his five thus far this year being a career high. Time will tell how good he can be in the closer role, but I am not terribly optimistic.
I still remember when I pulled his 2011 Bowman Chrome autograph and the consensus was that he (along with Henry Owens) was going to be an absolute anchor for the BOS rotation for years to come.
ReplyDeleteOwens was definitely a big bust. Barnes has at least been a serviceable, even pretty good, reliever.
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