After General Manager Ned Colleti said he was removing Jonathan Broxton from the closer’s role following a blown save against the Marlins, Manager Don Mattingly has endorsed Broxton as the team’s closer.
Analysis: Broxton will still be the closer but he is suffering with elbow soreness. Broxton hasn’t pitched well this year but he has only blown one save. His strikeouts are down and his walks are up but we have to accept the fact that Broxton isn’t an elite closer, he’s just a high strikeout closer. What really is concerning is his velocity- it’s down across the board. You really cannot drop him at this point but it would serve you well to go closer shopping on the wire. When Broxton gets his act together for a stretch you should sell high. The only case where I would consider keeping the right hander would be if his fastball and slider velocity return to form. Patience in this case is key. He is capable of top ten closer numbers but he may not have the job down the road either.
Projection: If Broxton can get his act together expect 27 saves, 75 K’s, 3.6 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP.