Boston Red Sox: Is Koji Uehara’s Successor Already on the Roster?
Could Brandon Workman One Day Take Over for Uehara?
COMMENTARY | Koji Uehara, the closer for the Boston Red Sox, established himself as one of the best in the game during a magical 2013 season.
However, since he will be 39 shortly after opening day, he is much closer to the end of his career than the beginning, and the team is likely thinking about who will replace him when the time comes.
Boston could explore a number of avenues when it comes time to find Uehara’s successor, but it may already have a top candidate on its roster in young right-hander Brandon Workman.
Uehara wasn’t originally expected to pitch many ninth innings for Boston. When he signed with the team last offseason, it was to provide veteran setup help. Experienced closers Andrew Bailey and Joel Hanrahan were supposed to battle it out for the job, but both suffered season-ending injuries before the All-Star break and combined for just 36 total innings.
Setup man Junichi Tazawa was given a brief trial but wasn’t able to handle the role, so Uehara became the next in line.
Despite coming on late, Uehara ended the season with historic production. Appearing in 73 games, he had 21 saves, a 1.09 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 74.1 innings.
According to WEEI.com’s Alex Speier, Uehara’s .0565 WHIP was the lowest in major league history for any pitcher in a season with at least 50 innings. Additionally, he also became the first pitcher with more than 100 strikeouts and fewer than 10 (nine) walks in a season, and allowed just one run over his last 37 regular-season appearances, good for a microscopic 0.22 ERA.
Uehara saved seven games in the postseason and won the ALCS MVP, with the Red Sox ultimately defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.
Needless to say, he will be missed whenever his time in Boston ends. When his current contract runs out after the upcoming season, he will be approaching his 40th birthday, and the Red Sox may start thinking about getting younger at closer. That’s where Workman comes in.
The big 25-year-old right-hander was a second-round pick in the 2010 draft out of the University of Texas. Although he has spent most of his career as a starter, he has the tools to be a successful closer.
Workman moved steadily through the Boston system, pitching equally well at every level. Last season, he was a combined 8-2 with a 3.21 ERA and 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings in 17 games (16 starts) between Double-A and Triple-A before being called up to the majors in July. In 20 games (three starts) for the Red Sox, he was 6-3 with a 4.97 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 41.2 innings.
The best sign of what may be to come was his stellar performance out of the bullpen in the playoffs, where he didn’t allow an earned run in seven relief appearances spanning three series.
FanGraphs.com shows Workman’s arsenal includes a fastball, a cutter and several off-speed offerings. Such a pitch variety is more typical of a starter, but that doesn’t mean he can’t adapt to a closer.
Last year, Boston pitching coach Juan Nieves explained to The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo why he didn’t believe Workman must limit his pitch selection as a reliever. “When I had Bobby Jenks, he threw four pitches and he was one of the best closers in the game at one time. … If there’s a need to adjust something we will, but we don’t want to bog him [Workman] down with that type of stuff.”
Converting Workman to closer would not only help fill a future need but also be a good way to manage an abundance of resources. Currently, the Red Sox have major league veterans Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, John Lackey, Felix Doubront, Jake Peavy and Ryan Dempster vying for five rotation spots. In addition, there are a number of starter prospects like Matt Barnes, Allen Webster and Anthony Ranaudo waiting in the wings.
Despite Baseball America recognizing Boston as having the strongest farm system in baseball in 2013, there aren’t any obvious top closer prospects. Shifting Workman would be subtracting from an area of strength and improving one of need.
Alex Speier, in a separate article, reported that the Red Sox don’t yet have a defined identity for Workman. Appearing on WEEI’s Salk & Holley show, Boston manager John Farrell explained how the current numbers crunch in the starting rotation affects the young pitcher.
“Given where we are with six competent and established major league starters, he probably sees himself and we see him in the bullpen right now,” he said. “He’s unique in that he can do both. I still see him, because of the physical presence and the durability, you project him as a starter. But still, he’s contributing out of the bullpen.”
There will be a big hole coming up at closer in Boston before long. While the team could go out and spend for a replacement through free agency, it could also choose to develop its emerging prospect instead. If the Red Sox choose the do-it-yourself approach, Workman should be an internal candidate who is given a long look.
Statistics obtained via Yahoo MLB Stats and Baseball-Reference.com. In addition to the Yahoo Contributor Network, Andrew Martin has written extensively for Bleacher Report and a number of print publications and websites on the topics of history and sports (particularly the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots). He also produces his own blog and has appeared on various sports talk shows and podcasts.
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