I like the idea of using Kirk Saarloos as the closer, if he isn’t going to be in the rotation. Certainly a good starter is more valuable than any reliever, but if Saarloos is in the pen anyway, he seems like a perfect candidate to close:
Kirk Saarloos and Victor Santos are the top candidates on the roster to start if Milton can’t. But Narron sounds as if he’s leaning toward keeping Saarloos in a setup role.
“I like Saarloos right where he is,” Narron said. “That doesn’t mean he won’t start for us. (David) Weathers, Saarloos and (Todd) Coffey at the back end of the bullpen would be a huge help for us.”
Saarloos, Weathers and Coffey are right-handers, but they all throw differently.
“All three of them throw strikes and get good movement,” Narron said.
One thing to note is that Saarloos has a great attitude. He says he would like to start, but he is happy to do whatever the team needs. I appreciate that.
This isn’t a completely ridiculous idea. In college at Cal-State Fullerton, Saarloos was a stud starter in his senior year. But before that, he was one of the best closers in all of college baseball.