David Aardsma is the Mariners New Closer
May 16, 2009 by Stephen Kersey
Filed under News, Stats and Analysis
To begin the 2009 baseball season, Brandon Morrow was the closer for the Seattle Mariners. However, manager Don Wakamatsu has already decided to make a change. Exit Brandon Morrow. Enter David Aardsma.
Morrow’s struggles are obvious with a quick glance at the stats. He has a 9.72 ERA and his record is 0-3. In 8.1 innings of work, he has given up nine hits and ten walks. While he has held on in 6-of-8 save opportunities, the Mariners obviously won’t a smoother ride at the end of ballgames.
Aardsma is the definition of a journeyman. At just 27 years old, he has pitched for five different teams in each of his five seasons. He started off with the San Francisco Giants, then went to the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox and the Boston Red Sox before ending up with the Mariners.
This season, Aardsma has very good stats. He has a 1.53 ERA over 17.2 innings. He has 18 strikeouts and has allowed only nine hits. Aardsma is already 4-for-4 in save opportunities this year. However, it’s difficult to believe he can continue at this pace. Although he has very good stuff, his ERA in three of his last four seasons was 5.55 or higher. The one season it was lower, he had a 4.08 ERA.
If Aardsma can keep pitching at his current level, he will likely be able to hold onto the job. If not, Wakamatsu may be looking at other closer options soon.
David Aardsma, Seattle Mariners (Image: Newscom)
