I'm getting this out early. I know the All Star Rosters are gonna be announced tonight, and I don't wanna miss that. So, here's the custom.
Jim Johnson is the best closer in the AL.
Jim Johnson SHOULD NOT BE the best closer in the AL.
It's not that I'm bitter that it isn't Rivera (though he's tied with Johnson now), I just...I think the AL closers can do so much better than Jim Johnson.
Jim Johnson is...an okay closer, at best. Like, when I've seen him pitch, he's only gotten saves due to the actions of other people, not him. He doesn't strike people out in the ninth. He lets people hit it, and assumes that Adam Jones is gonna be there to save his life. Hell, the name 'Jim Johnson' isn't really that interesting. It's probably one of the more generic baseball names, aside from 'Michael Young'.
And the closers who are right on his tail...aren't the ones I'd expect. Like, yeah, Joe Nathan's awesome, but Grant Balfour and Addison Reed are a bit head-scratchy. For one thing, Addison Reed's playing for a last place team. For another thing, Grant Balfour is Grant Balfour.
What's more, is that the people who usually kick Rivera's ass for the most saves, which would be Jose Valverde, Chris Perez and Fernando Rodney, are all toward the middle of the leaders list. Which probably explains a lot.
I'm sure Johnson will get an All Star nod (Update, 20 minutes later: Uh. This is awkward...), but then again, so will Rivera. Because Rivera's awesome.
(Please don't kill me O's fans. I am still partially one of you!)
Coming Tomorrow- One of the All Stars, or someone that should have been an All Star.
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