The Cardinals have had some of the greatest closers of all time walk through their door: Bruce Sutter, Lee Smith, Dennis Eckersley, and even Rollie Fingers spent some time in the organization before being traded right away to Milwaukee. The Cardinals have also had some pretty good closer’s in Jason Isrignhausen and Todd Worrell, but in the past few years the Cardinals haven’t really had a trustworthy, star closer, with Izzy tailing off, Franklin tailing off, and last years carousel of closer’s, the Cardinals have now landed as Jason Motte as their full time closer. I have always been a fan of Motte and I will continue to say it. I have loved him since him since his debut in 2008 when I shook his hand at the Winter Warm up and told him that I couldn’t wait to see him close for the Cardinals. My wish came true. However, does he have what it takes to be the next superstar closer in the Cardinals organization? Let’s take a look at some of the qualities that could make Motte the next face of the Cardinals bullpen:
The Look:
Motte is one of the most intimidating-looking closers in the game of baseball right now. His grizzly beard may be second among baseball players only to the great Brian Wilson. The beard adds to the already intimidating image of the six foot, 200 pound Motte. Nearly all big named closers have that one thing that set them a part and make them who they are, and Motte is one of them that has the look. Look at Sutter and Eckerlsey; both had their own unique look. Sutter’s look has been immortalized among the Cardinals even in commercials -remember the bullpen commercial a few years back that depicted Motte, Chris Perez, and Ryan Franklin all wearing fake Sutter beards? Now that Motte has gotten rid of those horrible goggles and added the beard, there is no doubt that Motte has the look of a true closer.
The Fastball:
Motte has been known for one thing and one thing only since his call up back in September 2008, and that is his gnarly fastball that could reach the upper nineties. Though his fastball has also been a curse in the past, it is Motte’s go to pitch and it is what sets him a part from some of the soft tossing closers the Cardinals have seen in the past few years: Ryan Franklin and Jason Isringhausen to name a few. Every great pitcher has their signature pitch, Mariano Rivera had the cutter and Bruce Sutter the splitter, and Motte is truly the master of the most basic of pitches, the fastball.
2011:
Most star closer’s have one season that set off their careers, most are not just stars from the beginning even Mariano Rivera struggled in his rookie campaign. 2011 was definitely the breakout year for Motte, who set a franchise record for most games by a right handed pitcher in a single season with 78, as well as being the only member of the bullpen to stay there the whole year, he was never on the DL, never sent to the minors after blowing a save, and was not traded or released unlike all of the other pitchers in the 2011 pen. Motte also proved his worth by putting up great numbers, going 5-2, with a 2.25 ERA,63 strikeouts, and nine saves. He also really made a name for himself by leading the team in the postseason, where he had 5 saves, and finished ten games including Game 7 of the World Series where he got the final out.
No more TLR:
Tony La Russa seemed to have a strange relationship with Motte. Motte was never really in the doghouse, but also he was never put on the pedestal like Franklin and Izzy were. Motte won the closer job in 2009, and after blowing one save he was thrusted out of the role and sent to more of a set up, middle relief role. In 2010 he had the same type of season, he was just thrown out at random times and didn’t seem very comfortable not knowing his role on the team. Even last season when it was clear that Motte was the closer, La Russa never once acknowledged him as that, and never gave him the title. After TLR retired, Mozeliak made it clear that Motte was in fact the closer and would be heading into 2012. I think that will make him stronger knowing his role the entire season instead of bouncing back and forth doing different things.
Conclusion:
With Tony La Russa gone and Mike Matheny the new manager of the Cardinals, I think he will have a true reliable closer when he needs one, in Jason Motte. Motte has the look, the power arm, and has had success in the role that he can feed off of. I think Motte will be a great Cardinal when his career is all said and done and I think he will be remembered as a great alongside Sutter, Smith, Worrell, and Isringhausen. I wish Motte a great and healthy year in 2012 just like I did way back in the winter of 2009, and I can’t wait to see him in the ninth for years to come.
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