NEW YORK — Heading into spring training and into the regular season, the perception was that left-hander Brett Cecil would be the Toronto Blue Jays closer.
Less than a week into the season, that has changed.
Before Toronto’s 6-3 win over the Yankees, manager John Gibbons said he was going to give rookie Miguel Castro save opportunities.
The reason for the move was because Cecil is still a little behind where he should be after missing a few days earlier in spring training with shoulder soreness and that Castro has pitched so well with his fastball in the high 90s.
“I talked to Cec (Cecil) today because he’s down a little bit, he’s not sharp,” Gibbons said before the game. “So I told him that he could come in in the seventh, eighth inning. If it ends up stacking up where he’s the guy in the ninth then so be it, but try to get him a little sharper.”
So with the Blue Jays trying to nail down a close victory, that’s exactly what unfolded. Cecil got the eighth, Castro had the ninth and both succeeded.
A night after a wild eighth inning, Cecil’s control was much better. He said he was able to grip pitches better and it showed as he threw nine of 14 pitches for strikes.
By protecting the lead, that paved the way for Castro to get his first save opportunity in only his third appearance. After throwing seven fastballs clocked over 96 mph Monday and four more Wednesday, Castro threw six more that fast and polished off the save in 15 pitches.
While Cecil is the known quantity after pitching effectively in setup roles last season, Castro was kind of the mystery entering exhibition games. He answered some of the questions by posting a 2.19 ERA in nine exhibition outings. Spanning 12 1/3 innings, Castro struck out 12 without issuing a walk.
“The whole idea coming into the season, he was great in spring training but you still wanted to see when the season starts,” Gibbons said. “He’s had two appearances, he’s looked really good. You want to see how he handles it.”
Designating Castro as a closer won’t necessarily preclude Gibbons from using him in the eighth when the opponent’s best hitters often come up. That would be in line with the thinking of many who believe managers should use their best pitchers at the most pivotal time regardless of the inning.
“We’d love to have somebody who we can define the role,” Gibbons said. “We’re still kind of trying to figure some things out.”
The questions about whose role belongs to who come after Toronto lost Casey Janssen to free agency in the offseason. Janssen had 25 saves and a 3.94 ERA in a season that Toronto’s bullpen had a 4.09 ERA, marking the fourth time in six seasons Blue Jay relievers posted an ERA of at least 4.00.
Fantasy Update: It might be a good idea to pick up Castro if you need saves. Toronto should be in the mix in the AL East all year long and he’ll get plenty of opportunities to close games.