Thread: Article: Coffey is for (setting up) closers

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It could be that he needed to adjust and get his slider more in the strike zone - that batter figured out to stay off that pitch because it was almost never hittable. The adjustment he made was to get it in there enough to keep them honest.

I think I'll take him either way. You're still talking about a guy with a good strikeout rate, an average walk rate and a low hit rate.

For <$2 Million, there is little risk. He's similar to Matt Capps, and that's solid. There aren't any givens remaining in the reliever market, so might as well get a solid one.

Originally Posted by John Bonnes

It could be that he needed to adjust and get his slider more in the strike zone - that batter figured out to stay off that pitch because it was almost never hittable. The adjustment he made was to get it in there enough to keep them honest.

I considered that but I'm not sold on that being correct. Swing rate was at 45% in '09 -- well above average. The adjustment brought the swing rate up to 50%. Not a substantial difference. Besides, his walk rate on the slider was lower in '09 when it was in the zone less than it was in '11 when it was in the zone more. So no, I don't think that is the reason for the adjustment.