| Travis Heath. 17th September, 2005 - 3:04 pm
 In Brian Fuentes first appearance as a member of the Colorado Rockies, he was a lost relief pitcher struggling to find the strike zone. He was obviously overwhelmed, and he was quickly sent back down to the minors after just a few appearances. Who would have guessed that nearly four years later, Fuentes would be one of the most dominant closers in the game?
The Rockies have been playing much better baseball the over course of the past month. However, any Colorado fan with a high baseball acumen, understands that this is the time of year when eager fans who go mining for hope to carry into next season, usually end up with nothing more than fools gold.
Fuentes, however, appears to be an exception.
As a closer, Fuentes almost always enters the game in a pressure situation. This is something that the other players on the roster can’t claim. Sure, certain Colorado players have performed sporadically well under pressure, but Fuentes has been doing it now routinely for the better part of four months.
So in my mind, Fuentes is not just a mediocre player getting a chance to look like a star on a bad team. It’s possible for example, that a club can sneak someone in at third base, and just by virtue of playing every day, his numbers (and his stock around the league for that matter) becomes royally inflated. Closers though, can rarely pull something like that off. If you don’t believe me, then why have the Rockies been looking for even an adequate closer for most of this century?
Fuentes has a fast ball that rarely gets above 92 or 93 M.P.H., but his arm angle is sneaky, often making it seem more like a high 90’s heater. He also throws a slider that is simply filthy. Fuentes has recently started using his change up more frequently, and in fact, he even relied on that pitch for one of his saves last week in San Diego. Fuentes is a rarity in the sense that not too many closers have three pitches that they are not afraid to throw in any situation -- except of course for some of the great ones.
Hitters often look baffled after Fuentes strikes them out. Perhaps this little anecdote sums up Fuentes effect on opposing batters best. Last week, San Diego hitter Khalil Greene literally stood and stared into space for about 10 seconds after being retired by a nasty Fuentes slider for the final out of the ballgame. Might as well stand and stare, because hitting the ball hard somewhere has become progressively more difficult for hitters facing Fuentes.
Getting out of trouble has become a seemingly mundane task for Fuentes, as well. He never seems to lose confidence no matter how many runners are on base. After Fuentes notched his 28th save against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, third baseman Garrett Atkins said, “I never have a doubt when it comes to Brian.” That’s really saying something, considering that doubt has been the only constant in Denver since the team’s arrival.
The Rockies supposedly have more money to spend this summer than they have in some time. You can rest assured that pursuing a closer with that money will not be on Colorado’s offseason agenda.
The question now is, whether or not the Rockies can put enough talent around Fuentes, so that the team can consistently maintain a lead heading into the ninth inning next season. If they can, the Rockies may finally give the Colorado faithful something other than fools gold to get excited about in September.
Travis can be reached at: travisheath@msn.com |
