Standing on the mound at 6'5" and 250 pounds, J.J. Putz is a force on the mound.
He has the prototypical look of a poster child for closers. He’s got the presence, he’s got the size, and most importantly he’s got the stuff.
When he was a closer with the Seattle Mariners from 2006 to 2008, he saved 91 games, recorded a 2.34 ERA, and struck out 242 batters in just 196 1/3 innings.
Unfortunately for him, a horrible 2008 season for the Seattle Mariners, in which, despite Putz striking out more batters than innings pitched for his third straight season as closer, he blew eight of his 23 save opportunities; thus sending J.J.’s career to the wrong side of the tracks for two years.
He was traded to the New York Mets in 2009, the same year the club signed the new season saves record holder Francisco Rodriguez. Unfortunately, injuries derailed much of his Mets tenure.
Last year he was on the Chicago White Sox, and although he wasn’t the closer, he struck out 65 batters in 54 innings with an ERA of 2.85.
Now in the state that he has called home for most of his major league career, J.J. Putz has given something that the Arizona Diamondbacks haven’t had since they traded Jose Valverde to the Houston Astros after the 2007 season: an established closer.
In four appearances so far in the 2011 season, Putz is 3-3 with save opportunities, and has five strikeouts in four innings.
With the two year contract he signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Putz should continue to shut down the opposition and stabilize the bullpen for the long run.
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