The St. Louis Cardinals have been blessed with the gift of pitching over the last few seasons. So much so that Trevor Rosenthal, once viewed as having a future in the starting rotation, has seemingly settled in to his role as the team's closer. He pitched well there at times last season, but he still has a plan to improve in 2015.
The Cardinals have wrapped up their annual fan event, known as Winter Warm-Up, where players sign autographs, mingle with fans and take a few minutes with the media. Those media sessions give a peek into the offseason activities of players. The interviews, often completed in a group setting with multiple reporters, can provide information on any given player's injury concerns, workout routine, relationships and even their preparations for the upcoming season.
A few years ago, Rosenthal was a starter in the minor leagues for the St. Louis Cardinals. In fact, in his 66-game minor league career, he started 48 games, compiled a 22-14 record and only saved one game. In 2012, he was brought to the big club as a reliever but was still often seen as a future starter simply taking his first steps in his career.
Finding success in the bullpen, Rosenthal found himself being relied on more and more. In 2013, he would appear in 74 major league games, all in relief. He would finish 15 of those games and record three saves. Throughout 2014, he had become the closer of the team, pitching in 72 games, finishing 59 and recording 45 saves. Thoughts of moving him to the rotation, which also featured young arms that had stepped into vacated roles during that time frame, were no longer openly discussed.
Rosenthal made his annual Winter Warm-Up appearance on Monday and shared some thoughts on how he was preparing for the season. Matt Whitener of I-70 Baseball took note of his comments during the session and shared the following thought on approaching hitters this year:
A big focus for 2015 is attacking hitters early, trying to be more efficient, not be too fine and trying to get my pitch count down. But at times not trying to give up the big hit too early or not being completely confident or convicted. Getting ahead in the count early is important, but at the same time not saying that like it is an easy thing to do.
The approach is notably that of a relief pitcher. Attacking early, not being too fine and trying to limit his pitch count also shows the maturity of a young pitcher. The Cardinals have been known to work very well with pitchers that "pitch to contact." A pitcher that begins to work under the concept of setting up hitters to hit the pitch he wants them to instead of setting up a strikeout tends to fit the mindset quite well.
There seems to be a specific mindset of a closer in Major League Baseball. There's an air of confidence but there's also a feeling of responsibility. Coupled with a strong sense of the job and not the statistics, the closer's attitude translates to the field quite well.
Rosenthal shared his thoughts on saves with Whitener and others in the same session saying, "Saves are obviously a part of the game, but I really think of them as an accolade and a team effort. I’m just the last guy out."
Of course, he also took the time to point out that the statistics are not what define his success. Again, Whitener notes the closer's words:
I couldn’t tell you how many games I blew or lost last year. I don’t know if that’s my personality or what, but I remember a lot of great games last year, but I also remember the times that I lost a game for pitcher too. And that is not so much hard on me, but I feel bad for the guy I let down.
The goal is to always take care of myself everyday so I can give it my best effort when I’m out there. So as long as I can do the little things to make sure I’m available to pitching, I’m okay.
Roesnthal is showing a mindset of a player who knows his role very early, can prepare specifically for that role and feels confident that he can be successful in that role. It shows a player that is ready to embrace success at yet another level of his major league career.
That preparation, confidence and knowledge could lead to a very successful season for both the Cardinals and their closer.
Statistics in this article are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.
Bill Ivie is the founder of I-70 Baseball. Follow him on Twitter to discuss baseball anytime.
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