Dotel says he's ready

After I read the thread title I was hoping the same thing.

Dotel ready to close the deal
04/02/2004 4:13 PM ET
By Jim Molony / MLB.com

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Houston right-hander Octavio Dotel has always been able to bring the heat. Baseball is about to find out once and for all if Dotel can take it as well.
Dotel has been the best setup man in the game the last few years, but with the Astros trading franchise all-time saves leader Billy Wagner to Philadelphia during the winter, Dotel will at last get the opportunity to show that he is ready to fill the shoes of one of the best closers of his generation.

To take over the closer role in any situation is usually stressful. To follow the popular Wagner as the closer on a contending team with lofty expectations is turning the stress factor up several additional notches. Considering Houston's postseason hopes, the potential is there to raise that pressure to playoff levels on a nightly basis.

Dotel will be judged by Wagner standards from Opening Day on, and he knows the first time he fails to convert a save the doubters will be out in force.

Not everyone welcomes such a challenge and there are numerous examples of excellent setup men who haven't made a seamless conversion to closer in recent years. But Dotel says he is ready to face the biggest test of his professional life.

"It's still one inning (and) three outs," Dotel said. "To me I've already been through (the pressure). The last few years teams would really come at me in the eighth because they didn't want to see Billy in the ninth. Besides, I've done it before."

Astros management is quick to point out Dotel's experience in the closer role, especially during the 2000 season, when he saved 16 games while filling in for the injured Wagner. For his career, Dotel has 28 with and a number of them of the two-inning variety.

Dotel's numbers the last four years have been remarkably consistent with the exception of 2001, when he was off-the-charts dominating (12.43 strikeouts per nine innings). His walks- and hits-per-nine-innings ratio are excellent and his baserunners-per-innings ratio has been below 1 for each of the last two seasons.

Dotel has a fastball that tops out at 98 mph and the movement on his heater is so good he doesn't have to go to his excellent slider very often. Those two pitches have served him well as an eighth-inning, three-outs-and-out guy and there's no reason to suspect it won't continue to add up to three outs in the ninth for Dotel.

That's assuming, of course, that the added pressure doesn't negatively impact the scenario. It's really the only new factor in the equation, but it is huge, despite Dotel's and the Astros' insistence that he's been here before.

It is true he has closed, but he hasn't been the closer until now.

"It's not the same," said Dave Veres, a successful setup man turned closer who was in the Houston camp until the Astros released him Friday. "The stress (of closing) is a lot more than any other role in the bullpen. The first year they moved me to closer I was pitching less but I was more exhausted than I was as a setup guy."

Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell agreed.

"It has to be (more pressure)," Bagwell said. "You're out there with a couple of guys on, nobody out, and there's nobody warming up. It's just you. You're it. That being said, I have faith in O.D. He's one of the best in baseball and I know he'll do a good job."

The Astros do not want Dotel to change anything about his approach and in view of how well he has performed in recent years, that's a no-brainer. Dotel was 6-4 with four saves and a 2.48 ERA last season. In 87 innings, he struck out 97 and walked 31 and held opposing hitters to a .172 batting average. The strikeout ratio and opposing batting average numbers ranked with the better closers in the game last season.

"I think he'll handle it because he's already handled it. It's not like he hasn't been a closer before. He did a good job there when Billy was hurt and (Houston manager) Jimy (Williams) has used him to close games now and then," Houston pitching coach Burt Hooton said. "All he needs to do is keep doing what he's been doing, using his pitches and getting ahead in the count and keeping the ball down. If he just keeps doing what he's been doing, he'll be fine."

Dotel believes he doesn't need the safety net Wagner provided. He didn't ask for this challenge but welcomes it and is confident he will do well.

"My job is the same it's been the last few years, come in get the three outs and don't let them score," Dotel said. "That hasn't changed. The only thing that hasn't changed is now it's the ninth and before it was the eighth. That won't matter to me. I've got the numbers to be a closer and I'm a closer now. I'm not going to change a thing."

This spring Dotel has been heating up a little more with each passing week. Entering Sunday's game he had struck out 10 of the 36 batters he has faced while limiting opposing hitters to a .237 batting average. He converted the only save opportunity he's been handed since Grapefruit League action began.

The Astros have been calling the 30-year-old Dotel "a future closer" for years. The future is finally here.

"Lot of people say the pressure is on me," Dotel said. "It's not. I'm not worried. I've been through it before. You'll see when we start playing (regular-season games), I'm going to be fine."

 

I believe Dotel is ready...Is he BW, no, but he's pretty darn close...Being a set-up man and a closer are different, but I think we'll be in good shape...

 

Don't be scared if he starts off the season a little slow... that's just what he's historically done for the last 2 years, and judging by ST, unfortunately, this year might not be any different.

I have a feeling that there will be a few Lidge vs. Dotel controversies this year... but competition is always a good thing.

 

Not worried at all.

If Dotel can't handle it, Lidge is ready to step in. Lidge already pitches with a closers mentality.

 

That's reassuring.

 

I'm a little worried about him, too, but he'll be fine just like he says. He does have a history of suckin' it up a little at the start of the season, but he always ends up finishing with good numbers. Those numbers, like it said in the article, are up there with the best closers in baseball. He does give up some big home runs from time to time and that causes concern for me come playoff time, but I still believe in him.

GO OCTAVIO!

 

I'm curious to see if Lidge displays a better endurance this coming year. He seemed to really fade last season, mostly I'm sure because he had not pitched a full season (let alone a 162 game one) like that in a while with his injury history. How much endurance can he gain off playing a full season? I don't really anticipate Dotel will need any help closing. Dude is definitely a better reliever than Wagner, but Lidge will have almost as important a role as the setup man.

 

If you look at innings pitched, usually closers don't rank at the top among a team's relievers. This is simply because there are only so many save situations in the 9th for any given season. So in this sense, Lidge makes a better closer, as he'll likely be used more sparingly and won't break down like last season. While Dotel can keep his normal 100 high-leverage innings of superb pitching. So personally, I'd put Lidge as the closer for this very reason.

On the whole subject of "closer mentality", I really think it's a myth. Suppose you have the following situations. A)7th or 8th inning, tie game and B)9th inning, up by 1 or 2. Which situation is there more pressure for? Surely A, which is a situation that Dotel has been in many, many times and have came through for us.

The only argument against Dotel and closer is that he blew a lot of saves back in 2000(or was it 2001?). But that was quite a few years ago. Dotel is simply a better PITCHER now than he was back then. Hence he should do quite well.

 

the only thing i worry about with Dotel is how he starts the season. It takes him a while to get back in the swing of things.

Opening day is almost here!

 

Now my questions is this - who does better this season (statistically and saves wise); Dotel or Billy "the Kid" Wagner?

Over under saves for both players will suffice as well..........Ouuuuuuuh I can't wait for Monday night.

 

I'll take Dotel to have a lower ERA if anything... especially since Philly (Bowa) will probably get crazy and think Wags is good for more than one inning, and then BOOOM.

As far as saves, Wags might get more just because I see our offense scoring much more for our great pitchers this year, thus making it impossible to record a "save."

Seriously... having a great pitcher on the hill can do wonders for a team's mental state at the plate. But that theory, however, doesn't work when applied to Redding and J-Rob. Oh well....

 

Yeah, he's ready...

 

He always starts out slow, but I hope he drops that soon.