in MLB Articles

Murder Suspect

Judging from the ERA of over 11 and the lack of save opportunities for himself in Philadelphia, it is only a matter of time before Ugueth Urbina asks out of Philly and gets moved to a contender looking for a potential closer.

The fact is that Urbina’s numbers are substantially better in closing situations then as a set-up man, and that is an enigma which has puzzled GMs and managers alike when evaluating Urbina’s long term potential with a franchise. This year in closing situations, Urbina has an ERA of 1.87, while that number balloons to 7.82 when he is used in the 7th and 8th innings or in non-save situations.

Given Urbina’s past problems off the field, with teammates and fans alike, it is entirely possible that we have a case of a pitcher who simply doesn’t pitch his best unless he feels he is being counted on to save ball games. By seemingly going through the motions when he is asked to set the table for another pitcher’s save, Urbina hurts his own value in the long term.

A much publicized blow-up with Troy Percival chased Urbina from Detroit, and there are similar stories from Boston and Montreal as well. While with the Expos Urbina was actually held for attempted murder until local police claimed that it had all been a case of mistaken identity.

So the question remains ‘who would want a pitcher with Urbina’s troubled past?’, and the answer is clearly any team looking for a closer down the stretch. The New York Mets would have been better off with Urbina then with Danny Graves as the insurance policy against Brandon Looper’s inconsistencies, and the surprising Arizona Diamondbacks could use a closer to carry them into a wildcard hunt as well. Not to mention San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Basically, in the majors, you are only as good as your last outing and your reputation with the GMs that run the league. As manager Lou Brown told ‘Wild Thing’ Ricky Vaughn in the movie ‘Major League’, “We wear caps and sleeves at this level, son”. Now for Urbina it will only be a question of whose cap will he be wearing after the all-star break.