Diamondbacks Will Not Name Closer to Start Regular Season

The closer competition in spring training has not resulted in a decision to designate anyone to the role yet.

Sep 3, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Justin Martinez (63) prepares to pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the eighth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images / John Hefti-Imagn Images

Throughout much of Spring Training camp and Cactus League play, one of the biggest question marks for the Arizona Diamondbacks was who would win the closer's role to start the regular season. Having failed to acquire a closer during the offseason, the internal candidates were A.J. Puk, Justin Martinez, and Kevin Ginkel.

Each of those three spent some time in the role in 2024, sandwiched around Paul Sewald's abbreviated tenure closing games between mid-May and late July. While he never designated any of Ginkel, Martinez, or Puk as the closer during their stints in the role, there were roughly one-month periods for each where they got almost all the save chances.

That approach is about to change, at least for the time being. On Wednesday afternoon manager Torey Lovullo communicated that rather that naming a designated closer to start the season, save opportunities would be matchup-based. The primary factor in assessing those matchups, beyond pitcher availability for that game, will be batter handedness.

"If we've got a wall of lefties in the eighth, why wouldn't I throw Puk? And a wall of righties in the ninth, why wouldn't I throw somebody like Martinez or Ginkel? And I don't want to dismiss Joe Mantiply. He's really good against lefties," Lovullo said.

By the sound of it, it's a closer committee, at least for the time being. That's not Lovullo's preference. He likes to have a closer. But things could change not too long into the season.

"Somebody is going to emerge from that group," said Lovullo. "We have some really good arms and who that is, is yet to be determined. So there's a little bit of a change from what I'm used to and what I'm comfortable with."

One of the difficulties in having a closer competition in Spring Training is the fact that the games don't count, and the top relievers seldom come into a save situation. The atmosphere, tension, and pressure of a regular season save opportunity simply cannot be replicated in the Cactus League.

The manager made that clear with his closing statement on the matter. "I think there's a natural buildup that a big league season offers us. So I'll see what it looks like on that stage and start to make some different decisions moving forward."

Over the last three years, Puk has a 12 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio and a .161 batting average against vs. left-hand batters. Mantiply has a 9/2 K/BB ratio and .214 average against vs. left-hand batters.

Over from the right side, Martinez has an 11/3 strikeout to walk ratio and a .217 B.A. vs. right-hand batters since being called up in 2023. Ginkel has a 9/2 ratio and .221 average against right-hand batters over that same span.

Suffice to say, each of these pitchers is totally dominant against same-side hitters. It will be up to Lovullo to find ways to maximize those matchups. Meanwhile, fantasy baseball aficionados and fans in general will be left to think along with the manager and try to figure out who will get the ninth inning on a daily bases. At least for now.