Former San Francisco All-Star Closer Continues Struggles in Dominican Winter League

After a rough 2024 season, the once coveted closer has continued to struggle in winter ball.

Sep 23, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Camilo Doval (75) throws in the eighth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. / Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants had a problem at closer this year. Their All-Star closer, Camilo Doval, struggled so nightly that he lost his job and even got demoted to Triple-A. Ryan Walker took over the roll in the meantime, and the Giants had hoped that Doval would improve in his time in the minors and with more offseason work.

During five games in the minors, he struck out seven in 5.2 innings with a 3.18 ERA. Upon his return to the majors after a short stint with Sacramento, he pitched in 16 games, but allowed nine earned runs in 15 innings.

On the season as a whole, Doval pitched in 62 games with a 4.88 ERA, 23 saves, an 11.9 K/9. However, his walks were up tremendously, giving the free pass at a 5.9 per nine rate. His FIP was down from his ERA at 3.71, but still not exactly what a team wants from a late inning reliever.

The 27-year-old decided to pitch in the Domincan Winter League, and in a small sample size, his struggles have not gone away.

In just 5.1 innings, he has allowed four earned runs (6.75 ERA), and although he has struck out six batters, his control issues has persisted and he has walked five, as well.

There is still time for Doval to figure it out in the Winter League, but it's become clear that his control issues have become a problem.

His walk rate jumped from 9.3 percent in 2023 to 14.4 in 2024, putting him in the lowest possible percentile, according to Baseball Savant. Although most of his swing and miss numbers stayed relatively the same.

That being said, his fastball run value took a dip from the 75th percentile to the 10th percent.

San Francisco has not spoken publicly about the struggles, but typically when walks skyrocket like that, it could be a mechanical issue.

All of these factors are why the right hander is a trade candidate in the offseason. The Giants clearly have a lot of faith in Ryan Walker after posting a 1.91 ERA and 11.1 K/9 in 76 games, their second most used reliever after Tyler Rogers.

Doval's strikeout numbers could still be attractive to other teams despite his struggles with control. After all, he was just the National League leader in saves in 2023. It could be possible that the flamethrower is just a change of scenery candidate, and San Francisco could get a haul due to his pedigree and the fact he isn't a free agent until 2028.

The future of the right hander is still in doubt, but it's going to be an important decision in what is undoubtedly a big offseason for the future of the team. That is especially true if he cannot figure it out this winter.