Jacob deGrom most Ks in first 200 games

[packs]

Why do people continue to make assumptions about closers like Rivera? The reason Rivera became a closer is because he was elite.

You can't just become a closer because you didn't make an impact as a starter. There is a reason why there is only one Mariano Rivera and only two or three truly elite no doubt about it closers in the league at any given time. Even less with longevity.

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by packs

Why do people continue to make assumptions about closers like Rivera? The reason Rivera became a closer is because he was elite.

You can't just become a closer because you didn't make an impact as a starter. There is a reason why there is only one Mariano Rivera and only two or three truly elite no doubt about it closers in the league at any given time. Even less with longevity.

What assumptions did I make about Rivera? I'm a Yanks fan and he's one of my all-time favorite players.

I was essentially saying, you can't pitch with the intensity of Degrom and stay healthy, unless you are doing it in the smaller sample sizes of a relief pitcher.

[packs]

This thread features references to Rivera, Smoltz and other closers while discussing de Gromm and his struggles to stay healthy. They're all independent of each other, which is what I'm saying.

Rivera didn't become a closer because of stress on his body as a starter, for example. It's apples to oranges.