Prediction: Hawkins Will Be the Closer
Yesterday, the Chicago Sun-Times (Mike Kiley, “Hendry choosing words carefully,” 1/18/2004) quoted Jim Hendry as saying, “We are going to give Ryan Dempster an opportunity to do [be the closer] in spring training, if nothing else changes. LaTroy Hawkins did a terrific job in the eighth last year and didn’t have quite as much luck in the ninth. In fairness to him, with Joe Borowski and Kyle Farnsworth being hurt, Hawk was put in a tough situation where he had to be overworked to a degree.”
In tomorrow’s Chicago Tribune (Dave Van Dyck, “Baker: Priority No. 1 is Sosa talk,” 1/20/2004), however, Dusty Baker is quoted as saying, “Everybody talks about Dempster, but we don’t know if he can do it; he never has done it. Joe Borowski might be healthy, we don’t know yet. And LaTroy Hawkins might be more experienced than last year. He certainly has the stuff. . . LaTroy will be better if he knows the league himself.”
“Everybody” is talking about Dempster as the closer because that’s what Baker’s boss is talking about. Baker and Hendry aren’t always on the same page, though, and this may be another example. On this issue, I think Baker will win out.