The Good Phight · Jan 4, 2019
The Phillies don’t have a closer
Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty ImagesWith the Phillies signing David Robertson to be a member of the bullpen for the next two years, it might be easy for casual fans to assume that a closer has just joined the team. That’s natural. After all, Robertson has demonstrated the ability to be a closer, having saved 37 as recently as 2016 while a member of the White Sox. On a team that had some issues closing out games in 2018, he would seem to be the perfect remedy for what ailed the Phillies.
Yet, he should not be counted on as THE closer. Rather, he adds to the arsenal that Gabe Kapler has at his disposal now in the final third of a game. He even said so himself,