Apparently, there is something deep in the fabric of the universe that prevents the Arizona Diamondbacks from having a healthy, effective, well-established closer in place on Opening Day.
At least, that’s how it felt on Monday afternoon, when Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo announced that closer Paul Sewald will miss “weeks, not days” with a Grade 2 left oblique strain. While no concrete timetable was provided, a cursory internet search suggests Sewald could miss multiple months. The injury is the latest chapter in the long-standing saga of the Diamondbacks’ difficulties with the closer role.
Sewald, in fact, is one of few bright spots in that regard in recent history. Last year, the team employed a variety of closers in the first half of the season, but none of them managed to hold down the role for long. After general manager Mike Hazen acquired Sewald at the trade deadline, the bullpen went from one of the Diamondbacks’ greatest weaknesses to one of their greatest strengths seemingly overnight.
In 20 regular season games with Arizona last year, Sewald went 13-for-15 in save opportunities and posted a 3.57 ERA. He was a big part of the Diamondbacks’ postseason success, converting all six of his save opportunities and not allowing a run before the World Series.
Now, the Diamondbacks will have to figure out how to replace him. Lovullo acknowledged that “there is a very logical choice” — certainly referring to Kevin Ginkel, last year’s setup man — but he is not planning to assign the closer title to any one player before the season.
“I want somebody to step into that role,” Lovullo said, “but I don’t want to drop it on somebody out of nowhere and wonder if they can handle it. I want to let this evolve.
“We got an army of hungry pitchers that are sitting down there in that bullpen, and they’ve been tested at the highest level and they’ve gone out there and executed at the highest level at the most critical times, pitched in the World Series. So, there’s a number of guys that I can probably draw from.”
With Lovullo’s words as the backdrop, here is a look at five Diamondbacks relievers who could close games in Sewald’s absence.
Kevin Ginkel
2023 stats: 65.1 IP, 2.48 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 27.6 K%, 9.1 BB%
While Lovullo was not willing to commit to him at this point, Ginkel figures to get the first crack at the closing job for two reasons.
First, he was the Diamondbacks’ most effective reliever last year, sporting a 2.48 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in 65.1 innings in the regular season. In the playoffs, he was even better, tossing 11 2/3 innings without allowing a run.
Second, Ginkel does have some closing experience. Last year, he went 4-for-4 in traditional, ninth-inning save opportunities in the majors. He has also had success in the minors as a closer, having converted 17-of-18 save chances in Triple-A since 2019.
When asked about Ginkel on Monday, Sewald had high praise.
“When the lights are brightest,” Sewald said, “[Ginkel] is the best. If he’s going to be the one pitching the ninth inning, I have absolutely no issues that the team is going to finish the game with a win.”
Added Lovullo: “I love that Kevin Ginkel will be considered as one of the guys that can step into that role.
“He has achieved a certain standard … and I have no reason to believe that he’s going to fall below that standard.”
Ryan Thompson
2023 stats: 30.2 IP, 3.82 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 17.4 K%, 6.6 BB%
While Diamondbacks right-hander Ryan Thompson has never closed games regularly in the majors, his first outing in a D-backs uniform came in a save situation.
On Aug. 27 of last year, the Diamondbacks had a three-run lead in a pivotal game against the Cincinnati Reds, and neither Sewald nor Ginkel were available. Lovullo turned to Thompson, whom the team had signed to a minor-league deal just eight days prior after he had been let go by the Tampa Bay Rays. Thompson delivered, tossing a 1-2-3 inning on just 11 pitches.
That outing proved to be a launching pad for an impressive run. From that day through the end of the regular season, Thompson allowed just one run on six hits in 13 innings, good for a 0.69 ERA, 0.54 WHIP and .140 opponent average. His success continued in the playoffs, with a 2.31 ERA in 11.2 innings.
Thompson was already expected to be one of the Diamondbacks’ high-leverage relief options in 2024, so his role only gets bigger with Sewald on the shelf. It would hardly be shocking to see him in a save situation or two in the coming days.
Miguel Castro
2023 stats: 64.2 IP, 4.31 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 22.4 K%, 9.3 BB%
After veteran left-hander Andrew Chafin began to struggle closing games in the early part of last year, Miguel Castro got the majority of the team’s save opportunities for around a month, covering parts of May and June.
Castro converted a respectable 7-of-9 of his ninth-inning save opportunities last season, but the two blown saves were hard to forget.
With an 8-6 lead over the Washington Nationals on May 7, Castro allowed a three-run homer to Joey Menses that led to a 9-8 loss. On June 12 against the Atlanta Braves, Castro allowed a grand slam to Eddie Rosario. The D-backs also lost that one, 8-5.
On paper, Castro does not look like an ideal closer candidate. He posted a middling 4.31 ERA in his first full season as a member of the Diamondbacks, and he does not have a lot of closing experience; his seven saves last year were a career high.
Nonetheless, Castro has good stuff, and he is dominant at his best. The fact that Lovullo used him in the closing role for a portion of last season means, at the very least, that he is someone to keep an eye on.
Scott McGough
2023 stats: 70.1 IP, 4.73 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 28.6 K%, 10 BB%
Aside from Sewald himself, no one on this list has more professional closing experience than 34-year-old righty Scott McGough.
While pitching in Japan from 2019-22, McGough amassed 80 saves, including 38 in his final year overseas.
After signing with the Diamondbacks last offseason, McGough was immediately thrust into a pair of save situations in the first week of the regular season. He succeeded in the first one. In the second, he faced two hitters, and both of them homered. Lovullo quickly changed course and started using McGough in lower leverage situations earlier in games.
When Castro began to struggle in mid-June, however, McGough was called upon to close again. For a while, he was quite good, rattling off four saves in a nine-day span from June 17 to June 25. Eventually, however, McGough began to struggle again. Shortly thereafter, the Diamondbacks acquired Sewald from the Mariners, filling the closer void once and for all.
In total, McGough converted a solid 9-of-11 ninth-inning save chances last year. He was inconsistent overall, however, as evidenced by his 4.73 ERA for the season.
Perhaps McGough is not at the top of the list of potential replacements for Sewald, but his past experience — in particular, the fact that no one closed more games for the D-backs last year other than Sewald himself — makes him a potential candidate.
Joe Mantiply
2023 stats: 39 IP, 4.62 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 17.8 K%, 5.7 BB%
Joe Mantiply’s career-high in saves as a professional is nine, and that came in his age-23 season in 2014 when he split time in Single-A and Double-A. Nonetheless, Mantiply has a unique quality that sets him apart on this list: He is left-handed.
Lovullo said that he will probably take a matchups-based approach early in the season, and it stands to reason that having a left-hander would be useful.
Granted, Mantiply is coming off something of a down year with his 4.62 ERA in 2023, but he was more effective the year prior. In 2022, he had a 2.85 ERA in 60 innings and was the Diamondbacks’ lone representative in the All-Star game.
As long as matchups are a significant factor in Lovullo’s thinking with the closing role, Mantiply’s name warrants mentioning.
Top photo: Matt Kortazian/USA TODAY Sports
