Nathan out...

[mnhunter17]

Nathan is 35, and he will likely need Tommy John surgery, I think this is a career ender.

[harvey lee]

Joe said he may try and start the season but all indicators are that with the injury he has, it may be career ending.

Really stinks for Joe.

[DTro]

Closers are overrated

The Twins will be fine

[Big Dave2]

A 2.75 lifetime ERA pitcher will always be missed, whether he's a closer, a starter or a middle reliever.

I do believe that Nathan had and maybe still has a few good years left in him. The question now will be, at what level will he be at if and when he plays again.

Hopefully the big intimidator can step up and contribute if thats the way Gardy ends up going. The twins will probably need to go out and get a veteran right handed reliever anyway.

[harvey lee]

Closers are overrated

The Twins will be fine

Only time will tell. Joe will be missed big time in the close games.

[mnwild]

Losing Nathan is a huge blow to the Twins, he will probably never play again for the Twins. I really don't have any confidence in what the Twins have to replace him. Rauch maybe be the best bet due to him closing before. Neshack (however you spell his name) would be a good possibility if he can return to his old form. Other than that they may make a trade. I heard the names of Mike McDougal and Jeff Frassor so far for a possible trade. Frassor I could see closing games for the Twins, wouldnt cost that much either.

And to say closers are overrated, what are you smokin??

[grousehunter]

5 closers I would rather have than nathan? NOPE...only one for me Rivera. Papelbon is about equal in my mind. Would rather have nathan than all the rest. He will definatly be missed by me this year! Hopefully someone can do decent in the closer spot for us this year. nobody will be able to replace Nathans production that is forsure.

[DTro]

And to say closers are overrated, what are you smokin??

What does a closer do differently than a set up guy? Seriously. One the scoreboard says 7 or 8, the other says 9.

I don't buy for one second that a closer is any different than any other pitcher on a team.

A good pitcher is a good pitcher is a good pitcher.

A LOT of pitchers will succeed when only having to pitch 3 outs and more than likely coming into the game with a lead.

OVERRATED

[SledNeck]

too bad twins have to pay him this year, they should have listened to me

[mnwild]

A closer isn't any different than any other pitcher?? Common its the mind set that they are in a pressure situation, glad your not managing my team. Sounds like if you were a manager of a team you would put a Radke out there in the 9th to close a game out before a Nathan or a Rivera because they aren't any different.

Saying closers are overrated in baseball is almost as bad as someone saying that goalis are overrated in hockey..

[greebs]

it takes a certain mentality to be a closer and not a lot of pitchers have it. there are a limited number of pitchers who have been successful on a regular basis pitching the 9th inning.

it would seem to be that pitching one inning wouldn't be that tough and whatever one inning you pitch it shouldn't matter; however, that ain't reality and history will show that year in and year out there are only a limited number of closers who are reliable the majority of the time. Joe was one of them.

[PierBridge]

too bad twins have to pay him this year, they should have listened to me

You still want Neshek for a closer?

[blue_healer_guy]

pbc, I hope your not serious about Matt G being the closer. I'm old,fat,and washed up but I could still hit that cheese he brings.

[DTro]

Saying closers are overrated in baseball is almost as bad as someone saying that goalis are overrated in hockey..

Not at all.

It's like saying, we should bring in a goalie with a minute left so he is fresh.

If a pitcher is good, then he has the mentality to finish a game. Plain and simple.

The concept of the closing pitcher, a player specifically designated to pitch no earlier than the eighth and generally not until the ninth innning, did not really exist prior to the 1980s.

[harvey lee]

But the fresh pitcher will have a fresh arm Darren. The other pitcher may not be throwing his best stuff after so many more pitches.

There has to be a closer and thats why all teams have them.

Maybe you know something that all of Major Leaque baseball coaches don't.

[DTro]

Closers are overrated

The Twins will be fine

[DonBo]

A closer has to be able to strike people out. There are many good pitchers out there that let their defence get the outs. Too much chance of a big ralley if your closer is a ground ball or fly ball out kind of guy.

Every great closer has one good strike out pitch, not every good pitcher has that.

[zepman]

Well, add 10 more loses to the lose column for the season.

Not an easy Job to re[lace Joe even if he is at 75%. The guy has saved many games for the Twins even if he did have a couple bad ones last season.

If Joe cannot pitch, about 30 games in, many will then say, we need Joe back.

Tom...that may have been true last year but with all the additions to our roster there's no way his injury costs the Twins that many games. Nathan's injury will set the twins back a little but I'm more on the side of DTRO on this one...closers, for the most part, are way overpaid/overrated.

[harvey lee]

I guess we will see in time. The Twins have none of Joe's caliber.

I wonder what the Yankees would say if one said Rivera is no big deal as a closer is not that important.

[zepman]

Well, up until last year it had been almost 10 years between championships for the Yanks and Riviera.

You're right though...the Twins probably don't have anyone of Nathan's caliber on the team and it will cost them a few games. I just think Nathan is/was really on his down-turn in his career and this will just speed up the process of replacing him.

He had great #'s last year but I think we can all agree it didn't look pretty most of the time.

[DTro]

Yep, as far as relievers go, Joe was probably the best on the team, so in that they will miss him for sure.

But the way people get whipped up about losing "an ace closer" is overblown IMO.

Heck, just score a bunch of runs, with decent starting pitchers and it's a non-factor.

[B. Amish]

Nathan was a great reliever, but the whole closer position is overrated.

if everyday eddy can close, anybody can do it.

[DonBo]

Yeah, it was sure entertaining watching Eddie. He's walk a guy, hit a guy, maybe give up a warning track fly ball then strike out the next two guys. That's the point...he'd strike out the next two guys. That's what a closer has to do to be effective. Not every pitcher is capable of that.

[duckhuntr21]

Nathan is probalby my favorite player on the team, but one thing that myself or my wife will not miss were the stream of obsenities that came out of my mouth every time he got out the first two batters quick and had to load the bases just to make things interesting.

[Harmonica Bear]

Closers over-rated? Hmmmmm.

That one can be hashed out over and over. I've waffled on that before. Maybe they are a bit, on a good team playing at home. But on the road, when it comes down to just you and defeat. I believe there are certain pitchers that just have that moxie, the majonies, to get that done on the road, or against likes of the Yankees, Bosox etc. Some pitchers just don’t have that. Many “good” middle relievers need the fact that their team gets another at bat, or there is someone behind them to pick them up. But, a one run game on the road, fighting for the division, and every game counts? Nah, good closers are not over-rated at all, not the least bit (or “great” relievers if you want to change semantics and don’t like the word “Closer”).