Raisel Iglesias is the best pitcher the Cincinnati Reds have. He’s got a 2.09 ERA in 56 innings this year to prove it.
Now, Bryan Price or whoever is in charge of the Reds’ on-field decision has installed Iglesias as the team’s closer.
Iglesias notched his first career save Tuesday after the decision was made. His repertoire of pitches will make Iglesias an effective closer. He should certainly fare better than the closer he replaced in Tony Cingrani, who relied upon just one pitch.
But the Reds need to expand the closer role for Iglesias. He should pitch at least two innings whenever possible. If the Reds have a lead of three runs or less going into the eighth inning, Iglesias should pitch.
Iglesias has thrown at least two innings in 11 of his 15 appearances since he returned from the disabled list and was converted to a reliever.
The use of Iglesias as a multi-inning reliever would serve two purposes. First, it would give the Reds the best chance to win more games. Secondly, it would help Iglesias continue to increase his 2016 innings total.
Last year, Iglesias pitched a total of 124.1 innings including minor league action.
This year, Iglesias has a total of just 61 innings. He needs to pitch as many innings as he can to help build his stamina for next year. The more innings he’s throws during the season, the more stretched out he is in the event the Reds ultimtely decide to move Iglesias back to the rotation.
The Reds will have to decide heading into next season whether or not Iglesias will remain in the bullpen. The team could do worse than use Iglesias as a closer. He and Michael Lorenzen are the Reds’ best closer options for the future.
Still, Iglesias has the talent to become a once-in-a-generation starting pitcher for the Reds. He really is the team’s next best chance to produce another Johnny Cueto.
Robb Hoff writes about the Cincinnati Reds for OutsidePItch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
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