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Rangers Remove Jose Leclerc From Closer’s Role

By Jeff Todd | May 1, 2019 at 1:13pm CDT

Rangers manager Chris Woodward announced today that he expects to remove righty Jose Leclerc from the team’s closer role, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News was among those to report. He’ll instead be utilized in low-leverage spots for the time being.

Leclerc, 25, has reverted to his command-challenged ways after a breakout 2018 season. He’s carrying an ugly 8.44 ERA with 11.8 /9 and 7.6 BB/9 over 10 2/3 innings. Leclerc has also been tagged for a whopping 53.3% hard contact, surrendering a pair of long balls among 14 base hits.

The worries run deep for the youthful reliever. Though he’s throwing harder than ever, and getting first strikes at a personal-best 62.5%, opponents seem to have figured something out. Leclerc is getting chases on just 21.2% of the pitches he throws out of the zone and giving up much more contact on those pitches than he has previously. He sits on an 8.2% swinging-strike rate — less than half the level he carried last year.

Fortunately for Leclerc, he inked an extension before the start of the season. Saves are a key statistic for arbitration-eligible pitchers, so even a temporary removal from the ninth inning would have impacted his bottom line.

The decision is disappointing for the Texas organization for the same reason. Paying up for Leclerc was all about locking in cost savings on a pitcher who was supposed to secure wins for the club for years to come. Instead, veterans Shawn Kelley and Chris Martin will get the late-inning chances while the team tries to help Leclerc rediscover his form.

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View Comments (46)
Post a Comment

46 Comments

  1. nmendoza7

    6 years ago

    Something happened with his delivery and his pitches are just flat most of the time.

    Reply
  2. 24TheKid

    6 years ago

    It’s always fun reading the comments of the original post. People, including me, are more often wrong than right.

    Reply
    • Michael Chaney

      6 years ago

      I always like when posts from a few years ago are linked too. It’s fun to go back and see what everyone thought at the time.

      1
      Reply
    • jorge78

      6 years ago

      I’m lost as usual. What original post? The one about the extension? I see no other links. This post looks original to me. Of course, I’m vision impaired.

      Reply
      • camdog23

        6 years ago

        The hyperlink about him signing his extension

        Reply
  3. jadams8229

    6 years ago

    it looks like the rangers need to go to a no roll bullpen for the time being until he can figure out the issues

    Reply
    • clrrogers 2

      6 years ago

      Yeah, they’re getting a little chunky.

      3
      Reply
      • KingTiger

        6 years ago

        Awesome!

        1
        Reply
      • nymetsking

        6 years ago

        Now we know why Colon’s not on their roster.

        1
        Reply
  4. skeebwilcox

    6 years ago

    Listening to the game last night as a Pirates fan, I could “hear the ugliness” of the outing…

    Reply
  5. thatdudetg

    6 years ago

    I understand that Odor is part of the future; but he’s gotta be next.

    Santana is raking a needs to be in the lineup daily.

    Reply
    • its_happening

      6 years ago

      Odor’s contract may be the most regrettable deal in Daniels’ tenure.

      Reply
      • nymetsking

        6 years ago

        Odor’s contact stinks.

        Reply
  6. xfloydsterx

    6 years ago

    The picture here is hilarious. Why God?! Why!?

    Reply
  7. astrosfan

    6 years ago

    Everybody’s contract stinks on the Rangers. Even the bat boys contract stinks

    Reply
    • B-Minus21

      6 years ago

      Imagine an Astros fan dogging the Rangers. Your team went thru a down period not too long ago if I remember correctly. Mike Minor is under a fairly nice contract. Elvis, while it originally looked bad, is well worth the money now. Lance Lynn looks to be on his way to making his deal worthwhile. When Odor signed his, I was pretty happy. Yeah obviously it doesn’t always work out. I do still think Odor is a big leaguer, he’s just in a real bad place right now. The Rangers’ current problem is their bullpen, but I’m still happy with their overperformance so far this season (including 4-2 against your stros).

      1
      Reply
      • justinkm19

        6 years ago

        They were disgraceful for a decade. How soon they forget. They were at the top of many drafts.

        Reply
        • User 1104686089

          6 years ago

          They were disgraceful for more than a decade. Honestly its why they dont have that large of a fanbase, too many folks grew up with them as an afterthought. Outside of Houston they have some bandwagon fans and thats about it.

          Reply
      • The Ranger Fan

        6 years ago

        Google which team has more wins in the last 10 years. I just did
        Astros #30 on list 711-908 .439%
        Rangers #6 on list 861-760 .531%
        Our attendance is 7-8 million more than Houston these years.
        Yes my boys are having a down year and tough times,but I still say we’re gonna surprise a few teams this year.

        Reply
        • its_happening

          6 years ago

          Did you google the last 5 years?

          1
          Reply
        • The Ranger Fan

          6 years ago

          Who knows maybe in 10 years Houston will have the better record.

          Reply
        • Cam

          6 years ago

          However, the Rangers are treading water in the bottom third of the league, without any real plan. The Astros were bad, but bad for a purpose.

          Right now, the Rangers have no purpose.

          Reply
      • The Ranger Fan

        6 years ago

        Great post

        Reply
    • madmanTX

      6 years ago

      Any of your minor leaguers get suspended for drugs today (again), astrosfan?

      Reply
  8. Jbigz12

    6 years ago

    Leclerc always had the risk of being highly volatile. His control was only good for one season. Still though, they only owe him 14 million bucks over the next 4 years and he could still prove to be well worth that if he can lock in again. Certainly wouldn’t call it a horrible gamble from the Rangers FO. Last year does look like the exception rather than the norm if you look at his career. The control was never there.

    Reply
  9. jorge78

    6 years ago

    Now if they would just get rid of DeShields and Odor…..

    Reply
    • johnrealtime

      6 years ago

      In the case of Odor, it is not a good practice for a non-contending team to dump a player that is owed a substantial amount of money. Better to let him play and hope he improves and they can either get some kind of prospect or another team can pay down some of his contract

      Reply
      • jorge78

        6 years ago

        Well, I can only hope that works. He’s so painful to watch…..

        Reply
      • CursedRangers

        6 years ago

        Odor is worse than Chris Davis right now. Which is saying a lot.

        Reply
      • justinkm19

        6 years ago

        Odor is very streaky. He’ll catch fire and bring his average up to his norm while still hitting 20-25 HR. Santana needs to be in the line-up every day though.

        Reply
  10. jorge78

    6 years ago

    I say him last night. He looked scared and lost…..

    Reply
    • jorge78

      6 years ago

      “I saw him…”

      Reply
      • The Ranger Fan

        6 years ago

        He did look overwhelming lost.

        Reply
  11. jorge78

    6 years ago

    Is Jon Daniel’s in a coma somewhere?

    Reply
    • its_happening

      6 years ago

      In his office, yes.

      Reply
  12. alien

    6 years ago

    they should have traded him during the offseason.. could’ve sold high when they had the chance..

    Reply
  13. holecamels35

    6 years ago

    Why does Daniels still have a job? This was a once dominant team that tried some ugly, half assed rebuild and is now a team full of rehabbing awful starters and misfit hitters?

    Reply
    • B-Minus21

      6 years ago

      Do you watch rangers games? Their offense if far from misfit. I’m pretty sure they were leading the league in runs per game as recent as like two days ago, so probably still near the top. I’m more than happy with what they’ve gotten out of their rotation based off what I expected going in to the season. Yes, their bullpen is painful, but if Leclerc had been what he was last year, this team could be sitting with somewhere in the neighborhood of 18 or 19 wins right now. I think a lot of people commenting don’t really watch the Rangers and just comment based off what expectations were. They’ve been a slight surprise so far.

      2
      Reply
      • madmanTX

        6 years ago

        The trolls hating on the Rangers just want to assume they suck on all levels even when they have put up double digits scores in several games recently. Probably a bunch of Astros and Angels fans who don’t mind tempting karma when their own teams are going to be fighting in the division cellar again.

        Reply
        • B-Minus21

          6 years ago

          Listen, I get it. Winning fixes a lot of things and the Astros got theirs. But, they were so much worse during their down time than what the Rangers have fielded recently.

          Reply
        • The Ranger Fan

          6 years ago

          Trolls need to quit hating on my boys, we are gonna get better.

          Reply
      • The Ranger Fan

        6 years ago

        And we will continue to surprise a few, The pitching is only gonna get better.

        Reply
  14. Willy Smith

    6 years ago

    Go Shawn Kelley.

    Reply
  15. B-Minus21

    6 years ago

    Everyone wants Jon Daniels’ head lol Jon Daniel’s is the only reason the Rangers are even relevant. They have had hands down their best baseball as a franchise since he took over. So easy to forget he put a team together for two straight world series. Jon Daniel’s didn’t blow that lead twice in 2011. If Feliz closes it out, or Nelly makes that catch, none of these conversations would be happening.

    Reply
    • Codeeg

      6 years ago

      If they won there’s probably less bad contracts from Daniels that’s for sure. Then again they avoided Josh Hamilton’s payday.

      Reply
      • The Ranger Fan

        6 years ago

        Now there was a great player in his Ranger days.

        Reply

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