Cleveland Indians reliever Cody Allen will close for the team in 2017, manager Terry Francona confirmed.
"Cody is our closer," said Francona on Saturday, ending the debate once and for all. The same as last season, Allen will work the ninth inning with stud left-hander Andrew Miller serving as a jack-of-all trades. Allen and Miller were lights out in the playoffs last fall, combining for a 0.82 ERA over 33 innings of work. There's no reason to believe Cleveland's late-inning duo will be any less dominant in 2017.
Allen had a 2.51 ERA (3.08 xFIP) over 68 regular-season innings last year, as well as a 33.0 percent strikeout rate and 10.2 percent strikeout rate. Miller churned out a dominant 1.45 ERA over 74 1/3 innings pitched, paired with a 44.7 percent strikeout rate and minuscule 3.3 percent walk rate. Miller's 1.18 xFIP was the best among qualifying relievers in 2016.
Source: Rotoworld.com