PT TOMORROW: AL West—Ninth inning outlooks
Mar 8 2017
Ryan Madson (RHP, OAK) performed credibly in 2016, with 30 saves and a 3.62 ERA on the AL West's worst club. But a 4.24 xERA points to trouble under the hood, most notably in the form of declining Ks. Madson posted a six-year-worst 6.8 Dom—which fell to 5.9 after June, as he struggled with inconsistency and a 4.40 ERA over the final three months of the season. And now Madson's age (36), rebuilt elbow and seven blown saves last season suggest that the A's will hedge their bets. Manager Bob Melvin stated before spring training Madson isn't guaranteed the closer role, and what has been described as "general arm soreness" that delayed Madson's first spring appearance fuels more early uncertainty.
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