Ideally, Drew Storen’s 2015 season would have ended on a redemptive note. Instead, it ends with a broken thumb and what is likely the end of his career with the Washington Nationals.
On Saturday, the team revealed that the 28-year-old reliever suffered a broken thumb on Wednesday after serving up a two-run homer to Yoenis Cespedes to break a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning, leading toward an eventual 5-3 win by the Mets and ensuring a three-game sweep in a series the Nats absolutely had to win to salvage what’s become a lost season.
According to the Washington Post‘s Chelsea Janes, Storen slammed the lockbox of his locker harder than he normally would have in frustration, resulting in a non-displaced fracture in the tip of his right thumb. It should probably be pointed out that he didn’t punch his locker, but doing anything involving slamming with his money-making right hand probably wasn’t the smartest move. Though Storen obviously wasn’t thinking about that in the emotion of the moment.
With that, the reliever’s season is almost certainly over and probably means Storen has pitched his last game in a Nationals uniform. There isn’t going to be a happy ending here.
Of course, the nice story would have been Storen restoring his reputation among Nationals fans and a front office that never quite got over him blowing Game 5 of the 2012 NLDS. Since that ninth-inning meltdown, during which he gave up four runs (on three hits and two walks) and squandered a 7-5 lead, the Nationals and their fans have never quite trusted Storen to be the closer, no matter how well he pitched. “Wait until October…” was the underlying, if not outspoken belief. Regular season performance meant nothing if Storen couldn’t pitch lights-out relief in the postseason.
WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 23: Drew Storen #22 of the Washington Nationals pitches in the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Nationals Park on August 23, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
The right-hander didn’t respond very well when the Nats signed Rafael Soriano and gave him the closer job in 2013. Storen compiled a 4.52 ERA, allowing 65 hits in 61.2 innings, and was pushed down the bullpen totem pole as he couldn’t be a reliable setup man.
But since then, Storen has thrived in the Nationals’ bullpen. Last season, as Soriano faltered and fell out of manager Matt Williams’ circle of trust, Storen seized the closer role back, posting a 1.12 ERA with 11 saves in 14 opportunities and just 11 walks in 56.1 innings. This year, there was no question who the Nats’ man in the ninth inning was. Soriano was gone and Tyler Clippard was traded, leaving Storen as the closer on a team widely expected to win the World Series.
During what’s been a vastly disappointing season for the Nats, Storen has really been the only reliable relief option. While the starting pitching hasn’t been quite as dominant as projected — especially since the All-Star break — getting from the starter to Storen in the ninth has been a frequent problem. It certainly hasn’t helped when Williams has managed stubbornly, rigidly sticking to the “closer pitches the ninth inning” rule and managing toward the save statistic, rather than bringing in his best reliever for the most important late-inning situations.
But Storen can only pitch when he’s called upon. And in the ninth inning, he was extremely effective this season, compiling a 1.62 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 33.1 innings. In save situations, Storen had a 2.19 ERA, striking out 42 batters in 37 innings and converting 29 of 34 opportunities. (Three of those blown saves came after he was moved to a setup role.) Yet general manager Mike Rizzo (and, presumably, Williams) apparently still had doubts about Storen’s suitability, dealing for closer Jonathan Papelbon at the trade deadline and essentially demoting Storen to a setup role.
As could be expected, Storen wasn’t thrilled about these circumstances, telling MLB.com’s Bill Ladson, “All I’m going to say is, I’m aware of the move and I’ve talked to Mike about it. I’ve talked to my agent about it.” He alluded to “ongoing discussions,” but didn’t have any further comment. Really, what else was there to say? Storen was obviously angry about losing his job to Papelbon when he did absolutely nothing to deserve it.
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 07: Drew Storen #22 of the Washington Nationals picks the ball up as he arrives at the mound to pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning of a 3-2 Nationals win at Nationals Park on September 7, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Getty Images)
If not for Papelbon’s salary and the cost in trading for him, the argument could have been made that he should have been setting up for Storen. But the Nats were buying into the idea of a proven, capital-C Closer, and Papelbon has 10 seasons of performing at a high level in that role on his record. Perhaps even more importantly, the 34-year-old has pitched well in the postseason, posting a career ERA of 1.00 in 18 appearances with 23 strikeouts in 27 innings. And Papelbon was the closer when the Red Sox won the World Series in 2007.
This was a terribly raw deal for Storen. Anyone who follows the Nationals — or MLB in general — knew the poor guy was getting screwed here. Storen has one more year of arbitration eligibility next year and not getting to add to his save totals will cost him money next season. And if he was to stay with the Nats in a setup role, that would almost certainly cost him potential future earnings in free agency. Though the industry is increasingly valuing relief performance over save totals, general managers still favor proven closers when handing out big contracts.
Obviously, it would have been in Storen’s best interests to just keep pitching well. Taking his dissatisfaction out to the mound, showing that he can be rattled and demoralized by circumstances beyond his control wasn’t going to help Storen’s standing with the Nationals, nor other MLB clubs seeking relief help. The Nats still needed Storen to pitch well. Acquiring Papelbon was intended to make the bullpen deeper, reducing the burden on the starters and middle relief.
Instead, Storen cratered. In the eighth inning, he has a 6.05 ERA with 18 hits (three of them home runs) allowed in 19.1 innings. In non-save situations (not all of which were following his demotion), his ERA is 6.00, giving up 18 hits in 18 innings. During August, as the Nationals went 12-17 to fall 6.5 games behind the Mets in the NL East, Storen compiled an 8.49 ERA while allowing 11 runs and 12 hits in 11.2 innings. His nosedive mirrored the team’s fall.
Storen was broken long before he slammed his locker and fractured his thumb. But the injury and outcome is quite the embodiment for the Nationals’ 2015 season. This year didn’t go as expected, despite so much promise and what was once a standout performance. The only apparent solace for Storen is that he’ll probably get to be another team’s closer next season and have the opportunity to revive his career elsewhere. Those who remain behind in D.C. will still have to live with the vast disappointment of failing to live up to justifiably massive expectations.
