Cincinnati Reds: Top 3 pitchers to replace Raisel Iglesias as the new closer

2. Tejay Antone, Reds right-handed pitcher

Now, some of you may be saying, “Why Tejay Antone as the closer? Shouldn’t’ he be competing for a spot in the starting rotation?” Well, yes, Antone does have the makeup of a starter and during his rookie season, Antone started four games. However, his splits as a starter versus reliever suggest that the Texas native may be better out of the bullpen.

Now, if these latest trade rumors surrounding right-hander Sonny Gray are true and Cincinnati does indeed deal the two-time All-Star this offseason, the chances of Antone joining the starting rotation greatly increase. As it stands now, the Reds rotation is likely comprised of Gray, Luis Castillo, Tyler Mahle, Wade Miley, and Michael Lorenzen.

While some fans may prefer to see Antone take that final spot in Cincinnati’s rotation, he performed much better out of the bullpen. As a starter, Antone went 0-2 with a 3.86 ERA over 16.1 innings of work. While those numbers aren’t bad at all for a rookie, as a reliever, Antone was even better.

Tejay Antone went 0-1 out of the bullpen, with a 1.89 ERA and 27 strikeouts over 19 innings. Antone allowed opposing batters to hit just .097 during his nine relief appearances and posed a 0.632 WHIP.

The trouble with handing the reins over to Antone as the team’s new closer is that he’s just 13 games into his big league career. Antone possesses a great repertoire and locates his pitches very well. But how would the right-hander perform under pressure?