Santana to Close?

Angels starting pitcher Ervin Santana struggled to find his comfort zone last season, but is eying a comeback. Personally, I think he can do it. Although he went 7-14 with a 5.76 ERA in 28 games, he went 28-16 with a 4.47 ERA in the two seasons before that. However, if he cannot shock the Angels with his new and improved 'stuff,' we might see a switch to the bullpen in his future. The Angels may be thinking about life without Francisco Rodriguez and will consider Ervin Santana for the spot. Although he does not have closing in his past, several closers do not have experience in that spot and have still done well. He throws hard and has good movement, so he could be very successful if he pitched one to two innings every other day. Santana has never pitched over 33 games in a season, so endurance might be a problem. However, if Joe Saunders can do well in the rotation and Santana will accept a switch to the bullpen, they can start to convert him now. Yes, we are far from determining K-Rod's future with the team, but it might be smart to consider Santana in that spot for the future.