Carlos Marmol vs. Kevin Gregg: The Battle for the Chicago Cubs' Closer Job

Who will be the Cubs' closer in 2009?  Kevin Gregg has the experience, but Carlos Marmol has some of the best stuff in the game. 

Gregg has recorded 61 saves over the past two years.  A year ago, he was 7-8 with a 3.41 ERA with 29 saves, but he led the league with nine blown saves.

Gregg did battle through a knee injury in August, going 0-4 with four blown saves and a 10.13 ERA. He bounced back in September, throwing seven scoreless innings.

Opponents batted .203 against the 30-year old right-hander.  Other than a tough August, Gregg had a very productive season.  Opponents recorded just 51 hits in 68 innings with just three home runs against him.

Now, on to Marmol.  The 26-year old All-Star relief pitcher is coming off of another excellent season.  Marmol was 2-4 with seven saves, 114 strikeouts, and a 2.68 ERA in 87.1 innings. 

Marmol did struggle with his command during the final three weeks of the first half, but he bounced back in a big way.

Opponents hit just .203 against Marmol in 2008.  During the second half, he was arguably the best relief pitcher in the National League. 

Marmol converted all four saves and was 0-1 with  a 1.29 ERA.  He gave up just 12 hits in 35 innings while striking out 44. 

Regardless of who wins the closer role, the back half of the pen will once again be one of the Cubs' strengths. 

An advantage of having Marmol is it will cut down on his innings.  That said, the transition from setup man to closer hasn't always proven to be a smooth one for relief pitchers. 

Marmol could be the exception to the rule.  He was 7-for-9 in saves but almost always came into one-run games, dominating lineups in the seventh and eighth innings.  More times than not, by the time Wood got in the game, the Cubs were up two or three runs.

Will it be Marmol or Gregg?  Gregg has a lot of experience at closing out games, but Marmol has better stuff. Then again, Marmol might have more value to the Cubs in the seventh and eighth innings. 

It should be a good battle.