Jason Motte as a closer for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012 – MLB News
The 2011 World Series Champions St. Louis Cardinals will have Jason Motte as the closer for the 2012 regular season. Although it is not something new as Motte has shouldered this responsibility previously, the new season will effectively put him on test
owing to his success last year.
The closer’s tag which he got from the former team manager Tony La Russa will be something he has to shield and defend with the same vigour he evinced last year.
If nothing else, of the 13 appearances that Motte had in the postseason games in October, he gave up only one hit. Importantly, it was his ability to win no less than five games that won him immeasurable admiration and accolades.
But all that has heightened and highlighted his stats, the player remains humble and equally ambitious when it comes to the commencement of the new season.
He concerns himself with nothing but the game wherein he has to prove himself as the deserving figure for the team.
"I don't look at it any different," Motte said. "I have to go in there and get myself ready for spring, do what I need to do to get my arm ready, to get my body ready. I'm trying to go out there and prove that I belong on the team. In this game, it doesn't
matter what they call you. It's what you do out there on the field."
Having had a total of nine saves in the season with the 78 games played, he had an impressive 2.25 ERA that he surely wants to repeat this year, with no less than 63 strike-outs.
However, as he is becoming an arbitration-eligible player, it remains to be seen what lies for him there. Nonetheless, his focus is on the field.
“I'm sure there are discussions going on, but my agent probably knows a little bit better than I do," Motte said.
As Motte remained a significant contributor in the St. Louis Cardinals back-to-back victories, it will be of great interest to see how he manages to improve his performance in 2012.
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