PHOENIX (AP) -The Arizona Diamondbacks promoted Brandon Lyon from setup man to closer Wednesday.
The 28-year-old right-hander will replace Jose Valverde, who was traded to Houston after saving a major league-high 47 games last year for the NL West champions.
Lyon had 14 saves in 2005 and two in 2007, when he spent most of the season as Valverde’s eighth-inning setup man. Lyon went 6-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 73 appearances last year.
“It’s a different mind-set closing,” Arizona manager Bob Melvin said in a telephone interview. “Brandon has shown he can do it.”
Lyon got the nod over right-hander Tony Pena, a key part of the bullpen last season, and Chad Qualls, who came from Houston in the Valverde trade.
The 26-year-old Pena, who had two saves for Arizona last season, has been projected as a future closer. Qualls had five saves for the Astros.
Melvin said he spoke to each pitcher before announcing his decision.
“They all wanted to close, and that’s understandable,” Melvin said. “But they also want to do whatever they can to help us win.”
announced the move on Wednesday because he didn’t want any uncertainty over roles heading into spring training, which opens next week in Tucson.
“Defined roles are very, very important in the bullpen,” he said. “We saw that last year.”
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