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Izzy or Isn’t He?

Jason Isringhausen is out as the Cards’ closer after blowing his fifth save in 16 tries in Friday night’s game against the Brewers. Published reports have suggested that Isringhausen asked Cards manager, Tony LaRussa, to be removed from the closer role for a “mental break”.

While closers struggling from time to time is nothing new, Izzy’s request to be reassigned to a new role is not only disappointing, but alarming. And it already seems to have been a catalyst in setting an unwanted precedent. Brewers closer Eric Gagne made a similar statement on Sunday night saying he felt as though he “didn’t deserve” to close games for the Brewers.

While managers face an array of different challenges than managers of decades past, dealing with egos, contracts and performance incentives, a player that “opts out” of his assigned role is a disconcerting change.

What next? Do position players get to start asking for different assignments in the batting order? Do pinch hitters struggling against left-handers get to start declining their assignments?

While LaRussa’s statements have suggested he was already considering calling on other, potentially more consistent relievers from the Cards pen to close games anyway, the fact is that the 35-year-old Isringhausen is in the final year of a very lucrative contract that has him earning $8M in 2008. He is earning double the annual salary of any other member of the Cardinals bullpen, including Ryan Franklin and Russ Springer, the set-up guys that LaRussa expects to rely upon for closing duties during Isringhausen’s hiatus.

While the mental toughness of closers has long been a topic of discussion, even here at Dugout Central, the reality is that, statistically speaking, pitchers are equally as effective when pitching in save situations versus non-save situations. So, Izzy’s reassignment to any place other than the minor leagues will continue to plague the Cardinals in their pursuit of the NL Central division title.

Blowing a lead in the 7th inning versus blowing a save in the 9th will have little impact on Izzy’s confidence or his ability to work through the slump he is in. While LaRussa needs to find a way to strike a balance between winning games and getting his players back into roles in which they can succeed consistently, there is no doubt that to relegate Izzy to another role, particularly at his own request, is bad for his club, is bad for Izzy and is bad for the game of baseball. St. Louis has fans who will get behind Izzy and try to build him back up into the closer who has nailed down nearly 300 victories over the past 10 years. But this is letting him off the hook.

Too often, we observe players acting out in frustration when they are slumping. If a guy is in a slump and doesn’t run out a ground ball, we let him have it. It’s unacceptable as a fan to see someone give up no matter how bad a slump they are mired in. In Izzy’s case, his request is equally as disappointing and equates to his giving up … at least for the time being.

So, let this be a warning to big league managers. Stick with your guys through thick and thin. Don’t let them bail on their responsibilities when the going gets tough or it’ll send a sign to the rest of your team that it’s OK to give up. That’s not a message we want any player to feel comfortable expressing publicly. Message to Izzy: Suck it up, boy. Go out there and do your job and accept the assignment to close games every day!