Drew Storen has trotted out to the mound in the ninth inning, tabbed as his team's closer, in many big situations.
He pitched in huge games during his college career at Stanford, including in the 2008 College World Series. Storen saved games in the minor leagues, in the big leagues and in the MLB postseason.
Knowing you're going to be the guy on the hill finishing things out in the ninth comes with pressure, but according to Storen, closing also had an unlikely perk.
"It is almost easier at times to close, because you know it's on the hitter to be the hero," Storen said.
"As long as you don't make an egregious mistake, you're going to be OK."
Even as a freshman at Stanford, Storen was the guy to shut it down in the back of the Cardinal bullpen. During his two years in Palo Alto, he worked as much as a fireman as a traditional closer. He parlayed success in college into being drafted by the Nationals 10th overall in 2009.
No 10th overall pick has entered a system with less fanfare than Storen, who despite signing for $1.6 million and making it to Double-A during his draft year, didn't get nearly the press of the Nationals' top pick, Stephen Strasburg.
Strasburg got the headlines, but Storen beat him to the big leagues, debuting on May 17, 2010, less than a year after he got drafted.
In 2011, Storen took over as the Nationals' closer. It was the role he coveted, the role he'd occupied at Stanford, and the role he'd been drafted to eventually fill.
But it was also a role he'd spend much of his career fighting for in Washington.
During the six seasons Storen spent in D.C., the team acquired plethora of talented relievers with closer pedigrees, including Tyler Clippard, Rafael Soriano,...
He pitched in huge games during his college career at Stanford, including in the 2008 College World Series. Storen saved games in the minor leagues, in the big leagues and in the MLB postseason.
Knowing you're going to be the guy on the hill finishing things out in the ninth comes with pressure, but according to Storen, closing also had an unlikely perk.
"It is almost easier at times to close, because you know it's on the hitter to be the hero," Storen said.
"As long as you don't make an egregious mistake, you're going to be OK."
Even as a freshman at Stanford, Storen was the guy to shut it down in the back of the Cardinal bullpen. During his two years in Palo Alto, he worked as much as a fireman as a traditional closer. He parlayed success in college into being drafted by the Nationals 10th overall in 2009.
No 10th overall pick has entered a system with less fanfare than Storen, who despite signing for $1.6 million and making it to Double-A during his draft year, didn't get nearly the press of the Nationals' top pick, Stephen Strasburg.
Strasburg got the headlines, but Storen beat him to the big leagues, debuting on May 17, 2010, less than a year after he got drafted.
In 2011, Storen took over as the Nationals' closer. It was the role he coveted, the role he'd occupied at Stanford, and the role he'd been drafted to eventually fill.
But it was also a role he'd spend much of his career fighting for in Washington.
During the six seasons Storen spent in D.C., the team acquired plethora of talented relievers with closer pedigrees, including Tyler Clippard, Rafael Soriano,...
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Baseball America (Digital) - 1 Issue, March - April 2025 (Double Issue)