3 Candidates to replace Pierce Johnson as the Rockies closer

Daniel Bard

In my opinion, I think Daniel Bard would make the most sense to be the team's closer moving forward in 2023. Bard has primarily served as the Rockies closer throughout his 14-year professional baseball career.

Bard resurrected his career with the Rockies once he arrived to the Colorado organization on a minor league deal in 2020. Right away, he found success as the team's closer and has primarily been in that position since his arrival.

In the previous year, he successfully achieved 34 saves out of 37 opportunities. However, at the start of this season, he faced mental health issues that prevented him from serving as a closing pitcher. It is now up to Bard to decide whether he wishes to resume that role or not. Given his past struggles with mental health, he and the Rockies will need to discuss the matter thoroughly before making any decisions about his future.

This year, he has an ERA of 1.02 and shockingly has 16 strikeouts with 17 walks allowed which might be the only cause for concern if he stepped back in.