3 SF Giants relievers who deserve shot at closer role after Ryan Walker implodes again

The bullpen has surprisingly been a bright spot for the SF Giants this season for the most part. Yet, blown saves have a way of washing away whatever good will the rest of the bullpen has built up and Ryan Walker blew yet another game on Thursday in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies.

It was a questionable decision from manager Tony Vitello to even use Walker in the ninth. Giants fans saw how inconsistent he was as the closer last season and even though Vitello has only been doing this job for a month he’s been treated to the full Ryan Walker experience.

Walker has now blown two saves on the season after converting just 17 of 24 save opportunities last season and only 10 of 14 back in 2024 which is when he was most dominant as a reliever.

Some guys are just not cut out for the ninth inning. There’s no shame in that. Tyler Rogers has always struggled as a closer but he’s one of the best setup men in the game. Walker is probably just best suited to be a seventh or eighth inning guy going forward.

If the Giants finally make that adjustment, here are three pitchers who could step into the closer role.

SF Giants need to shake up closer role after another Ryan Walker disaster

Erik Miller

Really, one could argue that Erik Miller should have been named closer after he struck out Reds phenom Sal Stewart and then looked like he was willing to take on half of Cincinnati’s bench. That sort of swagger and attitude is what a closer needs and yet Vitello has still chosen to employ a closer-by-committee approach.

At this point, Miller is probably the best bet for the ninth inning. He’s got a 3.18 ERA on the season in 12 appearances and has struck out 17 batters in 11 and 1/3 innings pitched. 

Maybe he too will prove that he’s not cut out for the ninth inning, but he’s their best bet at this point.

Caleb Kilian

The reliever with the best numbers for San Francisco so far this season has been Caleb Kilian. The 28-year-old was sent to the Chicago Cubs as part of the trade that brought back Kris Bryant in 2021 but now he’s back with the organization that drafted him and is thriving.

Kilian has a 0.64 ERA on the season in 14 innings pitched. He’s allowed just one earned run on a homer and is coming off a great outing on Thursday in Philadelphia in which he delivered two scoreless innings to give the Giants a chance. Why not give him a shot at closing and see if he has what it takes?

Keaton Winn

Yes, Keaton Winn did give up the tying run yesterday in Game 2 of the doubleheader but that may have been due to the fact that Vitello was trying to stretch him for two innings and didn’t really put him in the best position to succeed by leaving him in to face left-handed slugger Kyle Schwarber.

But his numbers on the season have still been strong. He has a 2.84 ERA on the year with 13 strikeouts in 12 and 2/3 innings. His splitter can be deadly when he’s on with it and maybe someone could remind Patrick Bailey that the pitch is even more effective after a fastball.

We knew the bullpen was going to have some hiccups coming into the season, but Vitello needs to shake things up after another Walker blown save so these should be the guys he turns to in save opportunities going forward. 

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