Closer's stuff: Simple or diverse?

The best starting pitchers in the league have a variety of pitches to choose from. The good ones average four different pitches, while the best ones can rely on up to six, with the additional potential of each pitch being thrown with differing speeds or arm angles. If you can keep a lineup of hitters guessing and off-balance, chances are success is obtainable.

I've noticed through time that reliever's repitoires are not as vast, and some closers have only two pitches. I don't know what reason, other than the fact they may not throw enough pitches in a game, that they don't have bigger bags of tricks.

On one hand, Royals closer Octavio Dotel gets by with a fastball & slider when healthy. Tigers closer Todd Jones relies basically on a cutter.

Jose Valverde, potential Diamondbacks closer, has an assortment of pitches (4-seam and 2-seam fastballs, splitter, slider, cut fastball; five total) he can throw at different speeds. Yet he's under suggestion from Diamondbacks management that he concentrate on two pitches only.

Valverde may be questioning these suggestions, saying that during his struggles, he was relying on a certain pitch much too often. On the surface, I may be tempted to agree. As much as pitching coaches would stress pitch diversity for starters, how come the same does not apply to relievers or closers?

An underrated closer of the past was ex-Royal Jeff Montgomery. He had four pitches, two above the closer's norm -- his best pitch was a baffling changeup. Five times in his 13-year career he had 30 or more saves, with 304 in his career. And his repitoire survived with good control; walking only 23 batters in 87 innings in 1993, where he set a personal high of 45 saves.

Closers are trained not to go more than one inning these days, limiting their pitch counts, while being available for more games as a result. It may happen that they won't throw enough pitches in a game to show a hitter three different varieties. But I wouldn't think that having the pitch selection at hand would hurt. Wouldn't it be a great time to befuddle a hitter - ninth inning in a pressure situation?

Valverde used the expanded repoitoire to his advantage in his final 14 appearances last year (four walks and 1.94 ERA), which makes me think the Diamondbacks should let him use his whole arsenal.