Nats' Storen stops trying to be someone else, finds success

Closer Drew Storen's daily routine starts in the Nationals clubhouse a few feet from his locker, where he sits in a brown leather chair and scouts the opponent's lineup on TV.

"You can see a lot more on TV than watching from the side,'' Storen says.

He does the hot tub and stretches, and in the sixth inning, he heads to the Nationals bullpen. Then, if there is a save situation, a familiar scene unfolds: The right-field bullpen door opens and No. 22 sprints to the mound amid a thunderous ovation. Fans chant "Droooo" and the Johnny Cash song, "God's Gonna Cut You Down," blares throughout the Nationals Park.

Storen loves the atmosphere.

"It's all about the adrenaline, being able to come in and lock down a game, fans getting on their feet with two outs and two strikes," Storen says. "It's pretty exhilarating, addicting."

At 27, Storen has reclaimed the ninth-inning job for the Nationals with a string of performances that could land him a spot on the National League All-Star team in Cincinnati. He's cutting down opponents with an array of pitches and has an ERA of 1.11 and a 0.78 WHIP going into this weekend. He's saved 19 of 20 and is striking out 11 batters per nine innings.

Storen is the Nationals' most reliable reliever in a bullpen that wobbles with inexperience, although the Nats acquired David Carpenter from the Yankees.

Storen is the leader with the type of personality that makes for a good closer. He says his job is the baseball version of a field goal kicker - he's only noticed or talked to when he blows a save.

"I like the challenge of not being noticed," Storen says.

Even though he went to Stanford hoping to be a starter, he can't envision that role now. He prefers relief work.

"I like being able to pitch every day," Storen says. "I don't think I could sit on my hands (between starts) for five days. I'd go stir crazy."

Storen grew up in Indianapolis and was high school teammates of two other big league players - Lance Lynn of St. Louis and Tucker Barnhart of Cincinnati. Drew's dad, Mark, was a radio sportscaster and his mom, Pam, a graphic designer. Drew collects bobbleheads and caps, but he has an unusual passion: He likes to sketch sneakers and some day wants design a pair of youth athletic shoes.

Storen jokes that his biggest contributions to the Nationals bullpen is his design of the elevated stairs that allows relief pitchers to sit above the right field fence and see the game without staring through the obstacle of chain links.

He talked to Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo about the elevated seats, drew up a plan and eventually life in the bullpen became easier.

Before the steps, "It made us (relievers) feel like too caged in," Storen says. "The stairs are one of my best accomplishments."

And, while he's the most stabilizing force in the Nats bullpen, his career path has been anything but stable.

He went to Stanford wanting to be a starter, but when the rotation was full, the Cardinals staff suggested he go to the bullpen, telling him he had the right mentality for the job.

The Nationals drafted him 10th overall in 2009, and in 2011, Storen was their closer, saving 43 games, tied for third-most in the NL.

Then came challenges.

He was hurt and struggled in 2012. He blew a save in Game 5 of the National League Division Series at home against St. Louis and the next season lost his closer's job when Nationals signed free agent Rafael Soriano. Storen had to deal with trade speculation.

Storen was demoted to the minors in August 2013 and came back as a setup man. When Soriano stumbled toward the end of last season, Storen took over, saved 10 of 10 and finished with a 1.12 ERA.

But then, there was another painful blown save in Game 2 of the Division Series to San Francisco. He relieved Jordan Zimmermann in a 1-0 game. San Francisco tied the score against Storen and Brandon Belt's 18th-inning home run won it 2-1 for the Giants.

In August 2013, the Nationals sent Storen to the minors with the idea that he had to change his mechanics, trust his changeup and find a pitch that would retire lefty batters.

It was a big story for a closer, who had a 43-save season on his resume, but it took Storen only three weeks to make the changes.

"I knew it was the fork in the road and it would have been easy to say, 'Woe is me,' " Storen says. "I knew I needed to get back to being me. I had to learn to pitch inside. There were a handful of things that needed tweaking."

He's learned from his adversity, and that's made him a different pitcher than when he broke in. He says he's more relaxed.

"I'm not trying to out-stuff guys," Storen says. "I'm trying to pitch more."

And a piece of advice from the New York Yankees' future Hall of Famer, Mariano Rivera, has helped, too. Once, Storen asked Rivera how he throws his cutter, and Rivera told him, "Don't worry, you don't need it."

Storen thought, "Who wouldn't want your cutter?"

Rivera's lesson - the No. 1 lesson Storen has learned from another closer - was to stop trying to be someone else.

Being himself is what Storen is doing this season. He says it is nice to know Nationals management has faith in him and looks forward to using him as a closer if the Nationals play in October.

"I want a chance to dominate and change people's perceptions," Storen says.

That is the perfect attitude for a closer.