Mackanin: 'I'm not going to call anybody a closer'

When the Philadelphia Phillies open their 2016 season Monday in Cincinnati, manager Pete Mackanin will have seven relievers awaiting his call down in the bullpen at Great American Ball Park.

Mackanin conceded he won't have a closer to call on, though.

"I'm not going to call anybody a closer," Mackanin told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki on Tuesday. "A closer is somebody that you can count on for the ninth inning. I don't know if we probably have one. I hope we have one, but I'm not going to name one right now just to call a guy a closer. It doesn't really mean anything."

Mackanin's wait-and-see approach is hardly surprisingly, as not one of the relievers supposedly in contention for the ninth-inning gig truly distinguished himself this spring. David Hernandez, the 30-year-old who landed a $3.9-million deal from the Phillies this winter, missed most of the Grapefruit League season. Andrew Bailey, the star turned reclamation project, enjoyed an auspicious start to his spring, but has allowed four runs over his last three outings. Dalier Hinojosa has struggled of late, too, surrendering five runs - and two homers - in his last two appearances.

For Mackanin, deferring to seniority probably won't help much, either. Though Bailey was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2009 and earned a pair of All-Star appearances earlier in his career, the oft-injured right-hander hasn't logged a save since 2013. Hernandez's last save came back in 2013, too - he only has 19 since his 2009 debut - while Hinojosa has only 24 2/3 innings on his resume.

Clearly, the options aren't terribly appealing, but if Mackanin does have an inkling of who might get the ball Monday should the Phillies have a slim lead in the ninth, he's keeping it close to the vest. Even general manager Matt Klentak doesn't know.

"You'll find out," Klentak said. "So will I."