Which relief pitchers appear poised to move up the ladder in 2017? Here are five who could become closers at some point in the next MLB season.
Baseball is a game full of tough jobs and roles to play, both on and off the field. The closer undoubtedly has one of the most challenging. The ability to consistently finish off victories in the ninth inning is a true test of mettle for relief pitchers, one that otherwise effective hurlers often fail at. While there are certainly a handful of lockdown closers in the league at any given time, it’s not unusual to see various teams make a change at closer once or even multiple times throughout the year.
With the MLB regular season drawing to a close, many clubs will start putting together their blueprints for 2017. For some, that will include developing a plan for the closer’s role. Whether their incumbent closer underwhelmed this year, is entering free agency, or some other reason, there are multiple factors that could lead a team to shuffle the back end of its bullpen heading into the following campaign.
In many cases, the answer might already be on the roster. Relievers who thrive in the middle relief or setup roles will typically get a look when a club decides it’s time to swap closers. There are a variety of ways to evaluate relief pitchers; simple characteristics like a high strikeout ability and low walk rate can make a hurler look like a good fit for those high leverage situations. But you never know how someone will fare in the ninth inning until they actually give it a try.
Here are five relievers who could find themselves in the closer’s spot at some point next year. That could mean right out of Spring Training or later in the season if the expected closer stumbles.
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