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Few pitchers are groomed in the minor leagues as closers, as most teams prefer to allow their pitching prospects to work as starters until they show they will not succeed at the highest level. However, with the influx of elite closers who rarely start in the minors (if at all), many teams are grooming pitchers for high-leverage roles. McCullers, Bauer and Ramirez are all top prospects that are still starting in the minors (and may start in the majors), while Marinez and Black should open the season in the major leagues and could become closers relatively soon.
| Rank | Name | Team |
| 1 | Lance McCullers | Astros |
| 2 | Trevor Bauer | Indians |
| 3 | Jose Ramirez | Yankees |
| 4 | Jhan Marinez | White Sox |
| 5 | Vic Black | Mets |
| 6 | Keone Kela | Rangers |
| 7 | Jake Barrett | Diamondbacks |
| 8 | Ajay Meyer | Blue Jays |
| 9 | Nick Wittgren | Marlins |
| 10 | Derek Law | Giants |
| 11 | Rafael DePaula | Yankees |
| 12 | Yimi Garcia | Dodgers |
1. Lance McCullers, Jr., Astros (Finished 2013 in A, likely to begin 2014 in High-A)
The son of a solid but never spectacular relief pitcher who pitched primarily for the Padres in the 1980s, McCullers possesses a mid-90s fastball and the potential for a power curveball with deep bite. While he has primarily been a starter, McCullers has a delivery that requires substantial effort and lacks a third pitch that will become more than a “show me” pitch. Despite having good size for a starting pitcher, McCullers’ ultimate home is at the end of a bullpen, where he could rack up strikeouts and walks, and his higher than desired walk rate would have less of an adverse impact. His fantasy comparable is Addison Reed.
2. Trevor Bauer, Indians (Finished 2013 in majors, likely to return for 2014)
In terms of pure stuff and understanding of pitching, there are few players who match Trevor Bauer. However, Bauer’s repeated refusal to listen to coaching and inability to cut down on walks has led many to wonder if he will ever reach his potential. His apparent desire to nibble at the strike zone and throw every pitch in his repertoire has led to high pitch counts and general ineffectiveness. The most value that Cleveland may get is to make him into a late-inning reliever who racks up strikeouts and walks. His fantasy comparable is Carlos Marmol, though he may take on a role similar to Mike Marshall, which would limit his value.
3. Jose Ramirez, Yankees (Finished 2013 in AAA, likely to return for 2014)
Ramirez has the potential to pair his mid-90s fastball with a nasty slider and a disappearing changeup that would be among the best in baseball. Ramirez’s problem is that his innings have decreased for each of the past four seasons from 115 to 103 to 98 to 73 due to injuries. While he has the stuff to start, the likely result is to move him into the bullpen, where he could challenge David Robertson for the role of Mariano Rivera’s long-term successor. He projects as a closer who has a lot of strikeouts and too many walks, which could bloat his WHIP, similar to Ernesto Frieri.
4. Jhan Marinez, White Sox (Finished 2013 in AAA, could begin 2014 in majors)
Marinez has made two cameos in the major leagues in his career, one in 2010 for the Marlins and another in 2012 for the White Sox after being traded for Ozzie Guillen. With a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and a wipeout slider, Marinez is pegged for a role as a reliever due to his relatively slight size and poor command. If he can cut down on his walks (career 5.5/9IP), he could become an elite closer. His fantasy comparable is Fernando Rodney.
5. Vic Black, Mets (Finished 2013 in majors)
Black fits into the “big guy who throws hard and has one other good pitch, but has poor command” pile of closers, and he has the major league experience to indicate that he could be a successful closer if given the opportunity. After being traded from the Pirates to the Mets in the Marlon Byrd trade, Black struck out 12 batters in 13 innings for the Mets. While his career walk rate of 4.5/9IP may cause some problems, it has decreased at his past three levels of the minor leagues, as well as in the major leagues during 2013. With Bobby Parnell’s status for opening day in question, Black could be the answer for the short term and in the event the rebuilding Mets trade Parnell. His fantasy comparable is former teammate Jason Grilli.
6. Keone Kela, Rangers (Finished 2013 in low-A, should begin 2014 in High-A)
Kela can consistently bring upper-90s heat and occasionally touch 100, which will hasten his ascension to the major leagues. Despite the video game-like 12 strikeouts per 9 innings for his career, Kela has been surprisingly hittable in the minors, leading to a 1.311 WHIP. If Kela can put up numbers similar to his line in the Arizona Fall League or the Venezuelan Winter League, he could become a valuable reliever in high-leverage situations in short order. His fantasy comparable is Frank Francisco, who was always surprisingly hittable despite great pitches.
7. Jake Barrett, Diamondbacks (Finished 2013 in AA, likely to open 2014 in AAA)
Barrett was picked by the Blue Jays in the third round in 2009, after high school; and was picked in the third round by the Diamondbacks in 2012, after three years of college. With an average of nearly 10 strikeouts per nine innings as a result of his mid-90s fastball and hard slider, he is being groomed for a role as a high-leverage reliever. Barrett has never started a game in his professional career, and he has only gone more than one inning five times. With a stacked back end of the bullpen filled with good arms, Barrett’s path to the closer role is obfuscated. However, it is unlikely that Barrett will be in the majors before 2015, and his path could clear up by then via ineffectiveness, injury, or trade. A fantasy comparable for Barrett is Glen Perkins, right down to the fastball/slider combo.
8. Ajay Meyer, Blue Jays (Finished 2013 in High-A, likely to open 2014 in AA)
While Meyer’s 6’6” 185 pound frame fits the normal closer profile, his fastball barely touches 90, and he survives on a combination of guile, deception and command. Meyer’s low three-quarter release creates deception that could be valuable as a future closer or a high-leverage reliever called on to induce a groundball. In 2013, Meyer had a .320 BABIP, and a LOB percentage of 80.7 (the major league average is approximately 73 percent), indicating he could turn into an effective closer who does not live and die by heat, such as Casey Janssen.
9. Nick Wittgren, Marlins (Finished 2013 in AA, likely to return in 2014)
A polished reliever who served as the closer for the Marlins’ affiliate in High-A, Wittgren also served as the closer while at Purdue, racking up 22 saves in two years on the baseball team. Wittgren has great command and has struck out more than 11 batters per nine innings pitched during his professional career, a trend that should continue as he climbs the ladder to the majors. While he lacks the upside of other prospects, Wittgren looks like the type of pitcher who could slide into the back end of a bullpen and shut the door. A fantasy comparable for Wittgren is Bobby Parnell.
10. Derek Law, Giants (Finished 2013 in High-A, likely to open 2014 in AA)
One of the more fascinating stories in 2013, Law struck out 45 batters and walked only one during his time in High-A, as part of his season that included 102 strikeouts and only 12 walks in only 66 innings. A potential bullpen option for 2014, Law sports a mid-90s fastball and a hard breaking curveball. While it is unlikely that he will ever have peripheral ratios similar to his 8.50 strikeouts per walk in 2013 (only nine major league pitchers have ever done it in a single season with enough innings to qualify for the ERA title), Law has good command and could become a closer in the next few years. A fantasy comparable is Edward Mujica.
Bonus two: Rafael DePaula, Yankees; Yimi Garcia, Dodgers
