NEW MLB Closer Watch

Every Team's Closers and Closers-in-Waiting

Who's closing, who's next in line, and who's a future sleeper? Our new intelligent Closer Watch shows the up-to-date state of every bullpen in MLB and how it's been performing lately.

If you want even more up-to-date info on shifting closer situations, you can also follow @scoutingbook on Twitter.

Data is updated many times per day; commentary less frequently. How it Works

Reed 1.10 WHIP, 10.8 K/9 Crain 0.80 WHIP, 10.8 K/9 Thornton LHP 1.49 WHIP, 5.4 K/9 Lindstrom 1.71 WHIP, 6.4 K/9 Jones 1.60 WHIP, 6.6 K/9 Santiago LHP 2.72 WHIP, 9.8 K/9 Thompson ★ AA 0.95 WHIP, 4.6 K/9

White Sox Closer Watch The White Sox closer's job was a guessing game all last year, with five different pitchers all collecting saves. Young Addison Reed (our own favorite choice all along, as Scouting Book regulars know) finally took the baton and ran with it in the second half, nailing down 29 games in 33 opportunities while striking out a tidy batter per inning. He looks likely to hold down the bulk of the job going forward, despite iffy peripheral numbers, though new insurance policy Matt Lindstrom should help to keep him focused. White Sox Bullpen >

Perez 1.44 WHIP, 11.0 K/9 Pestano 1.25 WHIP, 4.5 K/9 Smith AAA 1.25 WHIP, 4.5 K/9 Shaw 1.38 WHIP, 6.9 K/9 Allen ★ 0.62 WHIP, 12.1 K/9 Guilmet ★ AAA 1.21 WHIP, 10.9 K/9 Flores ★ AA 0.72 WHIP, 10.9 K/9

Indians Closer Watch Chris Perez remains the kingpin of the Cleveland mob, but his hold on the top spot is always shaky, with a number of younger button men all ready to get their own shot. Vinnie Pestano is probably the best bet long-term, with ex-Diamondback Bryan Shaw also having some sleeper cred. New Indians Matt Capps and Brett Myers could also provide a little veteran guidance and pressure, too, though the Indians will try Myers as a starter again first. Indians Bullpen >

Valverde Tired 0.60 WHIP, 7.2 K/9 Benoit 0.72 WHIP, 12.1 K/9 Smyly LHP 1.14 WHIP, 7.7 K/9 Coke LHP 1.75 WHIP, 4.5 K/9 Alburquerque 3.00 WHIP, 16.9 K/9 Rondon ★ AAA 1.07 WHIP, 9.6 K/9

Tigers Closer Watch It took a weird spring full of detours, but the Tigers finally returned Jose Valverde to the team, the 25-man roster, and the closer's role. Behind him, Joakin Benoit is proven, lefty Phil Coke is trusted, and Octavio Dotel is more than capable, so the team looks solid enough going forward, even if their idea of forward involves a lot of lateral messing around. Young Bruce Rondon didn't look quite polished enough to take the job away in spring training, but he's also done little to shake the closer-of-the-future label he carried all last season: he's now a 2014 contender. Tigers Bullpen >

Holland 1.11 WHIP, 11.0 K/9 Herrera 1.36 WHIP, 7.4 K/9 Crow LHP 1.68 WHIP, 8.4 K/9 Collins LHP 1.63 WHIP, 9.8 K/9 Gutierrez 1.68 WHIP, 4.3 K/9 Joseph ★ LHP AAA 1.30 WHIP, 11.7 K/9 Carl ★ AA 1.70 WHIP, 6.3 K/9

Royals Closer Watch Without 'real' closers like Broxton or Soria on the payroll, the job in KC seems a little shakier than in years gone by, though the team is flush with Plan B choices. Converted starter Aaron Crow, young righthander Greg Holland and tiny Tim Collins all stepped up in a big way to help the depleted Royals in 2012, for example, while Kelvin Herrera often looks like the best pitcher in the bunch. Donnie Joseph, a hard-throwing and fast-rising prospect, could also figure in here sooner or later. It's easy to overlook KC, but they've got one of the most impressive collections of relief firepower in baseball right now. Royals Bullpen >

Perkins LHP 1.11 WHIP, 17.0 K/9 Burton 1.86 WHIP, 10.2 K/9 Roenicke 1.14 WHIP, 6.4 K/9 Fien 1.17 WHIP, 8.7 K/9 Wood ★ AAA DL 2.00 WHIP, 9.0 K/9 Tonkin ★ AA 1.40 WHIP, 13.5 K/9 Williams ★ A+ 0.88 WHIP, 6.0 K/9

Twins Closer Watch The Twins haven't had a name-brand closer since Joe Nathan moseyed off to Texas, but they have a bevy of competent hands to tide them over for the short term. While aging minor league closer Anthony Slama would seem to be the obvious long-term choice to take over in Minnesota, there may be better options available in the Twin Cities these days, including ex-Tiger Casey Fien and guitar hero Jared Burton, both of whom have closer stuff in reserve. Ex-starter Glen Perkins has been capable when called upon, despite his lack of classic closer stuff, and is probably the most-trusted hand at the table. Lefthander Mason Melotakis, himself a closer in college, is probably the nastiest 2014 possibility still on the farm, though while he's starting, the more traditionally dextrous Mike Tonkin might get the chance first. Of course, in 2012 Minnesota, nobody's likely to notice, either way. Twins Bullpen >

Scouting Book Home Page

Closer Watch key and words of caution: Bolded names are best-bets to be closing for the immediate future; other pitchers are sorted from backup options right now (usually setup or short-relievers) to less-likely or future candidates. The order is hand-chosen and updated only every week or two based on who we would bet on, ourselves, for the future. Data is much more current than commentary, and readers may draw their own different conclusions based on the data displayed here or elsewhere. Game by game graphs show up to ten most recent outings for each pitcher, scored from poor (one red dot) to excellent (four green dots), based on counting stats, with special bonus points for saves and holds. Closers with more than a couple of red dots probably won't be closing much longer. Rate stats are shown for up to ten of a pitcher's most recent outings. Players whose most recent outing was in the minor leagues are labeled with the level of that most recent appearance. A gray star indicates a prospect who is also tracked as a prospect at ScoutingBook.com. Disabled List status is courtesy published MLB information and may lag behind conventional wisdom by a day or two. Pitchers who have thrown two, three or more days in a row, including yesterday, are flagged as 'Tired'. Data auto-publishes several times per day from Scouting Book's own data feeds, but can lag behind reality, and sometimes gets further delayed by gremlins, especially when feeding after midnight.