College Closers

With the increased need for specialization at the big-league level, the role of the closer at all levels has also increased. Teams are spending more and more money and overall resources to improve their bullpens, which few teams do efficiently, consistently.

We have witnessed this trend through the June Amateur Free Agent Draft, in which more and more teams are using earlier and earlier picks to address their bullpen, which about five to seven years ago was not considered an option with the belief that good relievers, and closers, were made, not born.

Last year this was never more evident, with the Colorado Rockies selecting Vanderbilt closer Casey Weathers with the eighth overall selection, this coming from a team that has done a tremendous job cultivating talent from within.

This week I’m going to take a look at some of the more notable draft-eligible pitchers at the college level that fit the profile of a Major League late inning specialist.

Fields back on track

Georgia closer Joshua Fields is back on track this season after having a relatively down year as a junior, which effected his draft stock. It’s hard to imagine any player “falling” to the second round, but Fields had much greater expectations and decided to return for his senior year to prove his talent was deserving of a first-round pick.

And he has done just that. The velocity on his fastball has returned to the mid-90s, and he has re-captured the bite on his breaking ball (switching from a true slider to more of a curveball) that allowed him to be so incredibly successful, and virtually unhittable, during his sophomore year and the subsequent summer pitching on the Cape. He has yet to give up an earned run this spring in 16 appearances, recording eight saves and striking out 32 batters in 15 innings of work, a sign of his dominance and ability to miss bats.

Fields is in a similar situation to Casey Weathers from a year ago as a college senior with similar size and stuff, and like Weathers could very well find himself being selected in the top 10 to 15 overall picks.

St. Clair still finding his way

Another college senior that decided to return to school after having similar high expectations leading up to the 2007 draft is left-hander Cole St. Clair. St. Clair’s situation is a little different than Fields in that he was injured to open the 2007 college season and didn’t return to the field until mid-way through. While his velocity has yet to return to where it was during his sophomore year, and the following summer pitching for Team USA, he does continue to get outs with a fairly well-rounded repertoire that allowed Rice to have him open the year as their Saturday starter.

St. Clair didn’t fare as well in the starting rotation, and has since returned to the bullpen. He hasn’t been as effective this year as he has in the past, but he seems to perform much better coming out of the bullpen. He’s a tall and strong southpaw that could be drafted and developed as either a starter or as a reliever, but he may not need much time in the minors and could be fast-tracked as a bullpen ace.

Failed starters

Closers at the big-league level are often converted starters, pitchers that have good to great stuff but just don’t have the overall repertoire or ability to pace themselves over the course of multiple innings pitched.

In addition, many college programs need their best arms in the starting rotation, even if their profile suggests they would be better suited in a different role.

This year has several notable draft-eligible prospects that are currently starting for their college programs that may fit this profile.

Ryan Perry of Arizona might have college baseball’s most electric arm, and while he has maintained a very solid strikeout to walk ratio as a starter, he also has been hit harder than someone should given the raw stuff he possesses. Having seen him pitch, despite a mid-90s fastball, opposing batters are having little trouble hitting that pitch hard.

Another pitcher that wowed fans and scouts alike last summer on the Cape coming out of the bullpen that opened the year as a starter is Louisiana Tech’s Luke Burnett. Reports have noted that Burnett’s velocity hasn’t been nearly as good this spring (88-91) as it was last summer (mid-90s), and this may be an instance of a pitcher that quite simply does not have the ability to pace himself.

Injured Friday starter Brett Hunter of Pepperdine has been used as both a starter and as a reliever during his college career, and had two good starts for the Wave this spring before being shut down due to forearm soreness which stemmed from a blister problem. Maintaining his velocity is no problem for Hunter, who sits in the mid-90s no matter what role he’s place in, but many believe the lack of a consistent breaking ball and the fact that he can approach triple digits is shorter spurts may lead to a permanent move to the bullpen at the professional level.

Cody Satterwhite is in a similar position to Hunter, who has started and closed during his college career, both at Ole Miss and for Team USA. Satterwhite is still a big part of Ole Miss’ success this spring, although he recently was demoted from his Saturday starting role while taking the ball on Sundays. With a big, athletic build and the ability to throw pure gas, minus a consistent breaking pitch, Satterwhite’s future may be on the mound in the late innings.

Zach Putnam’s sinking low-90s fastball and split-fingered fastball lead many to believe that he too will thrive more in a short relief role at the professional level despite having a great deal of success pitching as a starter for Michigan. That won’t allow teams to take advantage of his bat, if he is drafted by a National League team, but the lack of a true breaking pitch may be the difference between Putnam starting and relieving.

The island of Hawaii offers right-hander Matt Daly, whose noticeable head snap as part of his delivery may make him a better long-term option for the bullpen in an attempt to preserve his arm. The move might also allow teams to make the most of his low-to-mid-90s heater and sharp breaking ball. Despite his smallish frame, he’s a fiery competitor that could thrive in a late-inning role.

The towering and intimidating presence of righty Stephen Penney of UC Riverside could make him a natural fit as a late inning reliever. He, like Zach Putnam, tops out in the low-90s as a starter, but has a knack for getting outs with his signature split-fingered fastball. Working in short relief may allow him to pitch harder more consistently, as he doesn’t have a consistent breaking ball to use to keep hitters honest as a starter.

Born to close

Now it is time to move onto the players that have been predominantly used as relievers during their college careers.

Josh Lindblom of Purdue is starting to live up to his considerable potential. He has been previously been used as a starter, both at Purdue and during his freshman year at Tennessee, but the Boilermakers have wisely moved Lindblom to the bullpen this year to take advantage of his dominating stuff. He has responded very well so far, cutting down drastically on the walks that previously had been his biggest nemesis, posting a 23 to two strikeout to walk ratio and six saves over 20 innings of work.

Lefty Daniel Schlereth of Arizona is a fierce competitor and packs a powerful arsenal from a sub-six foot frame. He can reach the mid-90s and is at his best drawing weak swings from opponents with his fastball and nasty slider combo. The son of former NFL offensive guard and current ESPN NFL analyst, Mark Schlereth, Daniel is a pitcher that could move quickly through the minors and likely could efficiently retire big-leagues batters right now.

Bryan Shaw, a right-handed pitcher from Long Beach State, has been quietly racking up impressive save totals for the past several years. He commands his low-90s sinking fastball extremely well, and has done a very good job recently tightening up his slider giving up two legitimate pitches.

Another closer that has quietly had a very successful college career is Tyler Stohr of North Florida, posting six saves a year ago with another seven already this spring. Stohr is at his best reaching back and throwing his low-to-mid-90s fastball as hard as he can, and along with a slider has done a good job missing bats so far this spring with 27 punch-outs in over 17 innings of work.

North Carolina reliever Rob Wooten served as Andrew Carignan’s set-up man a year ago with a very good record for success. Wooten, unlike most of the players listed here, gets batters out more by command and savvy that raw, pure stuff, but he lacks a solid overall repertoire to start on a regular basis. While he doesn’t profile as a prototypical closer, he could become an integral part of someone’s bullpen in the future.

Irish closer Kyle Weiland was a freshman All-American before dealing with a broken collarbone as a sophomore. He retained his effectiveness last summer on the Cape, and has carried that success to this spring. He’s at his best when he’s able to get both his low-to-mid-90s fastball and potentially dominant slider over the plate.

Baylor’s Nick Cassavechia led the Cape league in saves last summer with 11, employing a sidearm, almost submarine approach, a la Chad Bradford of the Baltimore Orioles. Like Bradford, Cassavechia doesn’t have the pure stuff with that arm angle to retire left-handed hitters consistently, but he could be a fine specialist.

Aaron Weatherford has recently returned to the Mississippi State bullpen after missing about a month due to injury, and he has carried over the electric stuff that created a stir last fall when he was pitching in the 95-97 range with his fastball, using a quick, whip-like arm. Smaller in stature, Weatherford has a fearless, bulldog mentality that has drawn comparisons to former Bulldog, Jonathan Papelbon, and so far this spring he’s been nearly unhittable, giving up only one hit while striking out 21 in 11 innings of work.

California’s fast start this season has been anchored by the success of closer Matt Gorgen. Matt’s twin brother Scott is the Friday night ace for UC Irvine. Matt commands his upper-80s to low-90s fastball very well and mixes in a slider to keep hitters honest.

Miami’s Carlos Gutierrez has returned from injury after having Tommy John surgery over a year ago to serve as the Hurricanes closer after previously serving as one of its weekend starters. Armed with a low-90s sinker that he commands very well, Gutierrez is adept at recording strikeouts and groundouts alike, and could even be returned to the starting rotation upon starting his professional career.

Most short relievers seem to have that quirky, made-for-television side to them that is often attributed to closers. Southpaw Evan Crawford of Auburn takes home the character award in this category, and while he doesn’t have overpowering stuff, he mixes up an upper-80s fastball and mid-70s curveball pretty well to keep hitters guessing. With a lot of moving parts to his delivery making him that much more difficult to time, he may be a natural fit as a left-handed specialist.

A trio of college closers have emerged as early-round talents this spring from the state of Texas: Rice’s Bryan Price, Texas Christian’s Andrew Cashner and Texas Tech’s Zach Stewart. All three could stand to be more consistent, but all three have very good fastballs and promising breaking pitches. Price’s emergence in particular has allowed Rice to use Cole St. Clair in a variety of different roles.

Arizona State’s Jason Jarvis is no longer with the team, but he has already filed the paperwork to make sure he’s eligible for this year’s draft. His power arsenal makes him a natural fit for a bullpen as a professional. His former teammate, Reyes Dorado, has really impressed me with his sinker-slider one-two punch, and his delivery and overall stature reminds me a lot of the Washington Nationals Chad Cordero.

The thoughts and opinions listed here do not necessarily reflect those of Perfect Game USA. Patrick Ebert is affiliated with both Perfect Game USA and Brewerfan.net, and can be contacted via email at pebert@brewerfan.net.