Neftali Feliz

Last July, the Tigers rolled the dice on this once-great closer after he was released by the Rangers after posting a 4.58 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP through 18 games. But things actually got worse for Feliz in Detroit. He appeared in 30 games there, delivering a 7.62 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. Granted, his underlying metrics (4.05 FIP and 7.3 K/9) painted a slightly different perspective, and he did finish 2015 strong with three saves in his last four games. Opposing batters teed off on Feliz's repertoire at a near-.300 rate. He still throws the ball hard, but nowhere near his pre-Tommy John 96.3 mph. Signed by the Pirates to a one-year deal in January, Feliz will be another potential reclamation project for Bucs pitching Ray Searage with the hope that he can become an effective part of the bridge to the ninth inning.

Feliz didn’t appear until the Fourth of July after missing virtually all of 2013 and the first three months of 2014 to Tommy John surgery. The Rangers had about a month of time to get Feliz up to speed so they could trade incumbent closer Joakim Soria and reinsert Feliz into the role. And they did just that, trading Soria on July 23rd and giving Feliz his first save opportunity on July 25th. Feliz held the role for the final two months and posted a fantastic 1.69 ERA in 21 innings with 13 saves in 14 tries. However, his 17.2% strikeout rate and 2.1 K/BB ratio were far from the 26.4% and 3.9 K/BB marks from his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2010. He hasn’t come close to that level of dominance since and it’s hard to bet on it returning, especially with his severe velocity dip (from 98 mph in 2010 to 94 mph last year). Be careful here. It’s one thing to bet on a track record, but Feliz really has just the one season of dominance.

Feliz's expected late-July return from 2012 Tommy John surgery was delayed a bit as he didn't take the mound until early September and made just six appearances in some low-leverage spots during the final month. Joe Nathan's departure via free agency has Texas publicly announcing that 2014's closer will come from a list of internal candidates headlined by Feliz and Joakim Soria, so it appears (for the moment at least) that Feliz's days as a starter may have finally come to an end. We've been down this road before, so Feliz's role and eventual value may not be clearly determined until March.

Feliz's return to the rotation lasted just seven starts and ended with him on the surgeon's table, requiring Tommy John surgery after a brief and stalled comeback attempt after being injured in mid-May. He's expected to return following the All-Star break, back in a relief role, but not closing if Joe Nathan is still healthy. Roto purgatory, in essence. He's been effective in whatever role Texas has asked him to pitch in, and a return to the rotation in 2014 could beckon (Texas is doing just that with Alexi Ogando) but his 2013 value will be limited to 25-30 largely low-value innings in a setup/late-inning relief role.

Texas put a quick end to the "Rotation or closer?" question, signing Joe Nathan to a two-year contract in November and quickly announcing a return to the rotation for Feliz. He had started to show weaknesses as a closer, fanning just 54 and walking 30 in 62.1 innings, as he increasingly relied on a now mere mortal fastball. How well he's able to incorporate his secondary pitches back into his repertoire will go a long way in determining his immediate success as a starter. It seems unlikely that Texas will saddle him with anything close to 200 innings after two years as the closer, particularly with a somewhat successful run of limiting Alexi Ogando's innings down the stretch in 2011.

Feliz started the year in a setup role after he struggled as a starter during spring training. It worked out just fine in the end. Feliz used a few early season implosions from Frank Francisco to latch onto the closer's role and never looked back, setting an AL record for saves by a rookie in the process. He was dominant following the All-Star break (1.42 ERA, 16 hits and five walks allowed in 31.2 innings), but there's talk again of seeing if he can transition back into the rotation this spring. C.J. Wilson's transition gives Texas a nice blueprint to follow, and a Cliff Lee-sized hole in the rotation after Lee signed with the Phillies might hasten the move.

Feliz made a splash in his rookie season, allowing just 13 hits and eight walks in 31 innings, fanning 39. He struck out 13 of the first 20 batters he faced in the majors, though he faded (relatively speaking) over his final few appearances. Texas put a focus on finding right-handed setup relief this offseason (so far netting nothing more than Chris Ray) in an effort to return Feliz to the rotation. His numbers in the minors last year before his promotion (77.1 innings, 69 hits, 75:30 K:BB) were solid but not jaw-dropping. His offspeed stuff improved as the season wore on, which should help smooth his transition back into the rotation.

Feliz solidified his reputation as one of baseball's best pitching prospects with 10 solid starts at Double-A Frisco after a stellar start to the year at Low-A Clinton. Just 20 years old, Feliz will likely begin the year at Double-A Frisco again, but should see ample time at Triple-A Oklahoma City this season. Working against him of course is Texas' repeated failures to develop young arms, but there's plenty to like here if he can stay healthy.