James Karinchak

Karinchak wasn't Cleveland's full-time closer after all. While it looked like the flamethrower might be on that path early last season - he was absolutely dominant from April through June with a 2.60 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 59 strikeouts in 34.2 innings - there was a noticeable downswing in Karinchak's performance once MLB banned pitchers from using sticky substances. He simply fell apart after July 1, posting a 6.53 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 19 strikeouts over 20.2 innings the rest of the way. Walks were still a major issue (5.2 BB/9) and he served up nine home runs (1.5 HR/9), thus resulting in a demotion to the minors in late-August. Not all value was lost, as he still posted seven wins, 11 saves and 13 holds across 60 appearances. Karinchak will have to prove to Cleveland this spring that he's capable of handling high-leverage work again. We've seen his upside and he could very easily re-enter the mix for saves.

It doesn't look like we will have to wait long to see Karinchak in the full-time closing role. He looked the part in 2020, but manager Terry Francona justifiably stuck by veteran Brad Hand, who led MLB with 16 saves. However, Cleveland declined Hand's contract option for 2021. Karinchak is only 25 but has already established himself as a dominant major-league reliever. He struck out nearly half of the 109 batters he faced last season (48.6%). He was generous with the free passes (14.7 BB%), but it hardly mattered if he put a couple runners on in an inning because nobody could cash in with contact, let alone good contact. The right-hander did lose a little fastball velocity last season and that bears watching in spring training. As long as Karinchak has not lost another tick and he's still around 95 mph on average, he should excel as Cleveland's new closer as his curveball is unfair.

The following numbers are not typos: Karinchak threw 36.1 innings across four different levels of professional baseball last season. He struck out 82 batters in that time; 56% of the hitters he faced. He has a bit of funk in his delivery, but uses it to throw mid-to-upper-90s fastballs with rising action and a 12-6 hammer curveball to hitters out of the bullpen. He was a starter in college, but the switch to relief happened for him in 2018 and his career has literally zoomed from there. That said, Karinchak didn't even crack the top 30 of the Baseball America Prospect Handbook last year, so this development even took the experts by surprise. All the recent evidence suggests he will be one of the best strikeout relievers in baseball as a rookie. If he can limit free passes, he profiles as the obvious heir apparent to Brad Hand in the ninth inning. Hand is under contract for 2020 with a team option for 2021.