Potential future closers — one for each team.
Big league closers can come from all areas of the pitching world. Some are guys who have always been relievers, from college all the way up to the big leagues. Some were starters whose power stuff (and perhaps lack of command) were better suited for shorter stints coming out of a bullpen. It’s not always clear who can handle the pressure of the ninth inning until they get the ball.
Below is a list of 30 potential future closers, and there’s obvious crossover with our recent Top 10 future closers list. Some are still in Minor League rotations, while others have already made the transition to the ‘pen. It’s a list worth keeping an eye on. Our 2022 future closers list included Félix Bautista, a 2023 All-Star, and Jhoan Duran, one of the most overpowering stoppers in the game.
Blue Jays: Connor Cooke, RHP (No. 19)
The highest-ranked pure reliever in the system, Cooke hasn’t gotten off to a tremendous start at Triple-A Buffalo (5.73 ERA, 10 K, 11 BB in 11 IP), but the pieces are there for him to return to dominance. His fastball still sits 94-96 mph, but it’s his low-80s slider that steals the show. The pitch has averaged 18.2 inches of horizontal sweep, seventh-most among Triple-A pitchers with at least 50 sliders thrown in ’24. If Cooke can work more in the zone and set up that slider to get swing-and-miss, he could be a bullpen arm in Toronto in short order.
Braves: Hurston Waldrep, RHP (No. 2/MLB No. 81)
Though he started at Southern Miss and then at Florida, there’s always been reliever risk with Waldrep because of his up-tempo delivery that features some effort, leading to issues with commanding his outstanding stuff in the zone. He was able to make it to Triple-A in his first summer of pro ball and is currently in the rotation with Double-A Mississippi. He’s been up to 99 mph with his fastball consistently in the past to go along with a hard upper-80s slide, so seeing triple digits with a wipeout breaking ball in shorter stints is certainly possible.
