Rafael Perez 2009

The Indians may have made a good move signing Kerry Wood to be their closer, but it's a shame that we won't get to see Rafael Perez close for a while. This guy is a really exceptional pitcher. For the past two years, he's averaged 10.4 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9. That's great under any circumstances. What's made it even better is that he doesn't suffer from the same failing that most other high K/9, low BB/9 pitchers do...he knows how to keep the ball on the ground. His groundball rates the past two years have been 52.6% and 57.1%. That's pretty incredible for a guy with his strikeout rate. Perez could be an exceptional closer if he gets the chance. In the meantime, he may be the best middle reliever in baseball.