MLB

The Reverse Closer: A Next Step in Specializing Pitchers

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George Kontos, San Francisco Giants

George Kontos has been up and down this year after a shaky 2013. Through his 27.2 innings of work, he has a 3.25 ERA and an impressive 2.80 FIP in 2014. Furthermore, he has only let up one dinger, and logged a 1.12 WHIP, both good numbers for any reliever.

The biggest thing that makes Kontos a viable option is that he’s made 77 starts in his minor league career. Although the majority of them came in his early years in the Yankees organization, he has some familiarity working early in games. Kontos has more experience at the start games than all of the other pitchers on this list and may be the best option among them.