Michael Blazek

Blazek was given a chance to pitch full-time for the Brewers in 2015, and he proved his worth. He turned in a career-best season with a 2.43 ERA and 1.04 WHIP prior to breaking his right hand in August. While his 2.61 K/BB still isn't great, it is an improvement from previous seasons. Blazek achieved surprising results with his arsenal of pitches last year, and if he can build off of his strong 2015 campaign, he could compete for late-inning work with the Brewers this season. An appointment to the closer role seems unlikely, however, as Jeremy Jeffress and Will Smith both seem better suited to inherit the job from Francisco Rodriguez.

Blazek worked as both a starter and reliever last season after pitching exclusively in relief the year before. He fared better as a starting pitcher (3.62 ERA in 77 innings) than he did out of the bullpen (5.68 ERA in 25.1 innings), but he started mostly out of necessity, so it remains to be seen if he will stay in that role moving forward. Blazek did have a dominant year in relief in 2013, and the Brewers have good starting pitching depth at the top level, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him move back into a bullpen role.

Blazek joined the Brewers late in the 2013 season, after being acquired in a deal for former closer John Axford. For the first time in his career, Blazek pitched exclusively as a reliever, a transition that seemed to fit him well, as he posted a 1.97 ERA and struck out 52 batters in 45.2 minor league innings. His control could use some work, but he throws three other pitches besides a 95-mph fastball, so he could be a factor at some point in what figures to be an inexperienced bullpen.