Cody Allen

Allen picked the wrong year to struggle as 2018 was his walk year and there were several closers on the market at a time when clubs are devaluing the need to pay a ninth-inning stud. The right-hander continued to rely on two pitches, a four-seam fastball and curve. Both lost a tad of velocity, and trouble locating the bender more up in the zone resulted in a big drop in effectiveness, allowing batters to sit on his fastball. Allen's wOBA on curves was a career worst and while his wOBA on fastballs was close to career norms, hitters clubbed nine of his career-worst 11 homers allowed off the heater. Long balls weren't Allen's only issue as his walk rate was higher and his strikeout rate was his lowest since 2012, his rookie season. Diminishing velocity with worse control and command isn't the optimal profile, but Allen found a team willing to give him another chance to close in the Angels, albeit on only a one-year deal.

Andrew Miller's presence in the Cleveland bullpen scared some off from Allen, but Allen held onto his role as the Indians' closer for the entire year and reached 30 saves for a third straight season. His strikeout rate held steady, with Allen besting 11.0 K/9 for a fifth straight season, and he trimmed his walk rate considerably to a career-low 2.8 BB/9. Home runs were a bit of an issue (1.2 HR/9) as opposing hitters were able to get more elevation on the ball (46.3 percent flyball rate, up from 36.1 percent), but that was the case with a lot of talented arms in 2017 and Allen did well to minimize the damage. His fastball velocity remains strong and his curveball is still a headache (.174 SLG against), so there's little reason to expect Allen to suddenly implode. Plus, it's clear at this point that manager Terry Francona prefers to keep Miller in a flexible, multi-inning role rather than confined to the ninth.

Allen has proven to be one of the more stable high-leverage relievers in the game, but he's not without flaws. He struck out a third of the batters he faced in 2016, but also walked another 10 percent and allowed a home run on one out of every six flyballs put into play. Historically, he has been split neutral, but in 2016, lefties did get to him (.214/.295/.382) while righties went up there just hoping to put something safely into play (.136/.230/.270). Allen has been very durable for a reliever the past four seasons, gets strikeouts in bunches and continues to post strong ratios despite a walk rate on the high side. The positives outweigh the negatives, but keep that mind that he may have to continue splitting save chances with Andrew Miller as manager Terry Francona mixes and matches late in games.

Allen took some early-season lumps (two losses and an 11.57 ERA in April) but put those behind him en route to his second consecutive stellar season as the Cleveland closer. Allen finished a league-high 58 games and recorded a career-high 34 saves in his third season for the Indians. He could stand to improve his command a tick (3.2 BB/9 last year), but Allen took a large step forward in limiting the longball in 2015 (two homers in 69.3 innings) after struggling in that department in 2014 (seven homers in 69.7 innings). His K-rate (12.9 K/9) puts him near the league's elite among closers and his ability to carve up left-handed batters (.512 OPS in 2015, .577 OPS for his career) keeps him immune from any platoon splits. Allen has a firm grip on the closer role in Cleveland and there is little reason to think he won't turn in another fine season in 2016.

Allen's big 2013 had many believing he should have been given the closer's role immediately after Chris Perez left, but instead the team went with an experienced arm in John Axford. He had nine saves and a 2.31 ERA in his first 13 appearances before allowing runs in three of his next four, two of which ended up being losses. Allen finally wrestled the job away in late-May and never looked back. In fact, in his final 50 appearances, he had a 1.49 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 35.0% strikeout rate as well as 23 of his 24 saves for the season. Now with back-to-back big years under his belt, Allen is on the cusp of joining the tier of elite closers. There are only a handful of guys who can deliver huge save totals, minuscule ratios and push toward 100 strikeouts and Allen has all the makings of becoming one of those, though his price will be lower than the others for at least the 2015 draft season.

Allen's first full season with the Indians went extremely well in a setup role, and he'll look to build on that success in his second full season in Cleveland. With the departure of Chris Perez, the Indians will be looking at new options to close out games in 2014, and though John Axford is expected to get the first crack at the job, Allen could have a chance at displacing him. Allen struck out 29.2 percent of the batters he faced last season (11.3 K/9) and managed to limit the damage of the baserunners he had by posting an 84.6 percent strand rate. Leaning on a two-pitch arsenal that features a mid-90s fastball and a curveball, Allen figures to assume a significant role in the Cleveland bullpen again in 2014.

Allen dominated in stops at High-A Carolina, Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus before appearing in 27 games out of the Cleveland bullpen in his first full season of pro ball. He fared pretty well in his time with the Indians and has a two-pitch arsenal with a mid-90s fastball and a nice curve that suits him well. He'll need to iron out some command issues but has the stuff to miss bats at the big league level. The Indians are well stocked from the right side of the bullpen, but Allen figures to compete for a spot this spring.