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NEFTALI FELIZ SHOULD BE IN THE ROTATION

By Richard Durrett
ESPNDallas.com
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The easy choice for the Rangers would be to leave the American League rookie of the year in the role in which he thrived during 2010, especially with no heir apparent at closer.

But if the club truly wants to see whether Feliz can be a starter, it has to roll the dice and give him a shot. Do you want a pitcher who gives you 70 innings as a closer, or one who can throw 180 innings or more as a starter every fifth day? Pitching coach Mike Maddux called that choice a no-brainer. I agree.

Feliz must show that his secondary stuff -- a slider and a changeup -- is good enough to get hitters out for six innings, knowing that he can't simply rely on a triple-digit fastball the way he would for the final three outs. Feliz is trying to do what C.J. Wilson did in 2010 and faces some of the same questions. Wilson's secondary stuff was more consistent, but no one was sure whether his arm could withstand an increased workload. It did. So why can't Feliz do the same?

If Feliz leaves his current post, someone must take his place. That's an unknown for the Rangers because Mark Lowe and Alexi Ogando, the two leading candidates, don't have many saves between them. But when Frank Francisco struggled the first week of 2010, the Rangers decided to thrust Feliz into the closer's role, one he had never held before. That worked out just fine. It's a reminder that you don't know what someone can do until he or she gets a chance to do it.

Feliz has tremendous upside. He has an easy motion and can light up a radar gun. He's young, and he'll take some lumps as a starter. But he has the ability to help the back end of the rotation now and the talent to become a top starter in the rotation in the future as he matures.

Let's see exactly what Feliz can do as a starter. Give him some time to get on a schedule and see whether he can't impact the club even more than he did in 2010 by starting every fifth day. If it doesn't work out, he can always go back to the bullpen.

You've heard our takes; now give us yours. DISCUSS

NEFTALI FELIZ SHOULD REMAIN THE RANGERS' CLOSER

By Jeff Caplan
ESPNDallas.com
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Allow Feliz to state the case for keeping him in the bullpen as the Texas Rangers' flame-throwing closer and not moving him into the starting rotation:

"All my career I was a starter, but now I'm getting comfortable as a closer."

So why mess with it? The 22-year-old said this after being named the 2010 American League rookie of the year for saving a rookie-record 40 games (with a 2.73 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 69 1/3 innings). He had some shaky moments early in the postseason but rebounded like a veteran with lights-out performances that included freezing Alex Rodriguez in Game 6 of the AL Championship Series for a 1-2-3 ninth that whisked the Rangers to their first World Series.

Feliz-to-the-rotation drama will draw headlines and stir debate all spring, but with question marks all over the starting rotation -- and Feliz would just add another -- why remove a 6-foot-3 exclamation point that delivers triple-digit heat in the ninth? The Rangers will bring into every game a feared offense that, with a steady bullpen and lock-down closer, can carry a starting rotation until it sorts itself out as it did last season even before the acquisition of Cliff Lee.

We know the Rangers will aggressively seek another midseason addition to bolster the rotation come July. The Rangers have confidence in their two top starters, C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis. They think young hurlers Tommy Hunter (13-4 last season, but had a rough postseason) and lefties Derek Holland and Michael Kirkman can become sturdy rotation pieces. Brandon Webb is a veteran who can eat innings if healthy. Other options are battling it out in Surprise.

If the closer job is made available, the candidates are Mark Lowe, Alexi Ogando, possibly sidewinder Darren O'Day and 35-year-old former Japanese league closer Yoshinori Tateyama. None has experience as a major league closer -- of course, neither did Feliz last season -- and none is 22 and throwing fastballs that leave contrails.

Feliz is a dominant closer, and those don't come around every day. There's a certain swagger and confidence that sweeps over a team that has a blowtorch to finish the job. Replacing one with an untested arm is dangerous business and, frankly, unnecessary at this point.

If Feliz's off-speed pitches continue to improve, they will only make him more lethal and better prepare him to join the rotation in 2012. With another year of setup action for Ogando, another hard thrower, perhaps then the Rangers will have a ready replacement, something they don't have right now. For a team looking to build on last season's momentum, that fact can't be overstated.