ZiPS Projections: Closer

Dan Szymborski’s ZiPS projections are a good measure of what to expect from players in the upcoming baseball season. We'll take a look at the Rangers' projections on a position-by-position basis. Szymborski can be found on Twitter at @DSzymborski.

Today we'll look at the projections for the Rangers' closer role, which is Joe Nathan's job to lose.

Nathan: 49 1/3 innings, 3.65 ERA, 9.68 K/9 IP, 53 strikeouts, 13 walks, 7 home runs allowed

If these productions hold true, it could mean a few things: 1) Ron Washington chooses to use Nathan strictly in save situations, 2) Nathan has a stint on the disabled list 3) Things don't go as well for Nathan as they did in 2012.

In 2012, Nathan put up a 2.80 ERA and threw 64 1/3 innings. He had 78 strikeouts to go with his 13 walks, which made him one of the most efficient relievers in the game. We'll see if he can duplicate his 2012 season this coming year.

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