Closer

Closers stand on the pitching mound, which is located in the center of the infield and 60 feet, six inches away from home plate.

A closer is often considered the best relief pitcher that a club has in its bullpen. Closers are most often deployed for the final inning of a game when a narrow lead -- three runs or less -- needs to be protected. Closers almost always excel against both right- and left-handed batters and are more often than not capable of striking out batters at high rates. Most closers are right-handed, although there are typically a few left-handed closers in baseball each season.

On offense: Closers receive even fewer at-bats than the standard relief pitcher, as they appear only late in games. If a closer's spot comes up in the batting order, the manager will often pinch-hit for the closer. Most closers go the entire season without an at-bat. For example, Aroldis Chapman tallied just two at-bats over the first six seasons of his Major League career.