Prospectus Roundtable: Can Anyone Close? by Baseball Prospectus

The following is an edited transcript of an in-house discussion that took place among the Baseball Prospectus staff when one of our number solicited examples of unsupportable baseball arguments for an upcoming article. After Kevin proposed "Anyone can close," the thread took off in a new direction. Kevin Goldstein: "Anyone can close." While overstated, there is a human element to the game. These are not robots, nor are they strat cards you can just flop into any role or situation and expect the same results. Gary Huckabay: Yes, and has anyone ever claimed otherwise? Jonathan Bernhardt: If only they were; then I could just wait for the balance patch that would make Baltimore playable. Rany Jazayerli: Wait, what? I used to think that there were pitchers who were capable of being competent relievers, but who were incapable of handling the ninth inning. And then Kyle Farnsworth made me look like a fool this season. It's possible there are otherwise ...