The Rangers have positioned themselves to be in the forefront of a bullpen revolution that is sweeping the game.

They have a closer: right-hander Shawn Tolleson. They have two holdovers with closer's stuff: right-handers Sam Dyson and Keone Kela.

They continued to focus on the bullpen with their most significant offseason additions to date. Right-handers Tom Wilhelmsen, obtained from Seattle, and Tony Barnette, from Yakult of the Japan Pacific League, have closer's experience.

Combined, that gives manager Jeff Banister a chance to get away from the usual thinking on how to use a bullpen.

Banister could have the option of using a closer-type reliever in the middle innings, when games often begin to spin out of control because hitters are facing the starter for a third time.

If Banister reads the situation as the game being on the line in the fifth or sixth innings, he can respond with a reliever who knows how to handle the pressure rather than a lesser pitcher.

"That high-leverage situation may show up in the fifth or sixth," Banister said. "The subsequent innings are still big league innings, but you have to understand that could be the most important inning. We have guys we can choose from who can shut it down."

Baltimore started the increased emphasis on bullpens with its rise to the playoffs in 2012. Kansas City reached the last two World Series, winning last season, because of its bullpen.

Like Baltimore, Kansas City found it easier within its payroll limitations to build a staff from the back to the front. The Royals last season had the fewest rotation innings, an American League-low 5.63 per game, by a playoff team since Cleveland in 2001.

Nearly every team has a strong combination for the final two innings. The middle-innings relievers separated the Royals from the pack during the regular season. They had the league's best record last season when leading or tied after five innings at 84-14 and after six at 86-10. The Rangers were 79-21 when leading or tied after five and 80-16 after six.

Kansas City's World Series win, buoyed by the bullpen going 8-0 for the playoffs, triggered an offseason run on relievers. Free agents such as Darren O'Day received big deals: four years at $31 million.

Five team leaders in saves were traded. That included Cincinnati's Aroldis Chapman to the New York Yankees and San Diego's Craig Kimbrel to Boston as those two clubs tried to piece together mega-bullpens.

The rotation remains the "heart and soul" of a team, Banister said, and he does not want them to lessen expectations. With several projected starters carrying physical question marks, it only makes sense to load up the bullpen and create a safety net.

"As we sit here now, it looks like a strong bullpen," Banister said. "You can draw it up to be a powerful bullpen, and we have the luxury to shorten games for the starters, if we need to."

This approach hinges on two factors.

From year to year, bullpens are the most volatile part of a club. The Rangers' relievers must be able to match last season's success.

"Our bullpen has an opportunity to be as strong a bullpen as there is in baseball," Banister said. "I do caution everyone that there's not a huge bank of experience out there, and they logged a lot of appearances last year."

They also must put egos aside.

Saves carry more weight than holds in determining salaries through arbitration and free agency. The relievers will have to put aside personal concerns for the overall team welfare. So far, all concerned have echoed Wilhelmsen's sentiments.

"I love closing, but I'm well aware of what they have here," he said. "I've pitched in multiple roles, so I'm ready for it all."

This could be a new experience for all. The call for a closer-type could come at any time in the Rangers' bullpen this season.

Bullpen leverage

The higher the leverage index, the greater the pressure on the pitcher. A look at the Rangers' relievers index from last season, when the major league average for bullpens was .985:

*With Seattle

Twitter: @gfraley