It is the reporter's duty to find and write about unique and compelling stories.

In the case of the Rangers this year, this is as unique as it gets: a story of a reliever, not just surviving, but thriving. The story of Alex Claudio, though, goes deeper than that. In an era when evaluators and fans alike are more fixated than ever on velocity, Claudio does it with something else.

Call it guile, moxie, determination or whatever you would like.

But call it effective.

And in a segment of the industry notorious for wide year-to-year variations in performance, Claudio seems to be moving in a linear direction, his arrow pointing upward while his ERA (2.58) points down.

"What he doesn't have in stuff, he makes up for inside," catcher Robinson Chirinos said. "You can tell by the look in his eye, he is going to get you out. We talk about [Rougned] Odor and the competitiveness he has, well, Claudio has what Odor has."

Claudio also has a thankless job: mostly, middle relief. The only time those guys tend to get noticed is when they give up a lead. Plenty of Rangers relievers have been noticed this year. He's almost like a cockroach in that regard. The rest of the bullpen implodes in a series of catastrophes and, out of the dust and detritus, here comes Claudio moving slowly and steadily forward.

What stands out most about Claudio is, well, what he's lacking: a big fastball. His 86.4 mph average fastball -- which is up almost two full miles per hour over his 2014 debut -- is the second-slowest average velocity among 172 qualifying major league relievers this year. And yet, he still throws the fastball as his predominant weapon.

Consider this: Miami's Brad Ziegler, the sidearming changeup artist whose average fastball falls below the Claudio Line, throws his fastball 50 percent of the time simply to set up his two off-speed pitches. Claudio throws the fastball nearly 60 percent.

"I just attack the hitter all the time," Claudio said in a soft Spanish voice through an interpreter. "That's my part of the job. I know if I attack and execute my pitch, they won't hit the ball hard. The speed doesn't really matter."

This is something that was reinforced to him this spring by St. Louis Cardinals catching legend Yadier Molina, like Claudio a native of Puerto Rico. The two were teammates for the World Baseball Classic, during which Claudio was Puerto Rico's most effective reliever. Which, come to think of it, is another aspect that sets Claudio apart this year.

Consider how many Rangers participated in the WBC and how many have had productive seasons. The answer to the former is, there were still eight players out of camp when the semifinal round rolled around. The answer to the latter is Claudio and Chirinos. For the potential negative impact of the WBC see: "Dyson, Sam," under the heading of "closers, Texas Rangers former."

"Yadi said the same thing: 'Attack, attack, attack,'" Claudio said. "Of course, coming from him, that means a lot. You look at his family, and there are three great catchers. Hearing him say it, it's like it is coming from three mouths and three sets of eyes. When the situation is tough, I know that I trust myself."

All good: But why is Claudio continuing to succeed? Perhaps part of the secret is in the lack of stuff itself. Guys are so focused on timing and hitting 95 mph or better that when a slightly built, sheepish looking fella with a harmless little smile walks to the mound and fires 86 in the strike zone, they are often off the mark. It comes out of a funky left-handed delivery that is close to sidearm, but not quite. The same arm is quite willing to throw a nice little changeup, too. All for strikes.

"Hitters have become desensitized to velocity," bullpen coach Brad Holman said. "He's not that high velo guy. It's just a completely different look. And he's a command-first guy. It's below hitting speed and from a funky slot. Those things set him apart."

And there is the complete inability to faze him. Cole Hamels strains his oblique 10 minutes before first pitch and the Rangers need a starter? Claudio is there. Guy tries to squeeze the winning run home against him? Claudio fields the bunt and chases him back to third before getting the out to end a ninth-inning jam. Pitch to right-handers as well as lefties? Sure. Right-handers have only a .257 batting average and .304 OBP against him. Pitch, literally, in any inning? Yep. Outside of A.J. Griffin's complete game against San Diego in May, he's the only Ranger who has appeared in every one of the nine innings.

"He stays in his box, stays in his lane," Chirinos said. "He pitches to his strengths all the time. He knows who he is and what he wants to do."

It makes him unique among the Rangers relievers this season.

Fearless Alex

In the AL, where powerful relief arms are a must, Alex Claudio has the lowest average fastball velocity among 80 qualified relievers and also uses it as his predominant pitch. A look at how the lowest average fastball velocities in the AL and how often those relievers use the pitch:

Source: Fangraphs.com