To take on the role of closer, it takes more than a good fastball and a breaking ball that drops off of the table. The closer has to have the right mind-set and like the rest of these players listed, need the heart of a lion to be successful. Here are the Hearts of the 2005 class: Ace-Trevor Hoffman, Closer, San Diego Padres Hoffman never has received the respect he deserves because of the low-key nature of San Diego, but this might be changing. Rumors have it that Hoffman is angry at the organization and could take his hall of fame numbers somewhere else in 2006. 2006 Club: Baltimore Orioles King-Mark Grudzielanek, Second Baseman, St. Louis Cardinals Grudzielanek is one of those players that never have had a great season, but he has carved himself out a nice career anyway. Grudzielanek only has a few more years left on his tires, which makes his especially lucrative to many contending teams. 2006 Clubs: St. Louis Cardinals Queen-Jeff Weaver, Starting Pitcher, Los Angeles Dodgers Weaver is the epitome of pitching with your heart on your sleeve, which can be positive and negative for Jeff. He has the talent to be an outstanding pitcher, but whether or not he realizes it is another story. 2006 Club: Seattle Mariners Jack-Frank Thomas, Designated Hitter, Chicago White Sox Thomas? only red mark on his career has been his me-first attitude, which has aliened teammates over the years. With the money becoming scarce on the north side, don?t be surprised to see Thomas finish out his career strong some place else. 2006 Club: Oakland A?s 10-Todd Jones, Closer, Florida Marlins Jones went from closer to set-up guy, then back to closer again, which will make him more money this winter. Jones is a valuable commodity for any team at a lower price tag compared to other closers on the market. 2006 Club: Philadelphia Phillies 9-Bob Wickman, Closer, Cleveland Indians Wickman is a tough player to invest in because of his injury history, weight concerns, and age. However, he defied it all last season in what turned out to be a perfect environment for him. 2006 Club: Cleveland Indians 8-Kyle Farnsworth, Closer, Atlanta Braves Farnsworth is new to this profession, but he is sure glad he joined it during a contract year. Farnsworth pitched very well last season in Atlanta, where he is from, but will he follow Mazzone to Baltimore? 2006 Club: Atlanta Braves 7-Nomar Garciaparra, Shortstop, Chicago Cubs Garciaparra was once considered the best shortstop in baseball, but his career has taken a sharp nosedive after he left Boston. Garciaparra provides teams with flexibility in the field and a proven hitter, but he must find his love for the game again. 2006 Club: Minnesota Twins 6-Reggie Sanders, Outfielder, St. Louis Cardinals Sanders seems to just pump out quality seasons, but he has showed some signs of slowing down. Injuries curtailed his season last year, but he still is a quality pick-up who never will settle for anything on the diamond. 2006 Club: St. Louis Cardinals 5-Jarrod Washburn, Starting Pitcher, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Washburn looked to be on the road to success, but then he just seemed to stop in his development. The lack of improvement should raise a red flag for clubs, but he is still worth a serious look. 2006 Club: Los Angeles Dodgers 4-Jacque Jones, Outfielder, Minnesota Twins Jones is known for his defensive around the league, but his bat seems to be lagging behind in development. I think Jones is just ready to break out, but needs to get out of Tori Hunter?s shadow to finally realize his talents. 2006 Club: Houston Astros 3-Kenji Johjimi, Catcher, Japan Johjimi comes over to the states with a nice resume, but will his skills translate to the Major Leagues? Most baseball imports from Japan have succeeded, so the Mariners should expect nothing else in 2006. 2006 Club: Seattle Mariners 2-Alex Gonzalez, Shortstop, Florida Marlins Gonzalez fell out of favor in Florida last season and with the addition of Hanley Ramirez, his days on South Beach are numbered. The market looks pretty quiet on Gonzalez, but he will provide a nice option at shortstop for some team. 2006 Club: Seattle Mariners It is these types of free agents that take teams to the next level because it is the glue players that decide the winners and the losers. Whichever team recognizes this the best will have an upper-hand in 2006.