How many closers in fantasy baseball




















However, his ERA was a full run worse than his career 2. From that point on, throwing strikes consistently was mission impossible for him. Owning Bard in was the perfect definition of a roller-coaster: peaks and valleys, and sadly, there were more of the latter. As his 5. Late in the season, Bard lost his hold of the closer role to a mediocre reliever, Carlos Estevez. He tumbled and slumped, yet still managed to get 20 saves for his owners.

Given his ugly 1. For starters, his 8. Additionally, he had a mediocre 4. Hand earned 21 saves, most of them in the first half with the Washington Nationals. During the second half, he had a 5. Is it possible he started the declining so sharply at age 31? Did he hide an injury? Whatever the reason was, Hand was a bitter disappointment. Ranking relief pitchers here at the start of the offseason is especially hard. Their value is tied mostly to their role, and their role is tied mostly to moves that have yet to be made.

Between the teams that find themselves with an opening at closer and the ones hoping to upgrade from last year's incumbent, we don't know a whole lot yet. But when will we? It's not just the time of year that makes ranking relievers tricky.

It's the way that roles have evolved. Rare is it these days that a manager officially designates a closer, and while his tendencies do become apparent over time, the draft is just a moment in time. Point being that, for the foreseeable future, we're forced to play hunches at this position right up until opening day and even beyond.

So yes, while these rankings are sure to change in the months ahead, it may not be by as much as you think. One consequence is that the dozen are so relievers who do appear to have a firm grasp on the closer role are sure to fetch a premium on Draft Day.

They're among those featured here. Note that these rankings are intended for 5x5 scoring such as Rotisserie leagues , but I point out distinctions for points leagues where applicable. By Scott White. Nov 4, at am ET 5 min read. Top 20 relief pitchers for Giovanny Gallegos St. Yes, you want a stud closer, maybe even two, but unless they have ultra-high K-rates and have proven themselves over the past seasons, you shouldn't reach too far. There will be plenty of closers who pop up on the waiver wire throughout the year, and if you trust yourself to get them, then there's no need to pass on more reliable hitters or starters.

We'll be updating these RP rankings frequently throughout the spring, so check back for the latest player movement. Position eligibility based on Yahoo's default settings. Is Tua Tagovailoa playing on Thursday night? Jeffrey Springs figures to step up into Feyereisen's setup role. With closer Richard Rodriguez a potential trade candidate, David Bednar has moved into the almost unquestioned closer-in-waiting role.

The team's announcers have already anointed him the closer, and while that's not official, it's close. It's almost surely still a committee, but it looks like the Tigers are going with their All-Star Soto as the leader. Paul Fry has struggled lately and hasn't earned a save since the beginning of June while Cole Sulser has given up a run or more for three straight outings. This is certainly a committee as well, but with both Sulser and Fry potentially being trade targets for other teams before the deadline, a solid performance from Scott now could leave him as the guy in August and September.

Cousins worked the seventh inning on Sunday and should continue to split setup duties with Brad Boxberger in Milwaukee. Depth charts are freshly updated as of the break, but of course we all know to expect plenty of changes as we approach the July 31 trade deadline. This is a situation to monitor closely.

It wasn't a save situation, but it was the ninth inning of a tie game at home. Garcia allowed two hits and a walk but somehow escaped with a scoreless inning. He continues to pitch poorly in key situations. Not too many fantasy managers were relying on Rosenthal, but anyone who had him in an IL spot can now make room for someone else. It will be interesting to see what happens with the next opportunities. This is something to keep an eye on to see if he gets more chances.

More good innings from Sulser combined with struggles from Fry, and we could see a change in the Baltimore bullpen. Rafael Montero has struggled while Graveman has not, making things easy for the Mariners to decide. He's the unquestioned closer for Toronto and needs to be rostered in all formats. He was lighting up holds leagues, but Dan Winkler will likely pair with Andrew Chafin to send the game to Craig Kimbrel 's ninth inning now.

Archie Bradley pitched the 9th and got the save, also giving up a run in the process. It's a situation to monitor for those chasing saves. Gregory Soto and Jose Cisnero will likely both see save chances moving forward. That's enough of a sign that Brach is getting a little more trust than Garrett, at least for now. It's still likely to be an all out committee, but Brach is on top for now.

In traditional Neris fashion, he blew the save, walking in the tying run. Alvarado is still the head of this committee, but it's a rough bullpen in Philly again this season. He made two appearances since being activated from the IL on Tuesday but appears to still be dealing with inflammation in his pitching arm. The decision to move Alvarado into a closing role comes on the heels of Hector Neris blowing his third straight save in a loss to the Nationals on Wednesday.

There's no timetable for Sims and the Reds will likely turn to either Amir Garrett or Tejay Antone to close, although Brad Brach may be in the mix as well. Following the game, when asked about a potential change to the closer role, manager Joe Girardi said, "I'll take an off day and think about it.

He was leading the team in saves with just four but a 6. Veteran Joakim Soria will likely get as many save chances as possible until the trade deadline to boost his value. Sims blew the lead in the eighth inning, allowing Garrett to enter with a lead in the ninth. This is like just a one-off situation, with Sims likely seeing the bulk of saves chances going forward, but is something to keep an eye on with Garrett.

He still is unlikely to take over the closer's role though, as he's better suited in a more versatile position that allows him to pitch multiple innings when necessary. Clase seems to have the slightest advantage in usage, but both are certainly worth rostering in most formats. Jordan Romano was unavailable for the ninth, but it still shows how unsettled the Toronto bullpen still is.

Things have been very fluid in the Royals' bullpen this year, but Holland looks to be the clear closer at least for now.

The team's other two primary saves candidates, Gregory Soto and Jose Cisnero , pitched earlier on in Sunday's game with Soto manning the seventh inning and Cisnero taking the eighth and ninth. Hansel Robles will settle into a setup role. No Rangers pitcher earned a save in the time Kennedy was gone. This looks to be a committee involving Soto, Cisnero and likely Fulmer as well once he's back up to full speed.

He'll slide right into a key setup role, and with closer Aroldis Chapman scuffling, might even see a save chance before long. Lucas Sims should get an even larger share of the ninth inning with the best Reds reliever on the shelf.

The hope is that Kennedy won't stay on the IL for long. Feyereisen as the leader of their committee, Diego Castillo has come in and saved the last two games for Tampa Bay. There may never be a solid hierarchy on a Kevin Cash team! For a bit, it seemed like Jake Diekman was running away with it, but Trivino is right back in there after a short slump.

Jose Cisnero has earned two saves in a row, but still figures to split time with Gregory Soto at the back of Detroit's bullpen. Nothing's official yet, but it's a safe guess that he'll at least be back as the head of the ninth inning committee soon. Greg Holland looked like he'd be the guy with Josh Staumont on the IL, but Scott Barlow earned a two-inning save on Thursday and now no one knows what to expect.

Will Matheny actually have a bullpen without a specified closer? Tejay Antone is clearly the high-leverage arm, but that won't always mean the ninth inning. Lucas Sims has been pitching well lately and getting ninth innings, and could be working his way to a comfortable seat at the head of the Cincinnati committee.

He pitched the eighth inning on Tuesday before Cole Sulser came in and got the save, snapping a game losing streak for the Orioles. This could end up being a committee situation, or Sulser could run with the job if he keeps pitching well. He's worth picking up in deeper mixed leagues just in case he takes the reins. Holland got the save after Scott Barlow and Kyle Zimmer each earned holds to get the game to the ninth.

This could be a committee with those three involved, or manager Mike Matheny may hand the ninth inning to the veteran Holland. We'll keep an eye on this bullpen this week. Erik Swanson had earned his first the day before that. Feyereisen got the save again today for the Rays. He now has three saves and a win over the last nine games, and should be added in any leagues that value saves where he's still a free agent.

At the very least, he is an important part of a closer committee for one of the best teams in baseball. It remains to be seen if Kyle Zimmer or Scott Barlow in the ninth. Likely a combination of both unless one stands out. No roster move has been made so it would seem that the team expects Pressly to be good to go soon.

Ryne Stanek would likely get the next save chance if Pressly can't go. Feyereisen and Peter Fairbanks have seen the last few save chances for the Rays. This is very much a committee, and right now it doesn't even look like there's a leader.

Paul Fry could see some save chances, and Tanner Scott could mix in as well. Valdez should still be a part of the plan too. This bullpen is looking like one to avoid unless you are truly desperate for saves. Feyereisen , acquired earlier in the week from the Brewers, picked up a save for the Rays this weekend and should be part of the committee going forward.

It'll be back to a Graveman-led committee as soon as he's ready to return, though. It didn't go well, but the fact that he was given the chance makes him another member of the ninth inning committee, joining Rafael Dolis and Jordan Romano. He pitched in an game and did well, with his manager later saying he'd use Dolis pretty much in any inning. He's back in the closer committee, but for now, Jordan Romano is still the guy to roster in fantasy formats.

Jake McGee has mostly struggled this season, but should still remain a committee member. Rogers, however, looks like he'll be the preferred option. Michael Fulmer has three saves, all in the last 11 days, and had Gregory Soto pitch ahead of him on Monday. It's still a committee in Detroit, but Fulmer seems in the lead and could take the job for himself if he continues pitching well.

It's a full on committee in Minnesota, but it looks like Robles could be at the head of it, at least for now. In fact, he may be at the top of it right now, with Sean Doolittle and Lucas Sims behind him. It remains to be seen how things will go for the Reds bullpen, but Antone seems like the one to roster right now.

Several metrics show that Hand could continue to struggle, meaning Daniel Hudson could become the Nationals closer sooner than later. He has two saves in the past two days. Injuries and the Blue Jays bullpen. Rafael Dolis is the latest Toronto reliever to hit the injured list. He's dealing with a calf injury. Jordan Romano figures to take over again, with Tyler Chatwood possibly mixing in. Just as that was becoming a thing, he'll head to the IL with a groin injury, reverting the Rays to the committee we're all used to.

With the way the Arizona bullpen has looked though, Soria could easily work his way into meaningful innings and it wouldn't be a shock to see him in the closer's role soon. A grand slam allowed to an opposing pitcher on Tuesday blew his season ERA up to Will Harris has been pitching well and should start seeing some of Rainey's high-leverage innings until Rainey can figure things out.

He's on the IL with inflammation in his throwing elbow. Ryan Helsley should move into a setup role in his place. While "getting work" can be important for a closer, maybe this is one who just doesn't need it? More important than the three runs he allowed on Sunday though, Diaz left the game with back tightness.

If he misses any time, Jeurys Familia and Trevor May will likely share save chances. His ERA ballooned to an even 9. Looks like it could be a real committee in Seattle, but Graveman still looks like the slightly safer bet for now. Rafael Montero should step down into a key setup role.



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