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Closer Report

Casey in the back.....end of games to stay
Casey in the back.....end of games to stay

Every week I take a look at the going's on in the life of relief pitching in fake baseball. These rankings are a pretty good indicator of who has been getting it done and who has wasted your roster space. So have a gander at how I would rank the best conclusionary pitchers and the guys that set them up.

  • Sergio Santos has kicked the fantasy bucket, so to speak. He will have another surgery on his shoulder and miss the rest of the year. Casey Janssen continues to shine in his role as the teams closer, converting 13 of 14 save opportunites. Now that he is embedded in that spot he will make a few spot jump in the rankings.
  • In Miami, Heath Bell has been kicked aside for now as he closer and Juan what's his name has a UCL sprain and will miss the next month. Steve Cishek has gotten the lone save chance in the past 7 days. So optimistically he is the closer, but counting stats may not be there. Still he is the guy getting the call so worth rostering everywhere.
  • Aroldis Chapman pitched 3 consecutive games for the first time in his career, garnering 2 saves and 8 K's in 3 innings pitched. With the NL central race 3 horse race right now I wonder how the stress of pitching in bigger more meaningful games and more frequently will wear on the Cuban.
  • Frank Francisco's return from the DL hit a snag, he will be shut down for the next week-10 days with reoccurring soreness in his oblique. Bobby Parnell is the guy in the spot, but I think I would rather trust my sister or punt that roster spot for a 2 start streamer for the week.
  • The trade deadline is coming up and fast. Names being thrown around include Rafael Betancourt, Brett Myers and Matt Capps, with secondary relief options like Grant Balfour and Brandon League, Both secondary options may be valuable pieces if traded to the right place as a save speculation. Saves are all about speculation so stay on top off the ball and grab the next best names from the teams, Matt Belisle and Rex Brothers, Wilton Lopez, Glen Perkins and Jared Burton are all names to keep tabs on.

Rankings and Hold tiers after the jump.


2. Rafael Soriano



5. Jim Johnson

6. Chris Perez

7. Jonathon Papelbon

8. Jason Motte

9. Aroldis Chapman

10. Jonathan Broxton

11. Joe Nathan

12. Tyler Clippard

13. Kenley Jansen

14. Ernesto Frieri

15. John Axford

16.Santiago Casilla

17. Huston Street

18. J.J. Putz

19. Ryan Cook

20. Addison Reed

21. Casey Janssen

22. Alfredo Aceves

23. Jose Valverde

24. Rafael Betancourt

25. Tom Wilhelmsen

26.Brett Myers

27. Carlos Marmol

28. Steve Cishek

29. Bobby Parnell

30. Jared Burton / Glen Perkins / Matt Capps

Tier 1.

Mike Adams TEX

Sergio Romo SF

Vinnie Pestano CLE

Joaquin Benoit DET

Sean Burnett WAS

Sean Marshall CIN

David Hernandez ARI

Jason Grilli PIT

Antonio Bastardo PHI

Scott Downs ANA

David Robertson NYY

Vincente Padilla BOS

Ronald Belisario LAD

Tier 2:

Tim Byrdak NYM

Francisco Rodriguez MIL

Pedro Strop BAL

Eric O'Flaherty ATL

Charlie Furbush SEA

Aaron Crow KC

Joel Peralta TB

Josh Lindblom LAD

Matt Belisle COL

James Russell CHC

Jake McGee TB

Grant Balfour OAK

Mitchell Boggs STL

Shawn Camp CHC

Tier 3:

Chad Durbin ATL

Greg Holland KC

Juan Cruz PIT

Bryan Shaw ARI

Miek Dunn MIA

Luke Gregerson SD

Juan Cruz PIT

Joe Smith CLE

Kelvin Herrera KC

Matt Thornton CHW

Jose Arredondo CIN

Brad Ziegler ARI

Boone Logan NYY

Jesse Crain CHW

Andrew Miller BOS