Top 40 Tiered Closer Rankings for 2016

I ranked our Top 40 closers and middle relievers in five tiers, with the first tier consisting of the most dominating closers in the game, including Royals closer Wade Davis, Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen, Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman, and Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel. Three of the four, Chapman, Jansen and Kimrbel, are capable of saving 40+ games with low-2..00 ERAs and close to 100 strikeouts in any season. While Davis is not as dominating as the other three, he is quite capable of saving 40+ games with a low ERA as well.

The second tier of closers includes a few new names, including Mets closer Jeurys Familia and Astros closer Ken Giles. Both can be dominating and could save 40+ games in 2016. Giles is moving to a new league and Familia will have to carry high expectations after the Mets World Series appearance last season. Pirates closer Mark Melanin led MLB in saves last season with 51, but saw some deterioration in his skill set that could be a precursor to a disappointing season for him, so that is something fantasy owners should watch early in the season.

The second tier includes two Yankees set up men Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller, who both could close for the majority of teams this season. Betances and Miller join closer Aroldis Chapman to form the most dominating bullpen in baseball. All three struck out more than 14 batters per nine innings last season and I expect them to be used quite a bit by manager Joe Girardi this season.

The third tier are the closers you will grab with some reluctance, as some come with red flags, such as Rays closer Brad Boxberger and Rangers closer Shawn Tolleson. Tolleson is a fly ball closer who gave up a ton of home runs last season, and Boxberger is dominating but has trouble with his control.

The last two tiers include closers with more red flags and some relievers who aren't a guarantee to open the season with the closer role. That list includes Braves relievers Jason Grilli and Arodys Vizzcaino, Brewers reliever Will Smith, Blue Jays relievers Drew Storen and Roberto Osuna and others.

The closers with red flags in tier four are Rockies closer Jake McGee, who will attempt to keep the closer role despite his fly ball tendencies, Athletics closer Sean Doolittle who is coming off a shoulder injury, and Tigers closer Francisco Rodriguez who has closed forever, but Father Time may present him some challenges in 2016. Plus, Tigers closers are meant to struggle, right?

Top 40 Tiered Closer Rankings for 2016

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