Good morning. In today's closer report, we'll take a look at the closer situation for every team in the league. Obviously, many of them are stable situations with little reason for worry. But, as always, there continues to be concern for various closers throughout the league that could lead to great buy-low situations. Here we go:
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Baltimore Orioles - George Sherrill - Ranks 2nd in the majors in saves with 17. High ERA at 3.43, but chalk it up to two really bad performances in early April where he gave up 5 ER in two games within a week. In total, he has only given up 8 ER for the season. The Orioles are winning and Sherrill is saving them.
Boston Red Sox - Jonathan Papelbon - 14-for-16 in save opportunities. Of the "elite" closers on draft day, he still ranks the closest to the top of the list in saves and has 27 K's in 23.0 IP.
Chicago White Sox - Bobby Jenks - 12-for-14 in converted saves with a 1.77 ERA. Who knew the White Sox would be 6-games over .500 at this point and the first place team in the AL Central? Maybe its the Jenks Facial Hair factor.
Cleveland Indians - Joe Borowski - Borowski will be activated from the 15-day disabled list on Friday and will resume his role as closer. His velocity is down in rehab games which could lead to more trouble for the Indians and for Borowski's hold on the job. Despite leading the AL in 45 saves last year, he continues to be an ERA/WHIP risk. He was 2-for-4 in saves before going down with a triceps injury. Rafael Betancourt and Masa Kobayashi have been the main fill-in save candidates. Betancourt has struggled and Kobayashi seems to be the more popular pick to get the majority of opportunities in the long-run if Borowski's return fails miserably.
Detroit Tigers - Todd Jones - Its the same 'ol (and I mean 'OL) Todd Jones this season. He's a perfect 7-for-7 in saves, but still has a 4.32 ERA to show for it. But no direct competition for his job keeps him the go-to guy in Mo-Town.
Kansas City Royals - Joakim Soria - A perfect 11-for-11 in save with a 0.98 ERA for a team that's 21-and-26 (.447 winning percentage). For his career, he has 28 saves in 32 opportunities. Save situations could be haphazard based on the winning/losing streaks of the Royals, but he has definitely settled into the role quite well over the last 2 years.
LA Angels - Francisco Rodriguez - Leads the league in saves and save opportunities with a 19-for-20 record. K-Rod and Brad Lidge are the only two closers in the top-10 to not allow a HR this season.
Minnesota Twins - Joe Nathan - Continues to be a perfect 13-for-13 and has appeared in 19 games with a 1.42 ERA.
NY Yankees - Mariano Rivera - This was the year he was supposed to get old, right? Wrong. If you're not hearing about Mo Rivera, it means he's lights out. He's 11-for-11 in saves with a 0.47 ERA and a 0.53 WHIP. In 19.0 IP, he has 15 K's, no walks, and no home runs. The save opportunities have been a little lower (because the Yankees have been so inconsistent this year), but its no different than last year. With the Yankees struggling in 2007's first half before dominating after the all-star break, Mariano was 12-for-14 pre-break and 18-for-20 post break. Expect a similar trend this year.
Oakland A's - Houston Street - A couple of rough outings in the beginning of the season drive his ERA and WHIP higher than it should be, but Street is still 9-for-11 in saves. Throw away Street's first 3 games of the season and chalk-it-up to early season cobwebs and Street has been as good as anyone. A quick look at the impact of these first three games: in total for the season, Street has a 4.43 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and a 10.62 K/9. Back-out those three games and Street has a 2.70 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and a 11.88 K/9. Its amazing how 3 outings can affect a player's overall perceptive value on just 20.3 IP.
Seattle Mariners - JJ Putz - Putz's overall totals are down because of some early season injury woes, but he's back and is 5-7 in saves in 13.0 IP.
Tampa Bay Rays - Troy Percival - How old is this guy? I think I had his California Angels rookie card at one point. Well, looks like I need to start collecting again, because Percy has been solid for the newly-named Tampa Bay Rays. 13-for-15 and ranking 7th in the majors in total # of saves, Percival is posting a solid 2.84 ERA, 0.68 WHIP in 19 total appearances. The one concern I have for Percival is the 3 HR and GB/FB of 0.21 (7:33). Could lead to some long-term trouble, especially if the Rays have a downward spiral at some point.
Texas Rangers - CJ Wilson - Not to be confused with the other mediocre "Wilson" closer on this list, CJ is 9-for-11 in saves with a 4.79 ERA. That's 11 ER in 20.2 IP with 11 K's and 10 BB's. High BB rates drive managers CRAZY. Everyday Eddie Guardado, who obviously has a ton of closing experience, is the next in-line to get opportunities and I think that'll happen sooner rather than later.
Toronto Blue Jays - BJ Ryan - Who knows if BJ Ryan can stay healthy long enough to solidify his job in Toronto. One thing is certain: when he's healthy, he's great. He's 10-for-10 this season with a 0.60 ERA, and 18:6 strikeout to walk ratio. But the Blue Jays have been careful with Ryan over the last 30 days, giving Scott Down 5 save opportunities as well. There are no signs of any long-term lingering affects of injury just yet, but its been a common theme with Ryan over the last two seasons. Continue to hold your breath.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Arizona Diamondbacks - Brandon Lyon - Who knew Brandon Lyon would be this good. We all thought Tony Pena was the next logical closer in Arizona, but Lyon is a 12-for-14 in saves and a perfect 7-for7 in the last 30 days. He ranks 10th overall in saves, has a 1.80 ERA, and a K:BB of 15:2. No imminent danger here.
Atlanta Braves - Manny Acosta - Acosta is 3-for-3 in saves, but is just the temporary solution until John Smoltz returns. 3 other pitchers have also recorded saves for the Braves in the last 30 days, so don't get too comfortable with Acosta. Smoltz has thrown 3 days in a row and is moving closer to return (been on the DL since late April with shoulder problems). Manager Bobby Cox indicated on Wednesday that Smoltz would return within 2 weeks, so Fantasy Week 11 is looking like a safe bet right now. No rehab stint has been scheduled yet.
Chicago Cubs - Kerry Wood - If Wood is healthy and somewhat effective, the job is his. He's 10-for-13 in saves for the north-siders with a 3.57 ERA. 22:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio is solid and despite a few blown saves mixed in there, he has been decent. Carlos Marmol is the setup-guy /closer-in-waiting and has already accumulated 12 holds (good for 2nd in the league). If Wood goes on a blown save streak (or gets injured, which is always likely), Marmol is the go-to-guy.
Cincinnati Reds - Francisco Cordero - Is he worth the $8.6 million this year? You decide. He ranks 19th on the total 2008 saves list, is 9-for-10 in converted saves, has a 2.33 ERA, and a 1.24 WHIP. 23 K's in 19.1 IP gives him a K/I of 1.19 and he has appeared in 19 of the Reds' 48 games. The Reds are currently in last place in the NL Central at 21-and-27.
Colorado Rockies - Brian Fuentes - Fuentes took over the closer's job (or should we say, reclaimed his old job) from Manny Corpas mid-way through April. In typical Fuentes fashion, he looks nasty when he takes the mound, but his numbers are just mediocre. He's 6-for-9 in saves with 6 Holds to add to it (from his setup days). He blew a save Wednesday in his most recent appearance, but is in no-danger of losig his job at this point.
Florida Marlins - Kevin Gregg - Smack-dab in the middle of the mediocre closers, Kevin Gregg is 9-for-10 in saves with a 2.31 ERA. High BB rate with 11 total in 23.1 IP, but there are no job threats in Miami.
Houston Astros - Jose Valverde - Watching Valverde's antics when he enters the game is comical, but disconcerting at the same time. This is the guy you trust to be the lights-out confident closer in the 9th? I guess whatever it takes to get the job done and he's done exactly that. He ranks 4th in the league in saves and is 14-for-17 in converted saves. 4 HR hurts and leads to a 3.60 ERA, but he surprisingly already has 4 "cheap" wins for fantasy owners (so the blown saves aren't exactly going to waste - the 'Stros have picked him up).
LA Dodgers - Takashi Saito - 8-for-10 in converted saves with a 1.82 ERA. Relatively quiet this year in LA for Saito with no real surprises. Jonathan Broxton remains the back-up in case something horribly goes wrong.
Milwaukee Brewers - Salomon Torres - Eric Gagne started as the closer, was removed from the role, was placed BACK in the role, and now is out again. He now has rotator cuff tendinitis and is out indefinitely. He has gone through the cortisone shot routine and the prospects of him returning to the closer role are highly unlikely. Salomon Torres, who actually has some previous success closing for the Pirates, will likely get most of the save opportunities.
NY Mets - Billy Wagner - There has been lots of turmoil in Flushing in 2008. Injury concerns, slumping stars, an underperforming team with a 22-23 record, and possible manager turnover are all issues for Mets fans. One thing they don't have to worry about is their closer, Billy Wagner. Take a look at these numbers: 18.0 IP, no earned runs so obviously a 0.00 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 20 K's, 4 BB's, and 9 saves. I love how he hasn't given up an earned run but still has a blown save to his name (4 unearned runs already charged to Wagner this season). The save opportunities have been few compared to other closers in the league, but if the Mets can turn it around (like everyone expects them to at some point this season), look for Wags' save numbers to catch-up.
Philadelphia Phillies - Brad Lidge - "Lights-Out Lidge," as some Phillie fans are calling him these days, seems to have found a comfortable home in the city of brotherly love. Lidge ranks 9th in saves and is a perfect 12-for-12. Other than Billy Wagner's 0.00 ERA, Lidge is next in ERA with a 0.43, 1 ER in 21.0 IP.
Pittsburgh Pirates - Matt Capps - One of the best "cheap" closers on the fantasy market this year, Capps has converted all 10 of his save opportunities successfully. He has given up 6 ER this season, but half of them came in the first game of the season. The other 3 have been scattered earned runs in May.
St. Louis Cardinals - Ryan Franklin? - With Jason Isringhausen out as the closer in St. Louis, Ryan Franklin will probably get the most 9th inning looks for the Cardinals with Russ Springer getting the occasional look as well. With 17 save opportunities, Izzy could only convert 11 successfully. The good news for Holds leagues is that Kyle McClellan will continue to be a middle-relief option for the Cards and probably won't be part of the bullpen committee to get save opps.
San Diego Padres - Trevor Hoffman - Age has kicked-in a bit over the last year or so, but Hoffman isn't going anywhere in San Diego. He is 9-for-11 in saves with a huge 4.61 ERA and 2 HR allowed. The change-up just isn't as effective as it used to be, but it will take a lot more than a slightly inflate ERA for Hoffman to lose his job in San Diego (especially with San Diego having absolutely nothing to play for anyway with an 18-31 record).
San Francisco Giants - Brian Wilson - Who cares if he has 5.49 ERA? Ok, well maybe that's extremely high for a closer, but he is still 14-for-16 and ranks 5th in baseball in total saves. Its the best option the Giants have right now, so he's a relatively safe and cheap bet to continue to get save opportunities. If he can get his BB in-check, he'll improve on his overall numbers (he has 22 K's, but 10 BB in 19.2 IP - WAY too high for a closer).
Washington Nationals - Jon Rauch - One of this season's closer suprises, Rauch took over for Chad Cordero early in the season and has not disappointed fantasy owners who were quick to the free agent wires. He's 10-for-12 in saves with a 2.78 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. 19:3 K:BB rate is fantastic, but I'm slightly concerned by a GB/FB of 0.72. There aren't many options for the Nats while Cordero remains hurt (at least until mid-June, but probably later), so Rauch remains the go-to guy for at least another month.
