closer watch 2014

hey all, figured id start a thread to track closers this yr in fantasy bases since its such a volatile position...

first wanted to start with sergio santos, taking over for the injured casey janssen. this guy can throw heat and had great numbers in a setup role last year. he strikes out a lot of guys and I think he could actually be a better option than janssen who is battling not only an arm injury, but an oblique as well i believe

many ppl are grabbing j hoover to fill in for the injured aroldis chapman of CIN. id stay away from this guy unless youre desperate. he will torch your ratios, and they may even go closer by committe for now. j broxton figures to be available before chapman so he may be worth a look in deeper leagues.

i will keep my eyes and ears out and post an relevant closer updates...feel free to do the same! good luck fellas

also, this one is pretty late but worth mentioning, neftafi feliz is not going to close for the rangers this year, joakim soria will be their handshake man, lets see if the mexicutioner can relive his dominance from his KC days

thx dude kid, I always have issues with my closers. Where do you get most of your info

No problem mitchell, closers are very tough, some people draft top closers who get hurt or lose their job to ineffectiveness...some people dont draft closers at all and play the wire...i kind of go with a mix, drafting a top tier closer (joe nathan this year) and mix in some lower guys depending on where they fall. i actually currently roster 5 closers on my team right now, but mainly because of breaking news and i like to use them for trade chips. i drafted nathan, papelbon, sergio romo, and i picked up j soria and last night sergio santos before i posted this thread. i will probably end up trading one and losing one to injury or ineffectiveness, and i typically dont like holding less than 3 active closers

i get my info from many different sources, i play on yahoo, i love rotoworld and prosportsdaily, follow some beat writers on twitter, etc. i will do my best to keep the thread updated as much as i can

Twitter is really a great resource for fantasy sports if you follow the right guys.

CLOSER ALERT - Bobby Parnell has an elbow injury, could require TJ. jump on jose valverde if you need saves and he is available.

sergio santos had a rough night last night, but did strike out 3 and notched the save. santos may be more of a temporary option, he has the stuff but not sure he has the mental makeup. if you can package him with another pitcher and trade up with someone who needs a closer, it would be a good option (provided you arent desperate for saves yourself)

two fantastically blown saves last night, both on my team of course. papelbon was especially terrible, blowing a 2 run lead and walking in the winning run. joe nathan blew one as well. i dont think either are in any real trouble as far as job security, blown saves happen. papelbon situation is one to keep an eye on, his velocity is reportedly down this year.


also, worth keeping an eye on the blue jays and white sox situations. segio santos came in to protect the lead, walked a guy, and was pulled instantly for brett cecil who got a K and the handshake. not sure if a committee is forming here, or if cecil is the guy, tough to say for sure yet. as for the white sox, many think nate jones will be filling the closers role, but for now it looks like they are going with the proven veteran matt lindstrom who notched a save already

quick updates: brewers closing job locked up by K-Rod after a bad outing by Jim Henderson. K-Rod also struck out the side in the 11th to close it out.

White sox pen still a mess, jones sent to the DL, Lindstrom shaky...avoid this situation

Reds should have broxton back as early as Tuesday... hoover absolutely terrible dump him immediately if still owned

Who do you believe is the best Relief Pitcher to pick up that may earn a late inning win or save from time to time that will not hurt era or whip?

Originally Posted by Tatsu

Who do you believe is the best Relief Pitcher to pick up that may earn a late inning win or save from time to time that will not hurt era or whip?

I'll throw out Luke Gregorson for Oakland and Cody Allen for Cleveland.

Gregorson could fill in if Johnson continues to struggle and they choose to give him a break. Allen same deal if Axford were to falter, could be a candidate to fill. He actually has 2 wins. Allen may be owed too though.

Allen was just dropped by someone in my league and will clear waivers on Tuesday

Originally Posted by Tatsu

Who do you believe is the best Relief Pitcher to pick up that may earn a late inning win or save from time to time that will not hurt era or whip?

Joaquin Benoit SD
Benoit has boasted a 2.53 ERA and averaged 10.24 strikeouts per nine innings over the last four seasons. His velocity even increased a bit in 2013.

Originally Posted by EmpireMaker

Joaquin Benoit SD
Benoit has boasted a 2.53 ERA and averaged 10.24 strikeouts per nine innings over the last four seasons. His velocity even increased a bit in 2013.

Benoit has the best stats. Im not sure he will have the same type of year on the way the team is built. By stats though best choice, I would like to pick him up

another guy worth looking into is Brett Cecil from the blue jays. Their actual closer C Janssen is on the DL with a pretty bad injury, and their "closer in waiting" Sergio Santos is not performing well. The team has actually called on Brett Cecil a couple of times already. A former starter, they shifted him to the pen last year and he ended up with 5 wins, 1 save, and 70Ks in 60 innings. Also a 2.8 ERA and 1.1 WHIP. This year he alerady has 3 K's in 2.1 innings and a save. He could be a dark horse candidate for saves, and could steal a win here and there. His one downside is that he is a lefty, and typically managers don't like to use lefties as closers. Tough to chase RP wins though, a lot of luck involved