Around the Diamond

Closers: Act Fast or Suffer Later

While some people will tell you that it’s ok and a perfectly legitimate strategy to punt saves, I’ve stood by the belief that closers are a lot more valuable than you may realize. I wrote an article last July about this and I broke down the numbers amongst IP and K’s and showed you that having a legit closer on your roster does wonders for your team — better than having a mediocre starter most of the time.

Well, this year is no different, and with the way the closing situations have been going, winning your league could very well depend on who your relievers are.

If you look at last year’s numbers, you’ll see that there were only 19 closers that put up 30 or more saves. Of that 19, almost half are in jeopardy of not having the closer’s role by the end of May or are already booked as set-up men. Out of the next 11, atleast 5 are no longer closing out games. That’s a big deal for a position that, not only helps you in saves, but WHIP, ERA and K’s as well, depending on how many innings they toss. If you have 2 bona fide closers by the end of the draft, you are well ahead of your competition.

I’m not saying go out and blow top picks on closers, but definitely grab yourself a B.J. Ryan or a Billy Wagner or a K-Rod or a Joe Nathan. Lock one of them in. After that you can wait a little until the next closer run in your draft and grab yourself a Brian Fuentes or a Ryan Dempster. Have 2 and you’re not worrying like your fellow owners scrambling around the waiver wire looking for cheap saves because they bought into the rumor that Dustin Hermanson is the favorite for saves in Cincinnati. Lock yourself in and then your only concern stems from injury.

Trust me on this. Look at the numbers in last year’s article and figure out which FULL TIME closers you like. Who you need to draft quick and who’s not on your fellow owners’ radar. Don’t get stuck having to make bad trades to recover your team’s ratios.

Here are a few not-so-hot situations to watch:

1. Cincinnati Reds – They were going with the David Weathers/Mike Stanton committe route until manager Jerry Narron started gushing about Dustin Hermanson. Supposedly his back is better and he’s now in the mix for saves. This is also the team that is waiting on the 2nd half return of “Everyday Eddie” Guardado.

2. Florida Marlins – So far it’s looking like Matt Lindstrom if the season were to start today. But you also have an ailing Taylor Tankersley who was originally slated for the job. He should be back relatively soon enough to crowd things up here again.

3. Tampa Bay Devil Rays – It almost doesn’t get any worse than this does it? How many games will this team lose due to the pen? Scott Kazmir owners should lower their wins expectations. So far you’ve got Seth McClung leading the way, with Dan Miceli, Shawn Camp, Chad Orvella, and even Ruddy Lugo hovering like vultures. If you’re looking for a closer right now, do NOT look here. These will be waiver pick-ups in early June.

4. Boston Red Sox – Another mixed bag here. Will Mike Timlin be healthy? Will the team consider putting Jon Papelbon back in the role? I’m still laughing at the Joel Piniero idea and after that you’ve got nothing but set-up guys like Brendan Donnelly or Julian Tavarez. They need to settle on this quickly if they want to return to the top of the standings.

5. Detroit Tigers – Isn’t Todd Jones like 86 years old? How long before Joel Zumaya or maybe Fernando Rodney take over?

6. Seattle Mariners – Haven’t we talked about J.J. Putz’ elbow problems enough already? Could be Chris Reitsma, could be Arthur Rhodes. Neither one seems really appealing.

7. Texas Rangers – Eric Gagne was looking like a great pick-up for them until he started complaining of tightness and stiffness…and I’m not talking about his jockey shorts. Akinori Otsuka lurks. He was solid last year and could steal major opportunities away this year.

8. Atlanta Braves – Bob Wickman right now, but right now he also looks like he swallowed David Wells. The team brought in Mike Gonzalez who closed for the Bucs last year, and they’ve always been high on Joey Devine.

9. Pittsburgh Pirates – Speaking of which, who the hell is closing for them this year? Salomon Torres looks like the first choice and then after that you’re left with Matt Capps and (gulp) Damaso Marte.

10. Philadelphia Phillies – It’s Tom Gordon, but I’d be a fool not to atleast acknowledge the crazy rumors of converting Brett Myers to closer. Is Gordon’s shoulder and elbow OK? We’ll have to wait and see.

And that’s not even talking about Izzy hurting for the Cards or the Cordero/Turnbow situation in Milwaukee. Lidge? Dotel? Julio?

Take my word for it. You don’t want to walk away from your draft saying, “Ah well. I’ll just grab saves from the waiver wire.” Save yourself the aggravation and the waiver priority and take care of it now while you can.

Howard Bender is a freelance fantasy sports writer and former fantasy baseball champion.  For questions, thoughts or comments you can write to him at howard.rotobuzz@yahoo.com