Fantasy Baseball: Closer Report (8-23)

This has been a trying season for the saves category. There have just been so many changes due to injury and/or poor performance. We come into each fantasy draft expecting this, so in some ways, it’s useless to complain, but even more than ever now I believe we should incorporate holds into the fantasy baseball landscape. Let’s face it, the save rule is a silly one. A reliever can be awarded a save for pitching one inning with a three-run lead or pitching three innings with a 33 run lead. Those are just two examples of how silly this rule is, yet in fantasy, we award 10% or our fantasy points to this statistic. I’m not saying using “holds” would fix this problem, that stat has issues as well, but at least it would open up a new player pool. Although not this season, in the past I have played in a league that combined holds and saves into one category. If we were to adopt this category, we no longer would have to scramble for every closer that becomes available as there are plenty of top setup men available. Just food for thought.

National League

Atlanta Braves: Mark Melancon has taken over the closer job here and is running with it. I have a hard time believing that he will continue to be this good from this point forward, but it’s working right now. If Melancon were to fail however, the job would likely go back to Luke Jackson and not Shane Greene. Well at least Greene got to play for a winning team this season, but he was pretty awful in his first few appearances and the Braves may just feel he is best suited as a setup man.

Chicago Cubs: Craig Kimbrel was activated over the weekend and will once again close out games for the Cubs. The first outing for Kimbrel didn’t go well as he gave up a bomb to Starling Marte, his first batter, and then loaded the bases before being removed from the game. Kimbrel did rebound however with saves in back to back outings Tuesday and Wednesday. It is safe to activate Kimbrel once again. There was some bad news for the bullpen however as it was announced that Brandon Morrow will be lost for the season with the elbow injury. Remember when he was supposed to return in mid-April?

Colorado Rockies: It took way to long for the Rockies to make the switch from Wade Davis to Scott Oberg. It’s amazing how teams will allow the player with the big contract to fail over and over again. Then they finally make the switch and Oberg ends up going down for the season with axillary artery thrombosis. This is the second time he has dealt with this ailment and it will likely end his season. The team went back to Davis but predictably that was a disaster. It likely a closer by committee now in Colorado with Jake McGee, Carlos Estevez, and Bryan Shaw all in the mix.

New York Mets: It seems the Mets have made a switch at closer without announcing it. The team did everything they could to avoid using Edwin Diaz over the past couple of games. This is likely another bullpen by committee situation but one in which there is an obvious leader in Seth Lugo. Yeah, I’d claim Lugo if you need saves, but if Diaz can pitch a clean inning or three, then he just might get another chance to fail.

Washington Nationals: Sean Doolittle was in need of a break either way, but knee tendinitis made the decision easier as he was placed on the IL. Doolittle should be back at closer in early September, but for now, the Nats will be using any one of a number of relievers to finish off games. It could be Daniel Hudson acquired from the Blue Jays at the trade deadline. Maybe Fernando Rodney who just doesn’t seem to go away. How about Hunter Strickland, the early season closer for the Mariners before injury and a trade sent him to Washington. Hudson is my choice if you have to have one.