Welcome one and all to the first 2019 edition of the FantasyPros Closer Report! We’ll be running this feature a few times during spring training and then every week during the regular season, ranking each team’s closer situation and providing all the news and notes you’ll need to successfully chase saves all season long.
With many closer competitions yet to fully take shape, this first closer report will be an abbreviated one — consider it an appetizer. If you want to go deeper on closers ahead of your fantasy draft, check out my recent piece dissecting every team’s closer situation as well as my colleague Andrew Gould’s article identifying closers to target from unsettled situations.
Before we get started, there’s one quick note on terminology. For the sake of simplicity, I’ll be labeling all the teams that don’t have a single designated closer as “committees.” Some of these teams will remain committees into the regular season, while others may name a closer prior to Opening Day.
Alright, on to the rankings:
Download our Draft Kit for updated cheat sheets, sleepers & draft tips 
| Team (Closer) | Current Rank | Previous Rank | +/- |
| Mets (Edwin Diaz) | 1 | n/a | – |
| A’s (Blake Treinen) | 2 | n/a | – |
| Indians (Brad Hand) | 3 | n/a | – |
| Yankees (Aroldis Chapman) | 4 | n/a | – |
| Astros (Roberto Osuna) | 5 | n/a | – |
| Dodgers (Kenley Jansen) | 6 | n/a | – |
| Pirates (Felipe Vazquez) | 7 | n/a | – |
| Padres (Kirby Yates) | 8 | n/a | – |
| Reds (Raisel Iglesias) | 9 | n/a | – |
| Rangers (Jose Leclerc) | 10 | n/a | – |
| Nationals (Sean Doolittle) | 11 | n/a | – |
| Brewers (Committee) | 12 | n/a | – |
| Cubs (Pedro Strop) | 13 | n/a | – |
| Cardinals (Committee) | 14 | n/a | – |
| Phillies (Committee) | 15 | n/a | – |
| Angels (Cody Allen) | 16 | n/a | – |
| Blue Jays (Ken Giles) | 17 | n/a | – |
| Rockies (Wade Davis) | 18 | n/a | – |
| White Sox (Alex Colome) | 19 | n/a | – |
| Braves (Committee) | 20 | n/a | – |
| Red Sox (Committee) | 21 | n/a | – |
| Mariners (Hunter Strickland) | 22 | n/a | – |
| Giants (Committee) | 23 | n/a | – |
| Twins (Committee) | 24 | n/a | – |
| Diamondbacks (Committee) | 25 | n/a | – |
| Rays (Committee) | 26 | n/a | – |
| Royals (Committee) | 27 | n/a | – |
| Tigers (Shane Greene) | 28 | n/a | – |
| Orioles (Mychal Givens) | 29 | n/a | – |
| Marlins (Committee) | 30 | n/a | – |
Random Musings
Kenley Jansen
Jansen was initially my number three closer, but then we learned that his velocity is down this spring. It could easily turn out to be nothing, but given that Jansen’s performance also trended in the wrong direction last season, it is enough of a concern to drop him behind a few other top-tier closers.
Jose Leclerc
Leclerc recently signed a long-term extension with the Rangers, which significantly reduces the chances he is traded this season. Leclerc showed the potential to be a dominant closer last season, so the added assurance that he won’t end up as a set-up man elsewhere solidifies his spot in the top 10 of the rankings.
Sean Doolittle
Doolittle is a dominant reliever, but there are always health concerns with him, and now there are also reports that the Nationals could swoop in and sign Craig Kimbrel, which would relegate Doolittle to a set-up role. The odds of that happening are probably less than 50-50, but it’s another risk factor to keep in mind when drafting Doolittle.
Mid-Tier Closers
The teams ranked in the middle of the closer rankings present an interesting dilemma. The Brewers, Cardinals, and Phillies all have multiple relievers that are capable of being dominant closers, but they all have unclear ninth-inning situations that could end up as season-long committees. Meanwhile, the Angels, Blue Jays, and Rockies all have clear-cut closers, but those pitchers each have some performance-related concerns. Then there’s the Cubs, who have a clear-cut closer for now in Pedro Strop, but could devolve into a committee when Brandon Morrow returns. I am inclined to draft the best overall pitchers first — guys like Strop, Corey Knebel, Josh Hader, David Robertson, and Andrew Miller.
Matt Barnes
Strop and Matt Barnes are probably my two favorite draft day closer values at the moment. Barnes hasn’t won the job in Boston yet, but he’s the favorite and can produce a truly elite strikeout rate while racking up saves on a good team.
Complete a mock draft in minutes with our free Draft Simulator
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | SoundCloud | Stitcher | TuneIn
Andrew Seifter is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his archive and follow him @andrew_seifter.
