Fantasy Baseball Closer Report: Week 7

Every week when I’m writing this article, I ask myself a question: Should I rework last week’s closer rankings chart or just start from scratch? Every time, I decide to rework the existing chart. Maybe it’s because I’m lazy, maybe it’s because I’m efficient, or maybe it’s because I’m crazy like a fox.

Whatever the case may be, this is the first week where starting from scratch might have been the more prudent choice. Once again, the top-nine closers remain steady, but after that, it is complete and utter madness. We’ve got closers hitting the injured list, closers complaining about their usage, situations trending towards and away from committees, and a couple situations that have quickly become total train wrecks.

Where do your closers fit in? Let’s take a gander:

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Big Movers

Detroit Tigers
There’s a lot of closer agony to cover this week, but let’s start with a feel-good story. An astute reader asked me on Twitter last week why Shane Greene was so far down in the rankings, and I think they may have had a point. I’ve been reluctant to move up Greene because he’s been flat-out bad for most of his Major League career, but the fact is that dominant relievers come out of nowhere every year.

Greene’s peripherals don’t fully support his 1.69 ERA, but they do indicate that he has been an above-average reliever. Greene has somehow earned a save in 13 of the Tigers’ 16 victories thus far, which is quite clearly unsustainable, but it is looking increasingly likely that he can hold down the closer job all year barring a trade. With a career-high strikeout rate and career-low walk rate, it’s probably time (for me) to start taking this guy seriously.

Philadelphia Phillies
Hector Neris now has collected each of the Phillies’ last four saves, so it is looking increasingly clear that he is the closer in Philadelphia, at least for the time being. Gabe Kapler quickly earned a reputation for mixing and matching in the ninth inning last season, but this is only his second year on the job so perhaps he’s had a change of heart. Famous last words, I know. In any event, Neris is really good at baseball, as evidenced by his 7.33 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He’s capable of being a high-end closer if he manages to hold onto the job.

Boston Red Sox
I was tempted to move this one back into the “committee” category but decided to give it one more week to see what transpires. Ryan Brasier hasn’t been very good lately — he gave up four earned runs over one inning of work in his first two appearances in May, and then got bailed out by a phenomenal game-saving catch by Jackie Bradley Jr. on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Matt Barnes has been one of the best relievers in baseball and has picked up two saves since Brasier last got one.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora still doesn’t seem particularly likely to name either Barnes or Brasier as his full-time closer, but you’d have to think he will continue to deploy his best reliever (Barnes) in the game’s most crucial moments, which could allow Brasier to continue to get the bulk of the save opportunities. We’ll see.

Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles finally appear to have a designated closer — and it has allowed them to ascend from the bottom of the closer rankings. While Mychal Givens was expected to serve in the role coming into the season, four other Orioles relievers ended up picking up a save before Givens finally got his first one. But Givens now has each of the Orioles’ last four saves, and he also happens to clearly be the best reliever in this bullpen. Givens may not see a ton of save chances and he struggles with his control at times, but with a plus strikeout rate and the closer job to himself, he’s worth an add in most mixed leagues.

Chicago Cubs
“It’s wide open. It’s the wild, wild west.” That’s not exactly what you want to hear when you’re chasing saves, but that’s how Joe Maddon described the closer situation on the North Side now that Pedro Strop is on the injured list with a strained hamstring that will cost him at least four weeks. Meanwhile, Brandon Morrow is still working his way back from elbow surgery and is no lock to beat Strop back from the injured list.

Steve Cishek, Brad Brach, Brandon Kintzler, Carl Edwards Jr., Kyle Ryan, and Mike Montgomery could all see save chances while Strop and Morrow are on the shelf. Cishek and Kintzler would seem like the favorites at the moment, and they’re both decent enough pitchers to be worth rostering if they’re getting saves, but the Cubs simply may not have a closer for a while. Maybe this is where Craig Kimbrel ultimately lands.

Atlanta Braves
The Braves’ closer situation has gone downhill in a hurry since Arodys Vizcaino was lost for the season. A.J. Minter simply hasn’t been right all year, and now he may be headed back to the minors. Luke Jackson appears to be the current favorite for saves, but Jackson gave up a game-tying home run to David Peralta on Thursday, and he doesn’t have a whole lot in his history to suggest he’ll be a long-term solution for the Braves.

Dan Winkler appears to be next in line, and he may be a better pitcher than Jackson. But the Braves would still seem to have even more incentive than the Cubs to go out and get Craig Kimbrel.

Random Musings

Oakland A’s
Blake Treinen had a bit of an injury scare this week, reporting discomfort in his pitching elbow, but anti-inflammatories seem to have done the trick. Treinen was able to avoid the injured list and fired two perfect innings in his return to the mound on Wednesday. Treinen had a meltdown in his final outing before complaining of elbow soreness, but he’s been his usual excellent self otherwise. Elbow injuries are always a little concerning, but he appears to be fine.

Cincinnati Reds
Embattled Reds closer Raisel Iglesias made headlines this week with his complaint that the team is using him “horribly wrong” by not deploying him as a traditional ninth-inning closer. Iglesias added that he feels “really bad” about costing the team games, but these comments still sound an awful lot like a frustrated player making excuses for his own failings.

Still, if you are an Iglesias owner, this is not the time to sell. Iglesias is posting easily the highest strikeout rate of his career, and while he’s also walking more batters than ever before, an equally big issue is that he’s been the victim of a .350 BABIP and 20.0 percent HR/FB ratio — both of which are due for some positive regression. Plus, while the Reds’ use of Iglesias is not a very compelling explanation for his struggles, it could be enough to convince manager David Bell to save Iglesias for the ninth inning more often, which will only help his fantasy value.

Minnesota Twins
Perhaps it was a bit premature to move Blake Parker up the rankings last week. Taylor Rogers picked up his fourth save on Tuesday (compared to six for Parker), and it wasn’t because Parker was overworked or unavailable. Expect Twins manager Rocco Baldelli to continue to let matchups dictate whether he goes to Parker or Rogers in the ninth inning. That said, Minnesota currently has the best record in baseball, so perhaps there will be enough saves to go around.

Texas Rangers
With Jose Leclerc trying to regain his command while working in low-leverage situations, the Rangers’ plan was the split closer duties between Chris Martin and Shawn Kelley. But then Kelley landed on the injured list with an infection, allowing Martin to have the job all to himself for now. Martin is worth owning while he’s closing, but Rangers manager Chris Woodward says Leclerc will be used in the eighth inning and is “close” to getting his job back.

Los Angeles Angels
Cody Allen is back from a brief stint on the injured list, but he won’t immediately regain the closer job he lost prior to going on the IL. Hansel Robles and Ty Buttrey have formed a committee in Allen’s place. Robles looks like the slightly better bet for saves, as Angels manager Brad Ausmus seems to like deploying Buttrey in a more flexible high-leverage role.

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Andrew Seifter is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his archive and follow him @andrew_seifter.