2012 Fantasy Baseball NL-Only Closer Rankings

Mar 25, 2012

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Here’s the 2012 LestersLegends Closer Rankings for NL-Only Leagues.
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1. Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves: Recorded 46 saves last year with a 2.10 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and an absurd 127 strikeouts in 77 innings. With a top-notch pitching staff, he should see plenty of save opportunities once again.
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2. John Axford, Milwaukee Brewers: The Brew Crew will miss Prince Fielder, but they still have a rock solid rotation. Axford picked up 46 saves with a 1.95 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, and 86 Ks in 73-2/3 innings. He more than proved that 2010 wasn’t a fluke.
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3. Jonathan Papelbon, Philadelphia Phillies: Talk about having a good starting rotation to pitch behind. Papelbon saved 31 games last year with a 2.94 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP, and 87 Ks in 64-1/3 innings. His only issue is that his starters often finish their games.
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4. Brian Wilson, San Francisco Giants: Wilson’s health had a lot to with his struggles last year. Still he managed 36 saves with a 3.11 ERA, a 1.47 WHIP, and 54 Ks in 55.0 innings. I expect much more this year.
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5. Heath Bell, Miami Marlins: I don’t love the fact that he is no longer in PETCO, but Bell is still a top tier closer. He had 43 saves last year with a 2.44 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and 51 Ks in 62-2/3 innings.
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6. Drew Storen, Washington Nationals: Certainly met his lofty expectations with 43 saves, a 2.75 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP, and 74 Ks in 75-1/3 innings.
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7. J.J. Putz, Arizona Diamondbacks: Putz has a solid pitching staff to finish up for. Plus he had 45 saves, a 2.17 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP, and 61 Ks in 58.0 innings.
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8. Huston Street, San Diego Padres: Speaking of oft-injured, Street also fits that bill. Escaping from Colorado to San Diego is about as dramatic an improvements as you can make. Plus, he stays within the division.
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9. Joel Hanrahan, Pittsburgh Pirates: Collected 40 saves last year to go along with a 1.83 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, and 61 Ks in 68-2/3 IP.
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10. Carlos Marmol, Chicago Cubs: Picked up 34 saves and racked up 99 Ks in 74.0 IP, but his ERA was at 4.01 and his WHIP at 1.38.
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11. Jason Motte, St. Louis Cardinals: Finally solidified the Cardinals’ ninth-inning duties with nine saves, a 2.25 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP, and 63 Ks in 68 innings.
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12. Rafael Betancourt, Colorado Rockies: He was a tale of two seasons. Before the All-Star Break he posted a 4.84 ERA in 35-1/3 innings. After the break he gave up just one earned run (0.33 ERA) in 27.0 innings. He’s somewhere in between.
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2 Responses so far | Have Your Say!

Ben Goldberg-Morse
March 25th, 2012 at 8:04 pm #

What this list shows is how many question marks there are among closers in the NL. Wilson, Putz and Street are always significant injury risks, Marmol is inconsistency incarnate, and Motte/Betancourt have impossibly short track records. Assuming the Reds don’t make Chapman their closer, where would you slot Sean Marshall in this list? He’s actually been more valuable than Madson over the past 2 years, accumulating 5.0 fWAR to Madson’s 3.0. I’d drop Putz down the list, and put Marshall in behind Hanrahan.
LestersLegends
March 25th, 2012 at 8:16 pm #

Definitely agree with you Ben. I can see Marshall jumping in there. I could also see Chapman assuming the role at some point.