As pitchers and catchers report we’re beginning to be graced with some reassurances as to who certain teams will use at closer. Those are always nice. Just remember managers don’t feel beholden to what they say in February and situations can change. Not unlike myself and fellow analysts. “I don’t recall recommending Jose Leclerc as a top 10 2019 closer, Senator.” We’re all playing a guessing game. My best advice is to invest lightly and spread your exposure over as many arms as possible.
AL East | AL Central | AL West
NL East | NL Central | NL West
Cincinnati Reds | Razzers | |
Closer | Raisel Iglesias – We’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop on Iglesias for a couple of seasons now. He’s still hanging onto that closer gig and has decent strikeout stuff. For all the other foibles that happen in Cincy, they’ve brought in some excellent pitching coaches. Maybe that unlocks something for him. | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Setup | Michael Lorenzen – One of the current two-way hopefuls. He’s not that notable as a pitcher or hitter, however. He’s a reliable arm and could snag the rare save. | ![]() |
Useful Arm | Robert Stephenson – If you’re looking for cheap Ks Stephenson is your man. | ![]() ![]() |
Saves Dart | Pedro Strop – They brought in the former Cub as a free agent signing. I thought Strop was going to lead Chicago in saves last season. Poor health got in his way. Maybe he’s the next man up for Cincy in the ninth. | ![]() |
Chicago Cubs | Razzers | |
Closer | Craig Kimbrel – This probably doesn’t end well for Chicago. They signed an aging, under-prepared closer and it blew up on them. Now they’re stuck with the contract. I will say that Kimbrel has fooled us before and gone all Undertaker.GIF. I’m only buying at a steep discount. | ![]() ![]() |
Setup | Rowan Wick – Wick was one of the few bright spots for this bullpen. He had a sub-3 ERA and 9.5 K/9. Those aren’t enough to break the bank but can play in deep formats. | ![]() ![]() |
Useful Arm | Jeremy Jeffress – When his power sinker is working he’s a very good reliever. His feel for the pitch comes and goes, though. Keep an eye for him to surge when it’s going his way. | ![]() |
Saves Dart | Brandon Morrow – Maybe Morrow and Kimbrel form some sort of closer Voltron and have one healthy pitcher for twice the price! As bad as the ride was in 2019 he could very well fall into the closer role in 2020. | ![]() ![]() |
Milwaukee Brewers | ||
Closer | Josh Hader – It was a weird season for Hader. He was still a super dominant high leverage pitcher but suddenly had a long ball issue. Were teams stealing signs? Was it a juiced ball in a hitter’s park? Who the hell knows. He’s nasty and has one of the longest leashes in baseball. I give him the rare 5 Razzers. | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Setup | Freddy Peralta – If Peralta is tabbed for the pen and can’t beat out his very modest competition than he’s done in the major leagues. It’s tough living as a fastball only guy but we’ve seen it work for relievers before. | ![]() ![]() |
Useful Arm | Ray Black – The dude has wicked stuff. He’s a feel good story, too. I’ll be rooting for him in an uphill battle to be relevant. | ![]() |
Saves Dart | Corey Knebel – Indications are that he’ll be ready in the early season. It’s going to take some time to get his command back. The team would seemingly love to have him return as a righty complement to Hader. | ![]() ![]() |
Pittsburgh Pirates | Razzers | |
Closer | Keone Kela – Kela was unsurprisingly named the closer. Best case for Pittsburgh he’s good and generates some trade value. Health and consistency have been Kela’s stumbling blocks. | ![]() ![]() |
Setup | Kyle Crick – Crick getting punched in the face by Felipe Vasquez looks a lot different now. He was up and down as a pitcher in 2019. I’d think Crick gets the first crack at closing if Kela goes down. | ![]() ![]() |
Useful Arm | Michael Feliz – The guy can strike people out. That’s never been in question. He needs to continue honing his command. | ![]() ![]() |
Saves Dart | Richard Rodriguez – Another Pirates reclamation project, Rodriguez failed to deliver on the hype of 2018. That doesn’t mean he’s not a decent arm and possible closer when the inevitable midseason issues go down. | ![]() ![]() |
St. Louis Cardinals | Razzers | |
Closer | Giovanny Gallegos – We don’t have official word that GG is the closer but most drafters are operating under that assumption. I’m fine with it at his price. He was very good in 2019 and boasted an excellent K-rate. If he’s that pitcher he should rise to the top of this hierarchy. | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Setup | Andrew Miller – Miller has lost some part of the magic that was Andrew Miller, Super Reliever. Overuse and pitching with max effort are probably to blame. He managed to right the ship somewhat last season, though. With the new three batter minimum, I’d expect him to back into more saves this year. | ![]() ![]() |
Useful Arm | Carlos Martinez – He wants to start. The team prefers him in the bullpen. They’re conceding a shot at the rotation to start the year. I don’t mind drafting him. You’re either getting a top of their rotation arm or a probable closer. | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Saves Dart | John Gant – Gant was everything the Cards needed last season. He pitched multiple innings, high leverage spots and saved a handful of game. The team seems to trust him and that matters. | ![]() ![]() |