Hey, you’re not Smokey. What gives? Smokey has passed on. From our fantasy collective that is. I’m Roto-Wan. You may remember me from such Razzball posts as Draft: DFS Tuesdays. I’m filling the bear-shaped hole left in your fantasy hearts the rest of the way. Strap in save-chasers. The end of 2018 could get bumpy.
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- I’m kicking things off in bold fashion and adding Jose Leclerc to the top tier. He has as many earned runs as walks since July 1. Two of each, lowering his ratios to a 1.93 ERA and a .90 WHIP, with a 14.3 K/9. Dude is bad.
- It’s been a weird stretch for the Dodgers. Jansen was diagnosed with a heart issue and DL’d. No one excelled in his absence. Then he returned and blew some saves in ugly fashion. I have to drop them some.
- Terry Francona has made it clear both Allen and Hand will get save opportunities.
- Would you look at that? Sergio Romo has become useful in 2018. Nothing spectacular, but fairly dependable in the one number we care about.
- As gross as the name is, Wily Peralta seems to be the preferred option for the Royals. In a bold-bullpen-calls article prior to the season, he was the boldest one I made. It says something about the nature of saves that the name I thought was the most ridiculous I included is getting regular ninth inning work.
$12 Salads
You know that restaurant your girlfriend/wife/what-have-you likes to go to that charges, like, $12 for a salad? Every time you go there, you have a thoroughly solid meal. No complaints, except you just paid $12 for a salad when you could’ve went to McDonald’s and stuffed you and your woman for ten schmools and had $2 in quarters left over to make the hotel bed vibrate. These closers are $12 salads.
1. Craig Kimbrel – (Matt Barnes, Heath Hembree)
2. Edwin Diaz – (Alex Colome, James Pazos)
3. Jose Leclerc – (Alex Claudio, Cody Gearrin)
Donkeycorns
Imagine you’re following a donkey, who’s wearing a wool cap, through a desert for 1700 miles. Why are you following a donkey? Because he promises you something wonderful and you just need to trust him. Does the donkey talk? Yes. Yes, he does talk. So when you and the donkey in the wool cap arrive at his destination, he removes the wool cap to reveal a horn. The donkey is a unicorn and his gift to you for your trust is saves. These closers are Donkeycorns.
4. Raisel Iglesias – (Jared Hughes, David Hernandez)
5. Kenley Jansen – (Scott Alexander, Kenta Maeda)
6. Blake Treinen – (Jeurys Familia, Fernando Rodney)
7. Felipe Vazquez – (Keone Kela, Kyle Crick)
8. Bud Norris – (Jordan Hicks, Dakota Hudson)
9. Brad Boxberger – (Archie Bradley, Yoshihisa Hirano)
10. Cody Allen / Brad Hand
Employed
These guys are the men that make the save market go round. They punch in, punch out. Have the job, no real threat to speak of, and are basically just there to collect great benny’s so they can take care of their crippled brother. Who is only really crippled because he is scared of the sun.
11. Sergio Romo – (Jose Alvarado, Ryan Stanek)
12. Shane Greene – (Joe Jimenez, Alex Wilson)
13.Will Smith – (Tony Watson, Hunter Strickland)
14. Pedro Strop – (Brandon Kintzler, Steve Cishek)
15. A.J. Minter – (Dan Winkler, Brad Brach)
16. Trevor Hildenberger–(Addison Reed / Trevor May)
17. Josh Hader / Jeremy Jeffress
18. Dellin Betances – (David Robertson, Zach Britton)
19. Kirby Yates – (Craig Stammen, Phil Maton)
Brain Freezes
I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing apples, bananas and Carlos Marmol– Wait, he just gave up 12 earned runs and hit Castro in the head with a pick-off throw. Brain freeze! Make it stop! Use the following closers at your own risk.
20. Roberto Osuna – (Hector Rondon, Colin McHugh)
21. Seranthony Dominguez / Pat Neshek / Victor Arano
22. Mychal Givens – (Paul Fry, Tanner Scott)
23.Wily Peralta – (Kevin McCarthy, Brandon Maurer)
24. Drew Steckenrider – (Adam Conley, Tayron Guerrero)
25. Ken Giles – (Ryan Tepera / Tyler Clippard)
26. Wade Davis – (Adam Ottavino, Seung-hwan Oh)
27. Kelvin Herrera – (Koda Glover, Justin Miller)
28. Blake Parker (Justin Anderson, Cam Bedrosian)
29. Robert Gsellman / Seth Lugo / Jerry Blevins
30. Jeanmar Gomez/ Luis Avilan / Thyago Viera
