2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Advice & Analysis
 Craig Kimbrel (credits below) We've got one more month of closer rankings here to help you out if you're looking to move some guys before your fantasy trade deadline. There's been a shakeup at the top once again and many moves all over the rankings. Let's take a look. 1) Craig Kimbrel 2) Mariano Rivera 3) Heath Bell He's gone up and up and up some more, and now he finds himself at the tippy top of the rankings. Craig Kimbrel has had an amazing year, and is everything you'd want in a closer this year. He's racked up 89 K in just 57.2 IP giving him a stellar 13.9 K/9 rate. His team is going to keep winning so there's no worries about losing chances. He's got lights-out Jonny Venters setting him up in the 8th to hold the lead for him. He's got it all in Atlanta and his owners have it all with him anchoring fantasy bullpens. 4) Joel Hanrahan 5) Andrew Bailey 6) Brian Wilson Brian Wilson continues to close successfully for the Giants with no signs of stopping but one thing about his stat line bothers me and keeps him from being ranked higher and that is his 1.40 WHIP. The Giants have given him many 2 and 3 run leads to close out, so allowing an occasional hit or walk doesn't hinder his success rate. However, these hits and walks raise that WHIP to problematic levels for fantasy owners. Wilson's track record keeps him higher in rankings but that WHIP hurts fantasy teams more than they probably realize. 7) Drew Storen 8) Huston Street 9) Kyle Farnsworth 10) Jonathan Papelbon Jonathan Papelbon had as good of a July as any closer: 9 for 9 save attempts, 13 IP, 19 K, 2.77 ERA, 0.92 WHIP. He's blown just 1 save this year and if it weren't for all the blowout wins by the Red Sox, Papelbon would be closer to 35 saves than the 26 he currently has. Papelbon's fantasy value has only been held back by the Red Sox's explosive offense, but he has still moved into the top 10 and will be in a similar spot in the season ending rankings as well. 11) Jose Valverde 12) Carlos Marmol 13) Joakim Soria 14) Brandon League Brandon League's situation is similar to Jonathan Papelbon's in that the fantasy value of both is hurt by each's offense. In League's case, it is very difficult for him to convert saves when his team is off on epic losing streaks. He pitched just 7 innings in July and just 9.2 in June before that, but when he has gotten on the field he has done his job well. In the last 2 months, he has just an 0.54 ERA and an 0.84 WHIP. He will continue to pitch well in save situations, but that anemic Seattle offense needs to get him some more opportunities. 15) Neftali Feliz 16) Ryan Madson 17) John Axford John Axford's only hit to his fantasy value has been his control and the impact it has had on his WHIP. In May, he dropped in our rankings seven spots after putting up a 1.50 WHIP for the month. However, in June and July his hit rate has come down and his WHIP has come down with it (1.02 in June and July, 1.27 for the year). In addition, he has locked down the job after converting 30 straight save attempts since April 18. Axford should continue getting meaningful chance into August and September with the Brewers in the NL Central race, and if he keeps his hit rate down he'll continue being successful. 18) J.J. Putz 19) Francisco Cordero 20) Leo Nunez 21) Fernando Salas 22) Sergio Santos 23) Jordan Walden 24) Chris Perez 25) Mark Melancon Written by Jim Dingeman (@gentleman_jim) exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! (August 4, 2011 - Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images North America) Tags: 2011 Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Closer Report, Trade Deadline, Craig Kimbrel, Mariano Rivera, Huston Street, Leo Nunez, Ryan Madson, Joel Hanrahan, Mark Melancon, Heath Bell, Brian Wilson Add Comment  Carlos Marmol (see credits below) Today we've got 6 pieces of news from the previous week, including closer changes, injury updates, and some recent trade rumors that will impact your fantasy team. Let's go. Cubs manager Mike Quade has removed Carlos Marmol from the closer after their game Friday July 15. The day before Marmol blew a save in spectacular fashion, giving up 5 earned runs on 1 hit and 4 walks, and then struggled on the 15th allowing 2 hits, a walk, and an earned run before beinig pulled for Sean Marshall. Quade announced after that game that save chances for now would be split between Marshall and Kerry Wood based on the situation. Marshall has blown his only save chance since the announcement, coming in in the 8th against the Phillies with a 2-0 lead, allowing 3 earned runs on 5 hits over 2 innings pitched. If you have an extra roster spot and are hard up for saves, I would hang on to Marmol because this switch may not last a la the Joakim Soria switch. If you have to choose between Marshall and Wood, I would take Marshall for potential saves. After Francisco Rodriguez was sent off to Milwaukee, the closer job was up in the air between the veteran Jason Isringhausen and the young gun Bobby Parnell. It's much clearer now and it seems like Jason Isringhausen has the job for now. Parnell was used in both Tuesday and Wednesday's games in the 8th inning and Isringhausen was used in the 9th (and 10th Wednesday). Parnell might an occasional chance when Izzy needs a day off but for now the job belongs to Isringhausen. On Saturday the 16th Joe Nathan was moved back into the closer role after another blown save by Matt Capps, his 7th of the year. Since that point, Nathan has been good, converting 3 saves in the last week. Maybe Nathan is back to his old solid self after previously being good in the setup role. Nathan needs to be owned in every league if he's not already. J.J. Putz will likely be returning to the majors on Tuesday but will not be immediately put back into the closer role. David Hernandez will continue to close games in the immediate future, and as well as Hernandez is pitching, Putz may be a candidate to be traded to a contender. Hang on to both for now if you have them and wait and see what manager Kirk Gibson decides in the coming week. Heath Bell is the biggest name on the trading block for relievers and there's much speculation he'll be moved before the July 31 deadline. The situation behind him was made much clearer Thursday where it was reported by Yahoo Sports that Mike Adams was told he will not be traded this season, making him the closer-in-waiting for the Padres. Adams is owned in only 21.8% of ESPN standard leagues and could be the closer there very soon, making him worth a pickup sooner rather than later. Leo Nunez has been a subject of trade whispers as it has been reported the Phillies and Tigers might both be interested in the young man. If Nunez were to be traded, its likely Edward Mujica would get the first shot at saves in Florida. Unfortunately for Nunez owners, if he were to be traded, his value would be almost none as he would likely become a middle reliever for his new team. I would rather have someone like Isringhausen in New York than anyone that would be the closer in Florida. (July 14, 2011 - Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images North America) Written by Jim Dingeman (@gentleman_jim) exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! Today Draftstreet has a $1250 guaranteed game for only $5. The top 20 spots are paid out. Click on the banner below to sign up for Draftstreet and you can get the 25% bonus by using the code "FIX". Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Tips, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Closers, Relief Pitchers, Pitcher Rankings, Closer Report, Jim Dingeman  Mike Adams This week we're digging a big deeper and looking at the best nonclosers in fantasy baseball. I placed a few qualifiers on these pitchers to ensure I get the best of the nonclosers. First of all, none of these pitchers has made a start this year and has not been the closer for any major amount of time. Eduardo Sanchez has the most saves of any of the following pitchers with 5. Secondly, each of these pitchers has less than a 3.00 ERA. Third, each had to have pitched at least 25 innings to qualify. I graded each of these pitchers in three major categories relevant to fantasy baseball: ERA, WHIP, K/IP (rather than K/9), with a little look at BABIP and VORP. All numbers are from Baseball Prospectus and can be viewed here. 1) Mike Adams 2) Jonny Venters 3) Tyler Clippard All three of thse guys are ultimate contributors in all three categories. Each have a 1.75 ERA or better, a 1.01 WHIP or better, and 1.00 K/IP or better. In addition to those, they are great for holds leagues as well as roto leagues with start limits or innings pitched limits. Finally they all have the chance to pick up an occasional save. Venters is the only one who has thus far with 3, but each will likely have a handful of chances when their closer is unavailable. Adams in particular is interesting because of the constant rumor that Heath Bell may be traded. If Bell were to be traded, Adams would likely become their closer in San Diego. 4) Sergio Romo 5) Koji Uehara 6) Daniel Bard 7) David Robertson David Robertson was an All-Star this year thanks to his ability to strike out anybody that steps up to the plate, but for the purposes of fantasy he's got one glaring weakness. His 1.36 ERA is bad and he has problems giving up both hits and walks when he's not striking out batters. The good news is he's been "unlucky" according to his .333 BABIP, and if that improves his WHIP will have to go down. If he gets his WHIP down around 1.10 he would be right up there with those top 3 studs. 8) Louis Coleman 9) Greg Holland 10) Al Alburquerque 11) Vinnie Pestano 12) Glen Perkins 13) Sean Marshall Some of the best relievers on struggling teams are often overlooked and Sean Marshall and Glen Perkins are two southpaws that fit the bill. Perkins has quietly turned in a 1.87 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP for a Minnesota team whose bullpen has faltered at times this season. Marshall's ERA is a bit high at 2.79 but has 16 holds already this year and has a 1.19 WHIP that won't hurt you. Both guys will continue getting hold chances in the 7th and 8th inning and should only get better as the year goes on. 14) Eric O'Flaherty 15) Scott Downs 16) Eduardo Sanchez 17) Grant Balfour 18) Bill Bray 19) Jesse Crain Jesse Crain has been lights out for the White Sox this year and has been the rock in their inconsistent bullpen. He's been even better than his full year numbers the last 30 days with a 0.75 ERA, a 0.75 WHIP, and 0 walks in 12 innings pitched. His total of 11 holds will continue to go up with White Sox win. If he continues to be good, the ERA will keep going down and he will continue to benefit his owners. 20) Aaron Crow 21) David Pauley 22) Logan Ondrusek 23) Javier Lopez 24) Jose Veras 25) Blake Wood 26) Darren Oliver 27) Brad Ziegler When you get down near the bottom the pitchers are still very good, but there's usually one number that keeps them from being an elite pitcher. For Brad Ziegler its just his slightly high 1.27 WHIP that's keeping his 1.95 ERA from being on more fantasy teams. He has a problem giving up hits at nearly a whole hit per inning pitched. His walk rate is keeping his WHIP in respectable range and he's gotten a little "unlucky" looking at his .306 BABIP. When Ziegler brings his WHIP down, he'll be put on more deep league rosters, especially at the end of the year when roto teams are running up against their start limits. 28) Ramon Ramirez 29) Jim Johnson 30) Mitchell Boggs Written by Jim Dingeman (@gentleman_jim) exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Tips, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Closers, Relief Pitchers, Pitcher Rankings, Closer Report, Jim Dingeman  Joel Hanrahan (see credits below) The All-Star Break is closing in on us, and this being the first week of July, it's time for the closer rankings again. Between the injuries and guys struggling, there was plenty of movement including a switch of the top two once again. This week's edition is special though and only includes closers who have the job (or will when they return from the DL). With next week being the All-Star Break and virtually no new news, I will have a ranking of the time-shares and the setup guys for you next week. All stats come from ESPN.com and FanGraphs.com and are up to date as of the morning of July 8. Let's get into it. 1) Mariano Rivera 2) Heath Bell Mariano Rivera has returned to the top after going all of June without walking a batter or blowing a save, resulting in an ERA and WHIP both under 1. Pair that with Heath Bell's 1.55 WHIP in June and the constant rumors of him being traded and barring injury, Rivera could be a lock to hold the #1 spot for the rest of the year. Heath Bell's WHIP is a big worry for me for the future, mainly his hit rate going up to 9.8 H/9 in July from 5.25 H/9. The hit rate will have to come down for him to continue to convert saves at such a successful pace. 3) Brian Wilson 4) Craig Kimbrel 5) Joel Hanrahan Mr. Joel Hanrahan joins the top 5 after converting every single save chance he's gotten and walking very few batters (8 BB in 39.1 IP). He's been a great piece in all 4 closer categories and has been good both at home (1.23 ERA, 0.91 WHIP) and on the road (1.56 ERA, 0.98 WHIP). In the month of June he held opposing batters to a .116 batting average. At age 29, he may be a good keeper in deep leagues if he doesn't falter, or could be nice trade bait when it gets closer to fantasy league trade deadlines. 6) Andrew Bailey 7) Huston Street 8) Joakim Soria Oh how things can change. One day at the beginning of June it is announced that Aaron Crow will be taking over as the closer of the Royals, and this piece ranked Crow at 22 for the rest of the season ahead of guys like Kyle Farnsworth and Brandon League. Crow went without getting a save opportunity and Soria was given his job back in no time. Soria went on to a 0.00 ERA and a 0.50 WHIP with 6 saves in June and is now seemingly back to his old self. He could be a nice buy if his owner is still worried about him losing his job if he's shaky again. 9) Carlos Marmol 10) Kyle Farnsworth 11) Drew Storen I can't seem to make up my mind about Drew Storen. On the one hand, he tied for the most saves in June with Brian Wilson at 10 and kept a 1.17 WHIP. On the other hand, he did all that with a 4.61 ERA and has a very "lucky" BABIP of .212 for the year. In fact Storen's BABIP is the second best of all pitchers with 10+ saves behind Francisco Cordero's slim .173 BABIP. If he brings down the ERA, all the other numbers would be good enough to be a top 8 guy. I believe he'll have a better July than June and is worth targeting if he's got a shaky owner. 12) Chris Perez 13) Neftali Feliz 14) Jose Valverde Jose Valverde is one of two closers, Joel Hanrahan being the other, who have not blown a save opportunity yet this year. At age 33, he's quietly having another good year with his 2011 numbers being right in line with his career numbers. His walk rate is the only that has gotten worse by a significant margin, putting his 2011 WHIP at 1.34 against his career mark of 1.18. His consistency has been a gift to owners that believed in him in the preseason and there's no reason to believe he can't continue on this course. 15) Jonathan Papelbon 16) Brandon League 17) Francisco Cordero 18) J.J. Putz (DL) 19) Leo Nunez Leo Nunez has been fine this year, but fine is boring so he doesn't get talked about much. His ERA and WHIP are a little higher than most folks would like but they won't kill you. He strikes out about a batter an inning so he doesn't hurt you there either, and he's converted 22 of his 25 saves. But none of his numbers stand out which is why he's at 19. He's Leo Nunez and he is what he is: a perfectly average closer. At age 27, he still has room to improve and in the next few years he could get quite a bit better. But for now, he's just boring Leo Nunez. 20) Ryan Madson (DL) 21) John Axford 22) Francisco Rodriguez 23) Jordan Walden 24) Fernando Salas25) Sergio Santos Written by Jim Dingeman (@gentleman_jim) exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! (July 3, 2011 - Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images North America) Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Tips, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Closers, Relief Pitchers, Pitcher Rankings, Closer Report, Jim Dingeman  This week we will be looking deeper at closers and setup guys that can help your team win both now and into the future for keeper and dynasty leagues. We'll be putting the spotlight on good young pitchers under 26 that you may or may not know about. All stats are as of June 23 and come from Baseball Prospectus and ESPN. Let's dive right in. Eduardo Sanchez - Age 22, 28.2 IP, 1.88 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, 2-1 Record: 5 Saves, 3 Blown, 7 Holds Sanchez was one of the many pitchers who took his shot at the closer job in St. Louis before Tony LaRussa finally settled on Fernando Salas in the role. Before going on the DL, he hadn't given up an earned run in his last 10 appearances in 10.2 innings pitched. He struggled with his control while in the closer role, resulting in a high walk rate (12 BBs in 11.2 IP in May), but has since settled down. The K/9 rate has been high at every level, so it seems like the high rate in the majors is legit. At age 22, his future is bright as a stud closer or setup guy for the Cardinals for many years to come. He's eligible to come off the DL June 28, but the Cardinals have not said he'll be back right at that date. Neftali Feliz - Age 23, 28 IP, 3.21 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 6.1 K/9, 0-1 Record: 14 Saves, 4 Blown Mr. Feliz has had a bit of a down year in his second full season with his WHIP and K/9 rates sticking out the most. His 1.32 WHIP is much higher than his 0.88 WHIP last year, with both walks and hits being significantly higher this year. His 6.1 K/9 is lower than his 9.0 K/9 career rate, but is getting better now with 10 strikeouts in 9.1 innings pitched in June. His ERA has gone up quite a bit in June (6.75 in June, 1.45 up to 3.21 for the year) but only because of two blown saves that he gave up 7 ER. In his other 7 appearances in June, he hasn't given up a run and only gave up 4 hits in 7.2 innings pitched. He's coming back around and will be great in the future, but if he continues to struggle this year, there will be more rumors of him joining the rotation in 2012, opening the door for trades in dynasty leagues. Jordan Walden - Age 23, 33 IP, 2.45 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 10.4 K/9, 1-1 Record: 17 Saves, 4 Blown, 2 Holds Jordan Walden took over the closer duties from Fernando Rodney a week into the season and has run with it. His K/9 rate continues to go up monthly, with 12 strikeouts in just 7.2 innings pitched in June. The hit rate seems to be more important than the walk rate when it comes to his success. When he struggled in May he gave up 16 hits in 13 innings and had a 5.54 ERA that month. The Angels seem to be sold on him being their closer for the future, and you can be sold on him being a big value in your fantasy league for quite some time. Drew Storen - Age 23, 38.1 IP, 2.35 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 7.3 K/9, 4-2 Record: 18 Saves, 2 Blown, 3 Holds Storen starting the year in a setup role may have been the best thing to happen for both him and his current owners who still believed in him. His value went down with questions of his mental state in Spring Training and owners were able to get him late, and now he's been one of the best closers in baseball. With just 2 blown saves and 18 successful saves, he's been one of the most consistent pitchers around, and will have the chance to hold down this job for years to come. His walk rate is a huge advantage for him, having only given up 12 walks in 38.1 innings, and if he gets his hit rate down, that WHIP will get even better. He is a big time piece for dynasty leagues and if there's an owner in your dynasty league still not sold on him, go get him and enjoy his consistency into the future. Craig Kimbrel - Age 23, 38 IP, 2.84 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 13.7 K/9, 2-2 Record, 19 Saves, 5 Blown Kimbrel has been striking out batters all season with no signs of slowing down and that K/9 rate combined with his solid WHIP and 20 saves are the making of a top 6 closer at this point in the year. I had him at 8 at the beginning of June and he will likely move up a few more slots in the July rankings in 2 weeks. At age 23, he's got many more years he can close for Atlanta, and with Jonny Venters locking down the 8th inning, he could end the year with 45+ saves. This guy is a star already at 23 and will be great for many years. Aaron Crow - Age 24, 35.2 IP, 1.26 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 8.8 K/9, 2-0 Record: 0 Saves, 2 Blown, 7 Holds I've talked plenty about Aaron Crow in the space after he was put into the closer role for Joakim Soria in Kansas City and then never got a save opportunity. Crow's ERA, WHIP, and K/9 rate are all great and have been all year. He's been great, but his low .224 BABIP worries me a bit. It could just be the Royals defense being better than we expect with many of the bullpen guys being .240 BABIP guys or lower. He has struggled with control lately giving up 8 walks in 8.2 IP in June, but the rest of his numbers have not suffered. He's a guy that can help you right now in roto leagues with start limits, and he's also a good stash for the future. Michael Stutes - Age 24, 22.2 IP, 2.38 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 8.7 K/9, 2-0 Record: 0 Saves, 0 Blown, 4 Holds Stutes has gotten more attention as of late picking up wins in come from behind victories by the Phillies over the Cardinals and the Mariners in the last 7 days. He has pitched well in middle relief only allowing runs in 4 of his 24 appearances. His walk rate has not been great but his WHIP is not so high to keep him off this list. His K/9 rate is consistent with what he has down in the minors and if that can continue he'll be a nice piece in that bullpen for many years. Stutes and his teammate Antonio Bastardo will be leading the youth movement in their bullpen over the next few years. Blake Wood - Age 25, 31.2 IP, 2.56 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 7.4 K/9, 3-0 Record: 0 Saves, 0 Blown, 2 Holds Blake Wood is one of the many stud 20-something pitchers the Royals have stashed in their bullpen, but he might the least well-known of the bunch. Wood had a rough year in the majors last year trying to get used to the talent level, but this year so far has been much better. He has cut his ERA in half from last year (5.07 down to 2.56), and his WHIP has gotten better due to improvements in both hit rate and walk rate. The hit rate stood out most about last year; 54 hits in just 49.2 IP will kill your WHIP if you have any walks at all (1.55 WHIP last year). Wood is becoming more comfortable in a setup role behind Joakim Soria and the more reliable he becomes, the more innings he'll get. With constant worries about Soria being traded, Wood could be in the mix for the closer role in the next couple years. Al Alburquerque - Age 25, 26.1 IP, 2.05 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 15.0 K/9, 4-1 Record: 0 Saves, 1 Blown, 4 Holds Al Alburquerque might be the #1 noncloser in the American League if not for one problem: he can't stop walking guys. In 26.1 IP, he has 18 BBs against only 10 hits, proving to be the reason for his WHIP being relatively high. His H/9 rate has never been this low at any level so its pretty safe to assume it's going to go up so Alburquerque has to bring his walk rate down to keep the WHIP in a good range. His K/9 sticks out the most, being the second best of all pitchers with at least 15 innings pitched. In fact, in 23 total appearances this year, he has failed to strike out a batter only 5 times, and 4 of those were .2 IP or less. Jose Valverde may not continue in the closer role past this year if Alburquerque can convince the Tigers that he should be in that role, and maybe if Tigers are willing to trade Valverde, Alburquerque could get a chance to close at the end of the year. Antonio Bastardo - Age 25, 28 IP, 0.96 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 10.6 K/9, 3-0 Record: 1 Save, 1 Blown, 7 Holds Antonio Bastardo started off hot for the Phillies this year in relief, including a 2 IP outing at Atlanta in which he struckout 6 batters, but didn't really have a defined role. With Brad Lidge hurt, there was speculation he could close before Contreras took the job, and there were whispers if Blanton didn't work out as the fifth starter he could take that job. However, he has gotten comfortable in a setup role, in the 7th behind Madson and Contreras, then the 8th behind Madson. Bastardo is everything you want in a setup guy: good K/BB rate, high K/9 rate, low ERA, and the ability to close games on the closer's day off. He and previously mentioned Michael Stutes look like the setup duo for the future in Philadelphia, and will be racking up holds and saves for years to come. Written by Jim Dingeman (@gentleman_jim) exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Tips, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Closers, Relief Pitchers, Pitcher Rankings, Closer Report, Jim Dingeman  Brandon Lyon This week we're going to try to help you make a deal to bolster your fantasy bullpen for the rest of the season with some closers that have pitched well for the year, but may be overlooked lately. But first, the news. Quick News Brandon Lyon will be returning from the DL and unfortunately for owners of Mark Melancon, manager Brad Mills says Lyon will be eased back into the closer role. Melancon's good ERA and WHIP make him a nice player in roto leagues with start limits, regardless of closer status. On the other hand, Lyon is almost untradeable, and with the money they're paying him, maybe they dangle Melancon to a team with a struggling bullpen (read: Yankees) to see if they can get a piece back. Melancon is the better pitcher the rest of the year and will outdo Lyon in ERA and WHIP easily. Last week Aaron Crow was named the closer, and now Joakim Soria is back in the closer role; so much for that change. Crow didn't even get a save opportunity in his time as the "closer" for the Royals, which surprised me greatly. I still don't like Soria the rest of the year with the combination of high ERA, WHIP and the lack of save opportunities in general for the Royals. Crow, like Melancon, is another great ERA and WHIP guy that still has value even if he's not getting save chances. In deep leagues, he's worth a pickup if he's available. The Oakland bullpen is an interesting case and its worth taking a look at now that there are rumors of one or more relievers moving out. If a trade does occur, it changes the makeup of the new team's bullpen and gives fantasy owners a chance to pounce on value. Andrew Bailey is the sure-thing closer there and won't likely lose his job unless another injury occurs. Grant Balfour and Brad Ziegler are both right-handed setup guys that could be targeted by contenders in trades, especially if a team's closer were to go down. Brian Fuentes has shown he can continue to close games despite a high ERA and WHIP and may also be targeted to close or setup for a contender. With manager Bob Geren being fired as of Thursday, their roles could change and any of the last three could be traded for and called upon to close, so keep an eye on the situation if you're in need of saves in deeper leagues. Buy Low Candidates It may be blasphemy to claim the #2 closer in my rankings as a buy-low option, but I believe in the right conditions, Mariano Rivera can be gotten on the cheap. Between the news that setup guy Joba Chamberlain may need Tommy John surgery, and the fact they have pitched him in non-save situations, his owners may be a little worried about the future. Since last week's rankings, he has gone out and converted 3 of 3 opportunities, so his owners may be okay for now. My advice is to wait for a bad outing and send out a trade offer for him, pitching his lack of reliable setup guys. He'll be just fine this year barring any injuries, and should still put up good numbers though. Leo Nunez might be the most overlooked closer around, the guy you just plug in to your lineup, set it and forget it. His ESPN Player Rater number for the year has been better than Carlos Marmol, Jonathan Papelbon, and Neftali Feliz, all top guys at the start. However, his numbers have gone down lately due to a couple of blown saves in his last 5 appearances. The fact is he's not losing his job because of his performance and he's a good strikeout and WHIP guy. If his owner is at all worried, this is the best time to pounce. Finally, Francisco Rodriguez has allowed 8 earned runs in his last 7.2 innings pitched but has made up for it in fantasy with 9 strikeouts. His Player Rater number for the last 15 days is actually in the negative due to those numbers, but he's still picked up 3 saves in that time. My only worry about him is his high WHIP (currently 1.48). If you can take a hit in WHIP, he's a guy that will get you strikeouts and saves with a pretty good ERA. Written by Jim Dingeman (@gentleman_jim) exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! (April 29, 2011 - Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images North America) DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT DRAFTSTREET'S DAILY FANTASY GAMES AND GET A 25% BONUS WITH OUR KEYWORD "FIX". PLUS ENTER THIS FRIDAY'S GUARANTEED $1000 GAME! Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Tips, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Closers, Relief Pitchers, Pitcher Rankings, Closer Report, Jim Dingeman  Heath Bell There has been a nice shakeup in my rankings here in the first week in June, and a preseason top 4 closer lost his job. Let's dive into the rankings and look at some news and notes as we go. These rankings are for the rest of the year from today. 1) Heath Bell 2) Mariano Rivera Heath Bell has unseated Mariano Rivera from the #1 spot, but their stats are nearly identical. Bell's ERA and WHIP are just slightly better and they both have 18 strikeouts. However, the Yankees are using Rivera in non-save situations, while Bell has converted saves in his last 5 straight appearances. If Rivera continues to pitch in those situations, it will take him more innings to get as many saves as Bell, so I give the slight edge to Bell. 3) Brian Wilson 4) J.J. Putz 5) Francisco Rodriguez 6) Jonathan Papelbon 7) Huston Street 8) Craig Kimbrel Craig Kimbrel has been as good as the Braves could have hoped for and with the exception of a few blown saves has been a model closer. He has the most strikeouts of anyone with a save by a good margin and has kept his ERA and WHIP at good marks for a young pitcher. I normally wouldn't endorse the "handcuffing" of a closer, but as good as Kimbrel has been, Jonny Venters has been that good just without the saves. Venters is the only non-closer I have ranked in the top 30 and is also worth a pickup, especially if you have Kimbrel. 9) Drew Storen 10) Carlos Marmol 11) Leo Nunez 12) Andrew Bailey Andrew Bailey returned to the majors and has pitched a couple perfect innings in relief, working his way back toward the closer role. In 134 innings pitched in his career, he has a 1.67 ERA and an 0.89 WHIP, and there's no reason to believe he can't continue pitching that way. If you're like me and patiently waited for his return, you will be rewarded with a nice bump to your saves, Ks, ERA, and WHIP. 13) Ryan Madson 14) Jose Valverde 15) Neftali Feliz Neftali Feliz dropped like a rock and was tough for me to drop below some of these guys but he is really worrying me. His 1.37 ERA is very nice, but I can't get past his identical 1.37 WHIP. Between that and his lack of strikeouts (just 9 in 19.2 innings), I couldn't get myself to rank him higher. In fact, I had very serious thoughts about moving him behind Sergio Santos for the rest of the year. 16) Sergio Santos 17) Joel Hanrahan 18) Jordan Walden 19) Francisco Cordero 20) Fernando Salas 21) Chris Perez 22) Aaron Crow Kansas City's Aaron Crow makes his debut at 22 after taking over the job from Joakim Soria. Crow has yet to record a save, but has 26 strikeouts, a 1.33 ERA, and a 1.04 WHIP in 27 innings. All 3 stats are sure to help your team if they can continue and he should begin accruing saves soon. In deep leagues, he's definitely worth a pickup. As for Soria, he may get back to closing games, but his 6.55 ERA and 1.68 WHIP are toxic and he wasn't striking out pitchers. Deep league owners should hang on to him if they have an extra roster spot, but in 10-team leagues, I dare to say you can cut him. 23) Kyle Farnsworth 24) Jonny Venters 25) John Axford 26) Mark Melancon Mark Melancon will be the closer for Houston the rest of the year if he continues to pitch like he has. He does give up an occasional earned run, but he strikeout rate is good, and he keeps his WHIP down by not walking batters (just 8 in 27 innings). He's been a nice pickup for some owners and is still available in 36% of ESPN leagues. 27) Brandon League 28) Matt Capps 29) Kevin Gregg 30) Jon Rauch 6 Relievers for Very Deep Leagues 1) Matt Lindstrom 2) Brad Ziegler 3) Mike Adams 4) David Pauley 5) Antonio Bastardo 6) Sean Marshall Others Receiving Votes Joakim Soria Joe Nathan (DL) Brandon Lyon (DL) Jose Contreras (DL) Brad Lidge (DL) Eduardo Sanchez Brian Fuentes Frank Francisco Written by Jim Dingeman (@gentleman_jim) exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! (May 30, 2011 - Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images North America)  Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Tips, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Closers, Relief Pitchers, Pitcher Rankings, Closer Report, Jim Dingeman  Matt Guerrier Some quick hitters from the past week in closer news as I get ready to bring you a new set of rankings next week in time for Memorial Day. Nothing says a good Memorial Day conversation like arguing over rankings... Vicente Padilla went on the DL with forearm soreness as of May 19, opening the door for yet another closer in Los Angeles. The most likely candidates are Matt Guerrier and Kenley Jansen, with Guerrier having a slight edge for the job right now. Jansen's ERA can be deceiving as most of the damage was done in a 1/3 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, and 5 ER appearance a month ago. Since that day, he has gone 8.2 IP, 1 H, 5 BB, and an excellent 16 K. Guerrier has been good in a setup role this season as well, giving up only 1 ER in his last 9 appearances. I believe Guerrier will keep the job for at least a few weeks, but with the volatile nature of their bullpen, you can never be sure of what you will be getting. Brandon League's ERA has ballooned with a stretch of 10 earned runs over 3 innings in 4 appearances that resulted in 3 blown saves and 4 losses last week. However, manager Eric Wedge gave him a weekend off and put him right back in the closer role Wednesday night, and it paid off with a hitless inning against the Angels. It seems as though he is safe for now in the closer role, and with further setbacks to David Aardsma's elbow, the closer role may belong to League for the entire season. Jordan Walden has gotten a few days off recently after a couple of blown saves against Oakland and the White Sox in 2 of his last 3 chances. He has a 3.26 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP for the year, both good numbers for a young closer. He's still available in some leagues and if you're lucky enough to find him on the waiver wire, scoop him up to bolster your pitching staff. Fernando Salas has taken over the closer role in St. Louis as Tony LaRussa continues to go with the hot hand in the 9th. He's got 2 saves and a win this week alone and is available in about 40% of leagues and worth a pickup in all leagues, that is until Tony LaRussa changes his mind. The #1 closer on ESPN's Player Rater is a man who didn't even begin the year in the role and his last 10 appearances have been sick: 11 IP, 6 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 10 K, 6 Saves, 2 Wins. That is the line of Washington's own Drew Storen, who currently is holding an 0.38 ERA and an 0.76 WHIP. I ranked him at 22 before his amazing May and he is sure to move up significantly in next week's rankings. If there's an owner in need of saves, ERA and WHIP, and you have other needs to improve, you may be able to get a couple nice pieces for him via trade. Written by Jim Dingeman (@gentleman_jim) exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! (April 5, 2011 - Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images North America)____________________________________________________________________________________ If you missed out on our recent free roll with DraftStreet, don't worry - we have another chance for you to take home some serious cash. Click here to join this Friday's $1000 giveaway. It costs just $5 per entry and you can have up to 3 entries. It's only open to the first 220 entries, but you can edit your lineups right up until 7pm est on Friday so register now to make sure you don't miss out. Even if the league doesn't fill up, DraftStreet will still give away the entire $1000 prize pool spread across the top 18 finishers, with the top score for the night guaranteed to take home $250. So, register for a free account at DraftStreet today and start practicing. Remember to use bonus code Fix on your first deposit to get some extra cash released into your account as you play. As a reminder, the competition will be an MLB Salary Cap league where values for each player are set based on projected fantasy value each day and your mission is to find the bargains and make the best 14 player team possible within the $100,000 budget.  Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Tips, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Closers, Relief Pitchers, Matt Guerrier, Kenley Jansen, Brandon League, David Aardsma, Jordan Walden, Fernando Salas, Drew Storen  Sergio Santos In today's Closer Report, we're going to get all sabermetric on you with a look at the advanced statistic BABIP and how you should use that to improve your fantasy team. But first, the news. Quick News Sergio Santos has taken a hold of the closer role, having gotten the last 3 save chances and successfully completing each of them. He has also not given up an earned run all year, which may be the biggest difference between him and the lefty duo of Chris Sale and Matt Thornton. His 11.1 K/9 ratio this year is not a fluke and is slightly ahead of his career mark of 10.0 K/9. I believe that barring injury or trade, Santos will have the most saves at the end of the year. He's definitely the safest of the trio and worth picking up if you're in need of saves. Jonathan Broxton has been shut down by the Dodgers with elbow pain in his throwing arm that was affecting his control. At one point in his last outing, he walked back to back batters on 8 straight balls. It seems as though Vicente Padilla and Hong-Khih Kuo will split the save chances based on the opposing lineup, at least until one proves to be best for the job. Kuo did a great job in both the setup and closer roles last year putting up 12 saves and 21 holds while holding down a 1.20 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP. Padilla has been solid this year with a save and 4 holds in 6 appearances. If any closer for the Dodgers has 25 saves, I think it will be Kuo. I just don't see Padilla holding up as a good option in the 8th or 9th inning, and who knows if Broxton will even get another chance. What can be said about Manager Tony LaRussa and his Cardinals' crazy bullpen/closer situation? There is no visible rhyme or reason to LaRussa's use of his bullpen as he has pitched different guys in every possible position. In the last week, Eduardo Sanchez has gotten the 2 available save opportunities and been successful in both against the Marlins. If I had to rank them right now, I guess I'd rank them Sanchez, Fernando Salas, Mitchell Boggs, and finally Trever Miller. Unfortunately, we have no real idea about LaRussa's plan for the future, so I wouldn't trust any of them if you don't have to. BABIP And Your Fantasy Team BABIP stands for Batting Average on Balls In Play and is used to tell as a complement to ERA to see if a pitcher's ERA is unnaturally high or low. The average BABIP for pitchers is about .300, meaning that on balls in play, 70% result in an out by the defense. If that number is significantly higher than .300, it typically means that either the defense behind him is bad or he has just been unlucky. Inversely, BABIP numbers that are significantly lower indicate a pitcher with good defense behind them or one with good luck. All stats come thanks to Fangraphs stats section that does a good job laying out all the advanced stats available. Let's take a look at some closers with significantly low or high BABIPs and how this information can help you and your fantasy team. Low BABIP Numbers Chris Perez Career BABIP = .245 2011 BABIP = .237 Over the course of his career, Chris Perez has been helped by very good defenses in St. Louis and Cleveland and it shows in his low career BABIP of .245. In 2010, when he took over the closer role from Kerry Wood, he posted a .222 BABIP number (a career best) with a 1.71 ERA (also a career best). Pay close attention to his BABIP as it almost directly corresponds with his ERA. If his BABIP starts creeping up, and his K/9 rate (just 6.2 currently) doesn't go up, it may be time to look to sell high. I still like Perez and believe that he'll stay at his current BABIP range and up his K/9 toward his career mark of 9.3. If that holds true, he will end the year as a top 8 closer. Drew Storen Career BABIP = .270 2011 BABIP = .182 Storen is even earlier in his career than Perez but is showing just how well he can pitch with a good defense behind him. Washington's defense while Storen is in has been phenomenal and Storen's 0.56 ERA is what has come of it. Unfortunately, with his K/9 rate down to a very average 6.75, he's relying a little too much on the defense behind him to get the job done. As the season goes on, that K/9 will have to go up closer to his career 8.07 to continue to be successful. With Sean Burnett having shown a glimpse of being able to close games, Storen will not have much breathing room if he were to falter a couple times. Watch Storen and if you don't believe he's going to continue being successful, you may want to move him. Francisco Cordero Career BABIP = .300 2011 BABIP = .172 Francisco Cordero, in terms of BABIP as well as many other numbers, is an average closer. In fact, his .300 career BABIP is accepted as average performance for a pitcher. However, this year he has had his best ERA number yet at a slim 1.38, and it can be directly attributed to he amazing .171 BABIP, which is best of a pitchers with at least 2 saves. He has suddenly turned into a groundball pitcher (63.9% GB%) as opposed to his career flyball heavy number (42.8%). Maybe he has turned a corner at age 35, but I can't believe these numbers can continue. Find the Reds fan in your fantasy league and sell him high for a tidy gain. High BABIP Numbers Jonathan Papelbon Career BABIP = .272 2011 BABIP = .355 Many pitchers with a current BABIP significantly higher than their career tend to have a down year, but Jonathan Papelbon is not one of them. Despite a career high .355 BABIP, he is still successful thanks to a 11.7 K/9 rate and a K/BB rate of 8, both of which are near the top of the closer ranks. It also helps that he has yet to give up a home run in 12 appearances. If his BABIP gets better, and his K/9 rate stays consistent, he'll be back to being solid Papelbon from the middle of the decade as opposed to the 3.90 ERA Papelbon we met last year. Francisco Rodriguez Career BABIP = .272 2011 BABIP = .412 Francisco Rodriguez was previously blessed with both good luck and good defenses in past years, but has an extremely unlucky .412 BABIP this year with a poor Mets defense. This amazing BABIP has resulted in his highest ever WHIP at 1.83, a WHIP number that is almost unheard of in successful closers. Rodriguez is a career 1.15 WHIP pitcher, so almost surely his WHIP will get better as the season goes on. Rodriguez has almost no competition in New York so he'll be safe in the closer role all year. His WHIP will get better while his 1.50 ERA may go slightly up, but that's a natural thing for closers with poor defenses behind them. I see no reason to worry about Rodriguez and as his WHIP gets better, he'll be moving up my rankings. Joel Hanrahan Career BABIP = .332 2011 BABIP = .383 The most curious numbers this season have come from Joel Hanrahan of the Pirates, who is a high career BABIP guy and has an even higher BABIP this year, but has still been successful in the closer role. His 1.69 ERA is better than he has ever posted before, even in significant stints coming up through the minors. Now at age 29, Hanrahan has lowered his BB/9 rate to 2.25 (down from 3.36 last year and 4.55 career), and has given up more groundballs than flyballs for the first season of his career. The main trouble with Hanrahan is actually the team around him; the Pirates are not exactly an offensive juggernaut, limiting the number of save opportunities for him to take advantage of. Ride him as long as he's keeping the low ERA, but do not get too attached, especially as promising young arms like Sergio Santos are coming into the league. Blown Save of the Week Brandon Lyon - 5/4 @ CIN 0.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, L, BS Lyon's latest failure was his 3rd blown save in his last 5 appearances, and has caused the Astros to remove him from the closer role, claiming he will go on the 15-day DL with biceps tendinitis. It's important to note that the announcement that he was replaced by Mark Melancon as the closer in Houston preceded the announcement he was going on the DL. Lyon owners knew what they were in for when they drafted him though, and hopefully you can find a replacement on the waiver wire. Written by Jim Dingeman (@gentleman_jim) exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Baseball Tips, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Closers, Relief Pitchers, Sergio Santos, Brandon Lyon, Mark Melancon, Joel Hanrahan, Vincente Padilla, Jonathan Broxton, Drew Storen, Francisco Rodriguez, Francisco Cordero, Jim Dingeman  Mariano Rivera Sunday marks the first day of May and also marks one full month of baseball, meaning its a good time to step back and rerank the top 40 relievers for fantasy. These rankings are my answer to the question, "Who would you rather have right now and for the rest of the season?" I will do these rankings the last week of each month, and we'll keep track of any big jumps or drops. Feel free to leave any and all thoughts in the comments. Any stats are up to date as of the 29th of April. 1) Mariano Rivera 2) Heath Bell 3) Huston Street 4) Joakim Soria 5) Jonathan Papelbon 6) Brian Wilson The top two guys are the same as the preseason with Rivera and Bell leading the way, and the top four are still in this month's top six. Joining them in the top six are red-hot Huston Street at #3 and Jonathan Papelbon at #5. Both guys are deserving of their spots, having shown no problems through one month of this season. Huston Street is leading the league so far in saves with 9 and has an ERA and WHIP ahead of both Joakim Soria and Brian Wilson. My only concern is his usage rate, as he has already pitched 15.1 innings, the most of anyone with at least 2 saves. At some point, the Rockies as going to have to slow down in the use of him, which will open the door for Matt Lindstrom to get some saves. Jonathan Papelbon has withstood a slow start by the Boston offense to post a K/9 rate of about 11, as well as a sub-2 ERA and a sub-1 WHIP. If he had 7 or 8 saves rather than just the 5 he has, I would be inclined to put him as high as #1, but #5 is the right place for him at this moment. Many Red Sox fans were hoping he would be traded in the offseaso, and he wasn't a sexy pick in fantasy drafts, but both fans and fantasy owners should be very happy with what they've gotten from him so far, and can expect more of the same. 7) J.J. Putz 8) Carlos Marmol 9) Neftali Feliz (DL) 10) Jose Valverde 11) Leo Nunez 12) Craig Kimbrel 13) Chris Perez J.J. Putz was a guy I was high on in the preseason due to his past success as a closer and he has continued that success in Arizona. He's been a great value in the late rounds of your draft and there's no reason to believe that will change. Putz is a no-worry closer for me, a guy I just plug into my lineup and just let him go. If there's an owner in your league that doesn't believe, there is a chance for you to pick up a great value if you can buy him from a nonbeliever. Leo Nunez has been lights out this season and has shown great improvements in his ERA and WHIP numbers without dropping his solid 9.00 K/9. At age 27, his career stats make me wonder if he's turning into a stud pitcher or if he will spend the rest of the season regressing to the mean. I want to see him continue to succeed before he cracks the top 10, but there's definitely a possibility there. 14) Francisco Rodriguez 15) Jordan Walden 16) Kyle Farnsworth 17) Mitchell Boggs 18) John Axford 19) Joel Hanrahan 20) Brandon League 21) Andrew Bailey (DL) 22) Drew Storen 23) Francisco Cordero One of the biggest surprises may be the early success of Kyle Farnsworth, who is 1-0 with 5 saves, no blown, a 1.23 ERA and an 0.82 WHIP. He has taken the closer job in Tampa and run with it, allowing Jake McGee to set up games in a less stressful role. McGee may be the guy for the future, but Farnsworth is giving Tampa very good innings. I now believe Farnsworth is the guy for the rest of the season barring an injury, and McGee may get spot duty when Farnsworth is unavailable. Washington got its good innings out of Sean Burnett at the beginning of the season, but lately Drew Storen has been the closer for the Nationals after Burnett had a couple rough outings. Storen has not allowed an earned run in his last 10 outings and has yet to blow a save. If Storen continues to play this well he will join that elite group of closers in no time. He is definitely a guy that should be targeted in keeper and dynasty leagues. Andrew Bailey is another coveted closer in keeper and dynasty leagues, especially for his low ERA and WHIP numbers. At age 26, he is well known for those numbers and his low number of blown saves while in the closer role. Unfortunately, he's been banged up this year and has yet to pitch, spending this first month on the DL. He's been throwing bullpen sessions earlier this week, but it still looks like it'll be a couple weeks before he'll be back. If he's been dropped in your league and you have a DL spot available, he should definitely be owned. Francisco Cordero is a guy I was down on in the preseason and with reason; most closers don't last with a 1.36 career WHIP. But he is having a resurgence at age 35 and has the closer job locked down in Cincinnati, allowing Aroldis Chapman to get used to the major leagues in a setup role. If he can continue on a similar pace, his ERA and WHIP numbers would be some of the best of his career (currently 1.80 and 0.90 respectively). I still have a little worry about him, so don't get too attached, but enjoy the ride while its still going. 24) Jonathan Broxton 25) Ryan Madson 26) Matt Capps 27) Jon Rauch 28) Jose Contreras (DL) 29) Brandon Lyon 30) Brian Fuentes The news of the week has been the confusion around Jonathan Broxton's job status with the Dodgers. The end result seems to be a committee involving Broxton, currently injured Hong-Khih Kuo, and Vicente Padilla. Padilla got the save chance Wednesday night and was successful in the 10th inning of a game against the Marlins. I wouldn't drop Broxton until we see Kuo come back and the situation clears itself out, but Kuo might be an interesting pickup if you have an available DL spot. Jose Contreras has been put on the DL with a forearm strain and is expected to miss 3-4 weeks, allowing Ryan Madson to take over the closer role. Madson this year has been good with an 0.90 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. Madson has the chance to take the closer role past the return of Contreras and if he does not, he will continue to be a successful setup guy. I wouldn't hang on to Contreras unless you are already struggling for saves and there are no other options available. Brandon Lyon is the closer in Houston just by sheer lack of competition, and he clearly knows it giving up a 4.82 ERA and a crazy high 1.82 WHIP. Really the only thing he's contributing in is saves but as long as he keeps the job he could get 30 saves. There won't be many blowouts by the Houston offense which may give him more opportunites for saves than normal. He's not a very desirable option, but he's serviceable as a 3rd or 4th closer on your team. 31) Sergio Santos 32) Kevin Gregg 33) Joe Nathan 34) Chris Sale 35) Hong-Khih Kuo (DL) 36) Matt Lindstrom 37) Jonny Venters 38) Koji Uehara 39) Fernando Rodney 40) Darren Oliver Sergio Santos is the most interesting name of this group, clearly having the most upside of any of them in that atrocious White Sox bullpen. For the time being, he'll get the save chances against right handed lineups with Sale and Thornton splitting the left handed lineups. Santos has the chance to take over the role permanently and a good couple weeks of saves should do the trick. Many of these guys are the second man in the bullpen and will get the save chance when the primary closer is unavailable due to use. Lindstrom is the highest ranked of that type of guy as closer Huston Street will surely have to rest after pitching the most innings this early in the season. Venters will get an occasional chance, and has been a good strikeout guy. Fernando Rodney will get chances to give Jordan Walden a rest and hasn't been as bad as people thiink this season. All three are worth rostering in deep leagues and will give you save chances every once in a while. Others Receiving Votes Antonio Bastardo David Aardsma (DL) Sean Burnett Jeremy Jeffress Frank Francisco Matt Thornton Brad Lidge (DL) Sean Marshall Arthur Rhodes Jake McGee Written by Jim Dingeman (@gentleman_jim) exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com Follow The Fantasy Fix on Twitter @thefantasyfix or for Free Fantasy Sports Advice use our Quick Fix to get help with your team! Tags: The Fantasy Fix, 2011 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Tips, Closer Report, Closer Carousel, Jim Dingeman, Fantasy Baseball Advice, Fantasy Baseball Closers, Mariano Rivera, Heath Bell, Leo Nunez (April 15, 2011 - Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images North America) | 
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