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2013 Closers (3 Viewers)

They drafted him as a closer, anointed him closer before ever throwing a big-league pitch, and now sent him down so he can continue working on closing. I expect him back soon if he can regain some control in the minors.

 
I personally think Al Alburqueque ends up as the closer. Leyland said in January that Benoit can't go back to back days:

"Jim Leyland in January "Joaquin Benoit physically, I don't think he can do it. With all due respect to Benoit, he doesn't bounce back."



Coke really wasn't all that good and Dotel is 156 years old. Just MHO.

 
'General Malaise said:
'Tiger Fan said:
'RnR said:
'Tiger Fan said:
is this the appropriate thread to discuss closer strategy?
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As long as they aren't breaking out or breaking down, yes.
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When are you guys targeting closers? It's already been mentioned that after Papelbon, there really is a large tier (assuming about 15-16 based on a cheatsheet I've seen), followed by the rest. The majority of these guys can be had b/w rounds 10-16...but given how wild this position is every year, I hate to waste early draft picks on themIs there a widely accepted strategy? i.e. locking down one "sure thing" and then drafting others late then playing the waiver wire? My league requires 4 RP and we don't get points for holds...so every closer gets taken
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I hate drafting closers early, but if you don't get a good one, it can be a tough season. When you play in leagues with active owners who are churning their rosters constantly, finding saves on the waiver wire can be impossible if you have a day job, kids and a life outside of fantasy nerdball. All that said, I tied by wagon to Joe Nathan in both drafts this year because the uncertainty behind him is rather large; though here I'd be a fool to believe Nathan is a lead-pipe lock to repeat his 2012 campaign. He's old and he's had TJ surgery. I'm also 'all in' on Steve Cishek for reasons I can't quite articulate other than he seemed to be around longer than most and when I saw him pitch recently, he blew me away with this stuff. Crappy teams (and the Marlins are that) are often times fertile breeding grounds for saves as their margins for victory are usually by 3 runs or less. BUT...these teams can also deal their closers away mid-season, so be sure you have a back-up plan in place.

And here's an exercise for you. Below is a random 2012 Closer Rankings list from late March of last year. Prepare yourself for some depressing comedy:

2012 Fantasy Closer Rankings:

1. Jonathan Papelbon (PHI)

2. Craig Kimbrel (ATL)

3. Mariano Rivera (NYY)

4. Jordan Walden (LAA)

5. John Axford (MIL)

6. Brian Wilson (SF)

7. Jose Valverde (DET)

8. Rafael Betancourt (COL)

9. Carlos Marmol (CHC)

10. Heath Bell (MIA)

11. Joel Hanrahan (PIT)

12. JJ Putz (ARI)

13. Drew Storen (WAS)

14. Jason Motte (STL)

15. Javy Guerra (LAD)

16. Andrew Bailey (BOS)

17. Chris Perez (CLE)

18. Matt Thornton (CWS)

19. Sergio Santos (TOR)

20. Joe Nathan (TEX)

21. Sean Marshall (CIN)

22. Matt Capps (MIN)

23. Kyle Farnsworth (TB)

24. Brandon League (SEA)

25. Huston Street (SD)

26. Jonathan Broxton (KC)

27. Brett Myers (HOU)

28. Jim Johnson (BAL)

29. Frank Francisco (NYM)

30. Grant Balfour (OAK)
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I didn't go through this extensively, but guys in Red lost their jobs to injury or were replaced for another reason. Guys in blue were outright abortions, though more than a couple of them did have saves to their credit. I'm also not taking into account guys like Carlos Marmol who lost his job for a while before returning strong or guys like Broxton who got traded. And while 2012 might have been a bit extreme, it seems to me that every year at least 30-50% of the closers to the start the year do not finish the year. Were I you, I'd target two guys you can bank on and then back them up with their handcuff since you have to start 4. Or try to find potential closers who are not currently slated to close. There's a few I can think of, though it's all a gamble. Let other guys reach for saves while you keep piling on offense and SP arms. :thumbup:
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Decided I am going to target 2 of the following and then pick up scraps at the end of the draft and work the wire:Kimbrel/Chapman already kept, so they're out

Papelbon,

Putz

Rivera

Soirano

Rodney

Holland

Nathan

JKanssen

Bentacourt

Wilhelmsen

Perez

Perkins

Grilli

 
'Abraham said:
I saw a thing that said porcello might actually get a crack at the closer job in Detroit.
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Where you see that thing?He doesn't seem like a good fit with his low K rate, but I dont know anything about him really. Maybe hes got 1-2 really good pitches that would translate to the BP well?Also, he just got the 5th spot in the rotation...Maybe DD can chime in.
 
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'Annyong said:
'Abraham said:
I saw a thing that said porcello might actually get a crack at the closer job in Detroit.
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Where you see that thing?He doesn't seem like a good fit with his low K rate, but I dont know anything about him really. Maybe hes got 1-2 really good pitches that would translate to the BP well?Also, he just got the 5th spot in the rotation...Maybe DD can chime in.
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Leyland mentioned it as an offhand comment back early in spring when Porcello and Smyly were battling for the 5th starter spot. It was never very likely and now that Porcello is the 5th starter - its not going to happen.
 
'whoknew said:
'Annyong said:
'Abraham said:
I saw a thing that said porcello might actually get a crack at the closer job in Detroit.
Click to expand...
Where you see that thing?He doesn't seem like a good fit with his low K rate, but I dont know anything about him really. Maybe hes got 1-2 really good pitches that would translate to the BP well?Also, he just got the 5th spot in the rotation...Maybe DD can chime in.
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Leyland mentioned it as an offhand comment back early in spring when Porcello and Smyly were battling for the 5th starter spot. It was never very likely and now that Porcello is the 5th starter - its not going to happen.
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My guess is because Leyland has a lot of man love for Coke, he gets the most save ops. If I had to roster just one of Benoit/Coke/Dotel I'd roster Benoit though, Coke will have some meltdowns. Villarreal, Al Al or Rondon could be the closer by mid-May, or maybe it will be Valverde or Todd Jones. Everyone is in play!
 
The average AL team in 2012 had 42 SV. The Tigers had 40 (35 for Valverde, 2 for Benoit, 1 each for Dotel, Coke and Putkonen)

Anybody want to guess how they get distributed this year?

 
'Eephus said:
The average AL team in 2012 had 42 SV. The Tigers had 40 (35 for Valverde, 2 for Benoit, 1 each for Dotel, Coke and Putkonen) Anybody want to guess how they get distributed this year?
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Well, after hearing that Bruce Rondon was optioned to Triple-A, you'd have to lower his expected total in the distribution.
 
'RnR said:
'Eephus said:
The average AL team in 2012 had 42 SV. The Tigers had 40 (35 for Valverde, 2 for Benoit, 1 each for Dotel, Coke and Putkonen) Anybody want to guess how they get distributed this year?
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Well, after hearing that Bruce Rondon was optioned to Triple-A, you'd have to lower his expected total in the distribution.
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It's a long season and I don't think any of the other candidates are going to take the job and run with it.
 
Some news just broke:

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- The Detroit Tigers will start their AL title defense without a set closer after optioning rookie reliever Bruce Rondon to Triple-A Toledo on Thursday
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:o
 
The funny thing is I came in here looking for an update on the Tigers Closer situation. I didn't know I'd get a whole page of updates.

 
ceo3west said:
Motte heading to the DL with a "mild" elbow strain, Boggs named interim closer. I'd be worried if I owned Motte right now.
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The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Jason Motte (elbow) is "still a significant time away" from being cleared for a throwing program.
Motte will open the season on the disabled list and won't be reevaluated for at least another two weeks. While the injury isn't a long-term concern at this point, Motte remains without a timetable to return. Mitchell Boggs will handle the early-season save chances for the Cardinals.

I bought Boggs with two hands this draft season so I'm biased. If Boggs is still out there and you need a closer, I'm starting to get that feeling that Motte is really going to be a while.
 
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