J.J. Hoover (RP, CIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues ANALYSIS: The Reds bullpen is a mess right now, and there is no locked in closer slated to start the season. With Aroldis Chapman's recent injury, there is an opening for someone to step up and grab the closer's role. Jonathan Broxton and Sean Marshall are also dealing with their own […]

Joakim Soria (RP, TEX) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add Immediately ANALYSIS: Normally we wouldn't add a player to the waiver wire pickups list if they're already 65% owned - but with the recent news that Soria has officially been named the Texas closer over Neftali Feliz, this is a reminder that he needs to be owned in all leagues. If your draft has […]

Chad Qualls (RP, HOU) - Waiver Wire Analysis

BALLER MOVE: Continue Scouting ANALYSIS: We know a few things: the Astros don't have a very good team this year, the Astros won't win many games this year, and the Astros don't have a slam dunk closer lined up.  What we don't know, is who will actually be getting the saves opportunities here in 2014.  Chances are […]

Breakout Closer and Sleeper: Tommy Hunter

  Closer Poised to Leap Forward: Tommy Hunter Jim Johnson and his 101 saves over two seasons are gone, shipped off to Oakland. Grant Balfour didn’t satisfy the health criteria of the Orioles. Thus, the closer role is up for grabs, and a recently converted starter could be poised to make the big step into […]

Top 40 Closers & Relief Pitchers - Rankings, Tiers and Projections

1. “Elite” Tier, aka the Kate Upton Tier Kate Upton embodies all that is amazing about everything. Like these closers, she is, quite simply, the best, in every way. Craig Kimbrel, Kenley Jansen, Greg Holland, Aroldis Chapman, Joe Nathan In some cases but not all, size does matter and yes when I mean size I mean the large amount […]

Sergio Santos: Holds Sleeper for 2014 Fantasy Baseball

  Closer Poised to Leap Forward: Sergio Santos The Toronto Blue Jays bullpen features some talented arms that sometimes go overlooked. Names like Aaron Loup and Brett Cecil are not the first ones to come up when discussing bullpens, but they are the bridge to closer Casey Janssen, and the Toronto 'pen has another possible […]

Top 10 For Saves: 2014 Fantasy Baseball Predictions

I have a very strong opinion about closers in fantasy baseball, and that is they are the most overrated position in the game. Much like defenses in football, closers are very often drafted many rounds too soon. Relievers contribute little to most pitching stats, and there are often plenty of valuable options lower down the […]

Holds Leagues Sleepers: Luis Avilan & David Carpenter

Luis Avilan & David Carpenter With the best current closer in the game, Craig Kimbrel, manning the back of the Atlanta Braves bullpen, the complementary pieces that bridge the starting pitcher’s win to Kimbrel’s seemingly inevitable save are worth a look. Jonny Venters is returning from injury and he will join a pair of relievers that held the […]

3 Overvalued Relief Pitchers: Rankings Analysis

A relief pitcher is constantly living on the edge of success and failure.  One pitch can mean the difference between a good night sleep and a lot of tossing and turning.  Anyone that thinks that the ninth inning is just like any other is not factoring in the rapid heartbeat, adrenaline rush and tighter grip on […]

Three Undervalued Relief Pitchers: 2014 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

Undervalued Relief Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball Drafts Relief pitchers are the most difficult to get a gauge on when it comes to making predictions.  Most position players are going to produce close to their career numbers by the end of the season, but relievers could skyrocket or go south in a hurry. A lot depends […]

Jim Henderson: 2014 Fantasy Baseball Closer

  Jim Henderson's 2014 Fantasy Baseball Outlook Jim Henderson The Milwaukee Brewers have put together a team that, on paper, has a chance to succeed. The onetime face of the franchise, Ryan Braun, needs to repair his reputation, while veteran starting pitcher Matt Garza joins Kyle Lohse and Yovani Gallardo atop the rotation. They will […]

LA Dodgers Pitching Analysis: 2014 Fantasy Baseball

  2014 Los Angeles Dodgers – Pitching Staff Preview   Clayton Kershaw Position Battle – None Current Average Draft Position (12 team league) – Mid-First Round Other SPs in that Range – No one 2013 Stats – 16-9, 1.83 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 232 K, 236 IP, 52 BB Outlook – 2011 Cy Young, 2012 2nd […]

MLB Closers & Saves: NL Central - 2014 Fantasy Baseball

We've looked at all the other closers across baseball so far.  Now let's take a look at some NL Central closer situations.   National League Central Bullpens   St. Louis Cardinals If I had to choose one young slinger to become an elite closer in 2014, my choice would be Trevor Rosenthal.  The hard, snowball-throwing […]

MLB Closers & Saves: NL West - 2014 Fantasy Baseball

Let's take a look at some NL West closer situations. National League West Bullpens and Closers   Los Angeles Dodgers This bullpen has a blizzard of closer options.  Kenley Jansen sits at the top as an elite closer with ice running through his veins.  Take a look at these numbers, they are nailz:  1.88 ERA, […]

Chris Withrow: Sleeper for Holds in 2014 Fantasy Baseball

  Relief Pitchers Poised to Leap Forward: Chris Withrow While the Los Angeles Dodgers have personalities and brand names like Yasiel Puig and Clayton Kershaw, some players go under the radar. Though Brian Wilson's entrancing beard may help to make him one of the better setup men in the game, Chris Withrow is also a name […]

Top 5 Relief Pitcher (RP) Keepers: 2014 Dynasty Leagues

There's no position in baseball subject to more volatility from year to year than the closer role. It's rare for players not named Mariano Rivera to remain dominant in that position for more than a year or two. In fact, it's not uncommon at all for a top closer to lose his job just a […]

MLB Closers & Saves: NL East - 2014 Fantasy Baseball

Snow City “Baby, it's cold outside!”  “Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful.  And since we’ve got no place to go, let it snow!”  UGH, someone please shoot me, this weather sucks!  This shout-out goes to everyone that lives in the better part of the world or country where it […]

Dispatches from the Cactus League 2/10: Addison Reed vs. J.J.Putz

Dispatches from the Cactus League: Addison Reed vs. J.J. Putz Because of their trip to Australia to play the Dodgers later this month, the Arizona Diamondbacks were the first team to report to Spring Training this year. The team held its annual Fan Fest at Chase Field Saturday where more than 20,000 fans showed up […]

Five Under the Radar Relief Pitchers: Sleeper Keepers for 2014

  Five Under the Radar Keeper Relief Pitchers in 2014 Other than the gold standard of closers (Kimbrel, Chapman, Mariano Rivera-retired), relief pitchers can break your heart.  They turn it loose for an inning or two, blowing gas or off speed pitches that are nearly unhittable.  Running it up there at 98 mph is all well […]

Nate Jones: Setup Man Poised to Leap Forward in 2014 Fantasy Baseball

  Setup Men Poised to Leap Forward: Nate Jones With closer Addison Reed closing for the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Chicago White Sox will be searching for a new closer among the relievers they possess. Of the names on the White Sox roster, the player that could be considered first for the closer role is veteran Matt […]

Trevor Rosenthal: Fantasy Baseball Sleeper for 2014

  2014 Fantasy Baseball Sleeper: Trevor Rosenthal Trevor Rosenthal will finish the season as a top 3 closer in the league.  This is a bold prediction for a pitcher who prefers to be a starter and who may be one day.  Rosenthal ended 2013 as the Cardinals closer and had a tremendous postseason, posting an […]

MLB Closers & Saves: AL West - 2014 Fantasy Baseball

Today let’s take a look at the possible closers in the American League West.  As of right now I do not see any sleepers or dark horse sleepers in these pens.  This can change over the course of the season and it will most likely happen but for now it’s just a waiting game.  Stay […]

Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep: 5 Breakout Pitchers That May Regress in 2014

MLB organizations continue to pump out quality arms, and 2013 was another banner crop of young pitchers. Some of these pitchers made a significant impact on starting rotations and fantasy baseball leagues, or were key contributors for playoffs runs. Take a look at the Cards or A’s pitching staffs, loaded with fresh arms and prepared […]

2014 Fantasy Baseball: MLB Closers & Saves (AL Central)

KaepSupernicking Hey Yo - how bout dem Niners! I will be Kaepernicking the whole way to a Super Bowl Victory ya’ll. I know, I know, I am supposed to be writing about fantasy baseball and closers or some shizz but I just can’t help myself, this is very exciting! As a Niners fan, the chance […]

2014 Fantasy Baseball: 5 Free Agent Pitchers With the Most to Lose

Fantasy baseball owners all over are starting to prepare for the 2014 MLB season, and trying to figure out which pitchers they should take and at what point. There were many pitchers that changed teams this winter - some made decisions that fantasy owners are happy about, while others will be making owners miserable all […]

MLB News: Yankees Finally Sign Matt Thornton

Thornton Officially a Yankee The Yankees officially signed former White Sox reliever Matt Thornton to a 2-year, $7 million on Friday. The deal, which was agreed to earlier in the offseason, resulted in the Yankees designating Vernon Wells for assignment due to a lack of space on the 40-man roster. The 35-year-old Wells will not […]

Fantasy Baseball 2014 Preview: MLB Closer City, American League East Edition

Closer City Hey, yo!  I’m back and hopefully better than ever!  Any of you guys remember back in the day when WWF didn't have a monopoly on terrible acting?  Well, unfortunately (and I really hate to admit this), I used to be an avid WCW fan until they were banished from this so-called sport forever. […]

Closer Carousels: MLB Closers & Saves Update (Week 22)

The football season is upon us.  Do you know what time it is?  Yup, that’s right, it’s Madden time.  I purchased a copy of Madden 25 on the first day it was available, just like every year.  I am not a huge video game guyer but I do play Madden and The Show.  I was […]

Closer Carousels: MLB Closers & Saves Update (Week 21)

Yeoman’s Work Jim Johnson:  Johnson has allowed four runs, 11 hits and two walks over his last 4.2 innings of work.  He continues to struggle and news out of Baltimore indicates it might be time for change in the “Charm City,” at least until Johnson gets back on track.  He will probably finish out the […]

Closer Carousels: MLB Closers & Saves Update (Week 20)

Na Mean Okay so last week my article was sort of based around a Hip-Hop type theme, and I am going to expand on that just a little bit more in this week’s closers article.  In last week’s article I used the term na mean, which actually stands for: do you know what I mean.  I […]