With the 2016 fantasy baseball season approaching, bullpen depth charts can be tricky to decipher when entering your fantasy drafts. Projections of who will be vital to their respective team and to your fantasy team will be analyzed over the course of the next two months.

Below I've identified the projected AL Central closers, setup men, and some of the noteworthy relievers that bridge a lead from starter to closer.

The first and second names appearing after the closers below will mostly likely act as primary setup men, and be in line for holds. Bear in mind, most left-handed relievers identified will be used in specialist roles that make them more ideal in leagues with holds and will be a distant candidate for saves.

Don't forget that our closer depth charts are also updated all season long, so be sure to bookmark that page. And in case you missed it, our rankings dashboard has a new rankings tool so you can easily filter, sort, and export all sorts of staff rankings in one place - tiered ranks, mixed leagues, AL/NL only, top prospects, dynasty formats, keeper values and more!

AL Central Depth Chart - Saves and Holds

Kansas City Royals: Wade Davis (closer), Kelvin Herrera, Joakim Soria

Minnesota Twins: Glen Perkins (closer), Kevin Jepsen, Trevor May, Casey Fien

Cleveland Indians: Cody Allen (closer), Bryan Shaw, Zach McAllister

Chicago White Sox: David Robertson (closer), Zach Duke, Jake Petricka, Nate Jones, Matt Albers

Detroit Tigers: Francisco Rodriguez (closer), Mark Lowe, Justin Wilson, Alex Wilson, Bruce Rondon

Quick Hit Baseball Analysis

The World Series champion Royals have seen some bullpen turnover, but they still present a dynamic duo in Davis and Herrera. They'll be a force throughout the 2016 season. Every projected closer listed is very likely for their respective teams. Robertson, Allen, and Perkins are established in this division and will be reliable selections for fantasy.

With the closers well established, the setup men of the AL Central deserve a closer look. In addition to powerhouse Herrera, Luke Hochevar and former Royal Soria offer a very formidable relief corp. The Tigers brought in a pair of relievers in Lowe and Wilson. They should be successful in the Motor City. The Twins did not add any eye-opening arms to their bullpen. Holdovers Jepsen and May are the best available. Like the Twins, the Indians will return the significant relievers that were important last year, such as Shaw and McAllister.

The Chicago White Sox brought Albers back in hopes that his short, but successful stint with them last year can carry over into this year. Petricka is a reasonably decent reliever who should see his share of holds. The hard-throwing Jones lives in the upper 90s with his fastball and his slider. His stuff translates to plenty of success in the majors, but his health has held him back. He only pitched in 19.0 innings last year. In the small sample, he struck out more than a batter per inning. If he can stay healthy, he can move his way up the depth chart, getting holds along the way.

The Tigers overhauled the backend of their bullpen when they acquired projected closer Rodriguez, righty Lowe and lefty Wilson. Lowe will slot into the eighth inning and bridge the game to Rodriguez. For the lefty batters that Lowe may not get out, Wilson can enter the game. Ironically, Wilson did better against right-handed batters than left-handed batters, but he was effective against both. Expect Lowe and Wilson to be valuable selections for Holds as the Tigers compete in the Central.

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