Fantasy Baseball – Looking For Some Last Minute Closers

Fantasy Baseball – Looking for some last-minute closers:

As we head towards Opening Day in the MLB season and many of us are either just finishing up our season long draft or preparing for a draft on the eve of the season, one of the most volatile positions to sort through is closer as we have a handful of situations that are still sorting themselves out. We got news on Tuesday from two teams specifically that give us some interesting bullpen options to jump on in our league’s waiver wire or at the tail end of our drafts that could help drive some added value to our fantasy baseball squads.

The Arizona Diamondbacks held a three-way closer competition throughout the Spring and it was largely assumed by many drafting up to this point that Archie Bradley would step into this role as he was being drafted as the 20th-22nd closer off the board in drafts. However Arizona manager Torey Lovullo confirmed yesterday that ex-Rays closer, Brad Boxberger would step into the closer role and he now makes for an immediate add in my opinion.

Arizona last season was able to give Fernando Rodney 39 saves and it seems pretty clear at this point that the DBacks feel more confident with Bradley in the set-up role so this is a closer role that Boxberger could run away with here. The biggest risk here is injury as Boxberger has only pitched 24 and 29 innings over his previous two seasons but in his last healthy season he did rack up 41 saves for Tampa Bay and as we all know by now in MLB, that “closer experience” tends to weigh heavily on manager’s decisions for how long of a leash they get.

The really interesting news we got yesterday was that the Cardinals announced that hard-throwing prospect Jordan Hicks had made the team in the bullpen which is impressive considering Hicks is only 21 years old and had yet to pitch above A ball. There is no denying his talent as Hicks routinely sits in the 99+ MPH range with his fastball and clearly impressed the Cardinals over 7.2 IP this Spring with his 8:1 K:BB ratio.

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The Cardinals closer situation was one that seemed like a spot to avoid in fantasy drafts as Dominic Leone seemed like the logical choice but with a tenuous foothold on the job at best and this is why Hicks becomes so interesting. It was always assume that Hicks would be the “closer of the future” for St. Louis and most scouts/experts agreed he would not reach the majors until 2020 so this was a name not on most people’s radar.

At high A ball last season, Hicks sported a 30% K rate, 5% BB rate and induced over a 65% GB rate so we know the talent is there and in dynasty leagues I think you simply need to jump on this kid if he is available. The risk is obvious with the jump right to the major league level but the talent is undeniable and even if he does not get the closer role right away, he could still be a valuable middle-reliever to help you rack up K’s.

My perspective with closers in fantasy baseball is to always “hit add and ask questions later” as I am willing to be aggressive in picking up potential closers ESPECIALLY early in the season as the dust starts to settle. Even if you think you are “set” at closer, go grab these guys and stash them on your bench – closers are a valuable asset and taking this quantity over quality mentality early in the fantasy baseball season will allow you to absorb the bumps in the road for your roster as closers you drafted as “safe” are soon kicked to the curb!

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