It’s the ninth inning. Your team is winning by one run. Out comes the man who is set to lock it down the closer. One of the most important pieces to any good baseball team is the closer. They have one of the most stressful jobs in all of sports. If they get the three outs they did their job and that is that. Unfortunately if they blow the save they are hated on by every single human being on earth that doesn’t cheer for said team. We are now in the age of social media so closers take a beating on there as well.
As far as fantasy baseball is concerned having good closers isn’t nearly as important as having them in real life. Basically the only thing they will do for you is get saves, obviously. Regardless of how you feel about closers on your fantasy team it never hurts to have the best one. Below is the ten best fantasy relief pitchers in 2013.
10. Addison Reed, Chicago White Sox
You are probably thinking; how in the world did a team that is 34 games under .500 have a closer make the list? The answer is simple… They still won 62 games so they are bound to have a few of them be within three runs. The truth is Reed is a good closer, not great but good. He saved 39 of his 47 opportunities while striking out 71 men. His opponent batting average was pretty good as well at a mark of .217.
9. Ernesto Frieri, Los Angeles Angels
The Angels, ohh the things I have to say about the Angels. You know what, I will save it because I don’t want to die laughing. Besides Mike Trout this team doesn’t have much. They have a horrible bullpen but when the miracle does happen and they get to the ninth inning Frieri shuts it down. He went 37 for 41 in chances and struck out a very impressive 96 men over 67.2 innings. The reason he is not higher up on the list is because he had a problem with the long ball this year. Of the top 15 closers in baseball Frieri surrendered the most home runs at nine. His opponent batting average is .212. Sorry I have to throw one joke in here really quick. What do you call 127 million dollars watching the World Series? The Los Angeles Angels. Boom.
8. Grant Balfour, Oakland Athletics
Finally we get to see a closer of a team that will actually be playing in October. Balfour had a very good season saving 38 of 41 save chances. He also broke an Oakland Athletics record dating back to 2012 as he saved 41 straight saves. Balfour is a funny guy to watch pitch. He is not exactly the guy you want your kids to be watching due to the harsh language he tends to use on the mound. He is from Australia and his Dad was a rugby player so you can imagine he sat in on some interesting conversations as a kid. His ERA for the season is at 2.67 and has struck out 69 men. If you haven’t watched him pitch before you are missing out because he is easily the highest intensity closer in all of baseball.
7. Joe Nathan, Texas Rangers
It is weird to think that Nathan is 38 years old already but time flies. He’s a six time All Star, the Twins all-time saves leader and a member of the 300 save club. He had another great season in 2013 with 41 saves in 44 opportunites. His ERA of 1.48 is phenomenal and his opponent batting average is even better at .167. He has 339 career saves which ranks 11th in Major League history. If he can get three more saves this season he would move into tenth all-time bumping Rollie Fingers from the top ten. His contract ends at the end of this season so it will be interesting to see if he hangs ‘em up or not.
6. Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees
Rivera is clearly the greatest closer of all-time. If you think I ranked him too high then you better check yourself and show some damn respect for the legend that is the MO. Unfortunately we won’t get to see him pitch in October this year due to the Yankees not making the playoffs. This hasn’t been his best season ever, obviously, but he did convert 44 of 51 save chances while striking out 54 men. The craziest part about MO is that he only throws one pitch. Really think about it for a minute. The batter knows that he is throwing a cutter and for whatever reason they can not hit it.
5. Jim Johnson, Baltimore Orioles
Johnson holds the mark for the second most saves in baseball this season at 47. He converted 47 of 56 chances while striking out 53 men. His opponent batting average was a bit higher than you would like for a closer at .267 but he still managed to get the job done. He will likely not lead the league in saves this year like he did in 2012 but he will have the most saves of any American League closer. The main negative that came with Johnson as far as fantasy numbers are concerned is that he lost eight games. Overall when it is all said and done Johnson had himself another fine year and will remain a top five fantasy closer option in 2014.
4. Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Reds
As if standing at six feet, four inches isn’t already intimidating enough Chapman can rear back and reach speeds of 106 miles per hour. His secondary pitch is a bit shaky but he is still nearly impossible to hit. He struck out the most men of any closer at 112 all while saving 38 of 43 chances. His opponent batting average is .164 which is the lowest of any active closer this year. The 28 year-old is looking like he will remain the closer for the Reds for a long, long time. They thought about moving him to a starting position but changed their minds halfway through March. It looks like they made the right call as he can continue to throw his heat and not have to worry about throwing out his arm.
3. Rafael Soriano, Washington Nationals
When the Nationals signed Soriano everything was set. They would win the East and stroll all the way to the World Series. Newsflash, teams can’t win games on paper and they still have to perform on the field. Minus about everyone else of the Nats, Soriano had himself a pretty solid season. 42 saves in 48 tries is what he holds to his name along with 50 strikeouts. His ERA creeped a bit too high to a 3.15 but he managed to get the saves they need.
2. Greg Holland, Kansas City Royals
Raise your hand if you thought Holland would have the third most saves in all of baseball. No one? Yeah, me neither but that is exactly what he did this year. He only blew three saves all year and has 45 to his name. His 1.25 ERA is tied for the best in all of baseball and he has even struck out 99 men. The 27 year-old is only in his fourth season and looks like he will hold the reins as the Royals for a quick minute now.
1. Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves
The best closer in baseball is clearly Kimbrel. If you don’t think he is than you need to get your brain checked. He has the best strikeout rate in Major League Baseball history. His .125 opponent batting average is the lowest since 1900 and his OPS is the lowest of any pitcher since the expansion era. He has the lowest WHIP of any pitcher since 1900 and is the only closer to have have back-to-back seasons with an ERA of 1.35 or lower over two seasons. He is unhittable to say the least and has the most saves of any pitcher in baseball this year at 49. His 1.25 ERA is tied for the best in all of baseball. If you are to draft a closer in 2014 in the sixth or seventh round take KIMBREL!