For years I lamented the volatility of the closer role and the never ending race to keep up with it in Fantasy. After years of therapy and a lot of IPA’s, I think I’m finally in a good place. If you can’t beat the position, change how you score it. Done.

As I outlined starting here, when I did my 4 part 2015 reliever rankings, our leagues use Fantrax’ flexibility in scoring to design a balanced scoring system for both points based and H to H Leagues. Holds (H) and also Inherited Runners Stranded (IRS) are added on the relief pitching side of the scoring model, thus stretching out the scoring and reducing the reliance on the save. I took a risk ranking all my relievers together regardless of their role. I had several relievers in my top 20 who were not closers to start the season. I felt pretty good when most of those picks actually did finish in the money. After this brief re-cap we’ll dive right in to my Reliever Rankings for 2016. For those of you in traditional 5X5 Roto Leagues, my condolences, but I will provide my ranking for the rest of the closers next week with Part 2 of my reliever rankings..

Last season I predicted this as my top 10: 1. Craig Kimbrel 2. Greg Holland 3. Aroldis Chapman 4. Kenley Jansen 5. Dellin Betances 6. Sean Doolittle 7. David Robertson 8. Andrew Miller 9. Mark Melancon 10. Zack Britton.

The first four picks were easy of course, but I got some flack for ranking Holland ahead of Chapman. I got even more flack for ranking Betances as the #5 reliever in baseball. Holland and Doolitle’s seasons were marred by injuries, but of the top 10 on the Fantrax player rater, 5 of them (Betances, Chapman, Miller, Melancon and Britton were in my top 10. I was happy with that, but I had predicted Betances would be the Yankee closer over Miller. It was the other way around. The good news is that Betances is THAT good. Even without the closer role, Betances was the number 1 reliever in all of baseball for 2015 on the Fantrax Rater. These are the official results from the rater for 2015.

1. Dellin Betances 2. Wade Davis 3. Jeurys Familia 4. Carson Smith 5. Mark Melancon 6. Zack Britton 7. Hector Rondon 8. Andrew Miller 9. Kevin Siegrist 10. Tony Watson 11. Cody Allen 12. Trevor Rosenthal 13. Darren O’Day 14. Aroldis Chapman 15. Ken Giles.

I didn’t post this to pat myself on the back, well, not completely anyway. My point is that our scoring model rewards skills over job titles, and overall performance over saves. Only Six of those top 15 relievers started the season as his team’s primary closer. Three of them did not close at all but were premier set up men. The rest, including the top four, either took over the closer role at some point or moved back and forth as needed over the course of the season.

I’ve preached drafting high skill set middle relievers near the end of the draft instead of wasting picks on backup second basemen or taking flyers on Starting Pitchers who will be there on the wire when you need them anyway. Draft the best relievers in baseball no matter who is in front of them on the depth chart. Own some of the guys who would be next in line if the closer went down. The best defense against the Closer Merry-Go-Round is to play in a league with a balanced scoring system and draft a stable of CLEWS, Closers En Waiting. The cream rises and no matter what kind of league you are in you’ll get your saves without having to blow your FAAB budget or hard wire yourself to the internet to get the next rumored closer.

When you draft next month, remember to get a CLEW. Or a few.

(1). Craig Kimbrel, Bos, Closer: It was a down year by his standards. He failed to reach 40 saves (39) or lead the NL in saves for the first time in five years, and his ERA, WHIP, H/9, HR/9, & IP were all career worsts; even his FIP in SD was a full run higher than his norm. His K & BB rates & Babip were right in line with his career norms though, so I’m thinking playing in SD was the problem. Why did I rank him 1st then? All those career worsts were still elite numbers, he is 27, no signs of injury, and he is now playing for the Red Sox. When talking relievers, especially closers, the only thing more important than stats is consistency and durability. He is #1 until he is not.

2. Aroldis Chapman, NYY, Closer: I might have ranked him #1 if it were not for off field issues that may see him lose some time. It was this same issue that allowed the Yanks to snatch him from the Reds in the prime of his career for a bag of balls (28 next week). The only two on field warts are his high walk rate and the fact he has never saved more than 40 games, saving 30+ and striking out 100+ 4 years in a row. Consistency, durability and playing for NY will get him to 40 saves as long as Rob Manfred does not make him his poster boy.

3. Kenley Jansen, LAD, Closer: Look at this number:(10.0). No, that is not his K/9 rate, though it would be a good one. That is his K/BB rate in 2015, & not a misprint. He’s one of the hardest throwers in the NL, striking out 80 but walking only 8 in 52 innings during his age 27 season. For comparison, Kimbrel, Chapman & Davis each had K/BB rates under 4.0. He saved 36 games even though he missed the first 6 weeks of the season. Kimbrel & Chapman went to play in the AL East sandbox, so Kenley Jansen is now the top NL closer.

4. Wade Davis, KC, Closer: What a story. Just like in football, often the only thing in the way of fantasy brilliance is opportunity. Davis got his last season when Greg Holland went down and pitched lights out right through the World Series where he struck out more than half the batters he faced. He’s never looking back, and is still only 30. This was his 2nd brilliant season as a reliever after several mediocre years as a SP.

5. Dellin Betances, NYY, Set Up: I was both right & wrong last season as he was the closer for only about a minute collecting 9 saves and is now one more notch down the pecking order in NY. However, not only did he rank in the top 10 relievers at Fantrax but he was #1, after finishing last season #2. At ESPN he was ranked #16 at the end of the season, but every player in front of him was a full time closer.His k/9 was 14.04, topped by only 3 other pitchers (Chapman, Miller, Capps) striking out 131 in 84 IP, leading MLB a 2nd year in a row for relievers.His walk rate is high, but that is his only wart. All his other numbers were nearly identical to his phenomenal 2014. He’ll be a closer but not this season.

6. Mark Melancon, Pit, Closer: Melancon has emerged as one of the best and most stable closers in the game, leading all of baseball in 2015 with 51 saves. His K rate dropped a bit in 2015 but all his other numbers look elite, especially his low walk rate. He has great set up men and Pittsburgh plays a lot of close games so the saves should continue to pile up.

7. Zack Britton, Bal, Closer: Like Melancon, Britton has emerged as an elite closer and appears here to stay. He nearly duplicated his 2014 breakout with sub 2.0 ERAs and sub 1.00 Whips, but actually lowered his walk rate and his K-rate spiked to 10/9 IP. He’s gone from being a good reliever to a dominant closer.

8. Andrew Miller, NYY, Set Up: Simply put, Miller has become one of the best and most versatile relievers in baseball. He was 7th in our system with 57 IRS + H and had far better ratios than every pitcher ahead of him. He and Betances were 2 of the only 4 RP’s to have a K-9 of 14 or more, (100 2 years in a row)which is almost 2 per inning. He also only walked 20. Amazing stat: Miller didn’t allow his 1st earned run until May 19th. Betances went 2 more weeks before giving up his first. That is why the Yankees now have 3 of the projected top 10 relievers in baseball.

9. Jeurys Familia, NYM, Closer: Familia had an amazing 1st year as the Met’s closer and seems locked in to join the elite closers on a contending team. Besides getting the opportunity, the best news is that Familia greatly reduced his walk rate while increasing his K rate at the same time to almost 10.0 per 9. That combination points to skill improvement, not luck. He is only 26.

10.Carson Smith, BOS, Set Up: Opportunity. Had he stayed in Seattle he’d be the new Mariners closer. Had the Sox not traded for Kimbrel, he’d be the new Sox closer. Instead he’ll be the 2nd best set up man in baseball after Betances at the age of 26. As we saw with the Giles trade, it seems teams are cashing out on stud relievers while their value is at its highest. He was #3 on our player rater and contributed across the board with 13 saves, 22 holds and 26 IRS with a K/9 of nearly 12.

That is my 2016 Top 10 relievers. I’ll continue now with the rest, and will keep the descriptions brief unless something stands out as important.

11. Trevor Rosenthal, STL, Closer: His 2nd season in a row as an elite closer is in the books and he is only 25. He logged over 40 saves both seasons for a team that plays a lot of close games. His only knock from 2014 was too many walks and he shaved off 2 BB/9 in 2015.

12. Cody Allen, CLE, Closer:He solidified himself as Cleveland’s closer and at 27 seems poised to get even better. His K rate in 2015 was 12.85 (9th in MLB) with a low walk rate.

13. David Robertson, Chisox, Closer: He was 8th in the majors with a 6.62 K/BB, mainly fueled by shaving 1.5 walks off his BB/9. He’ll be 31 the first week of this, his 9th season and 3rd as a full time closer.

14. Tony Watson, Pit, Set Up: Simply one of the best set up men in baseball. He led the MLB in Holds in 2015, and it was not close. He had an ERA under 2.0 and a WHIP around 1.oo for the 3rd year in a row.

15. Ken Giles, Phi, Set Up/Closer: Giles went from CLEW in Philly to CLEW in Houston. In Philly he had to wait for Papelbon to get traded and he did well as the closer with 15 2nd half saves and a microscopic ERA and WHIP, along with a K/9 around 11.0. In Houston he should overtake Gregerson for the job on skills alone, but who knows how soon. Draft him either way as he will add value in any role.

16. Carter Capps, Mia, Set Up: AJ Ramos has Capps in his rear view mirror after he busted out in 2015 with a 16.8 K/9. That is nearly 2 per inning and led all of MLB though he only pitched about half a season with a 1.16 ERA and .806 WHIP. He only walked 7 in 31 IP.

17. K-Rod, Det, Closer: K-Rod is back in the saddle as a top closer, and one of the few sure bets for 2016. His K-Rate is down a tick from his former glory years, but his walk rate is so much better it more than makes up for it. After 14 years in the Bigs he is only 34.

18. Kevin Siegrist, STL, Set Up: At 26 years old he is establishing himself as a top set up man. He was among the league leaders in Holds and IRS, had excellent K Rates and ERA/WHIP numbers, and his team plays a lot of close games. He still walks too many, 34 in 74 innings, and will need to cut that in half to move up the board.

19. Sean Tolleson, Tex, Closer: Tolleson grabbed the closer role from Neftali Feliz in his age 27 season, and never let go. He logged 35 saves in his first year as closer. His peripherals were good but not elite, though he has no competition for saves in Tex. We know that can change fast.

20.Hector Rondon, ChiCubs, Closer: After logging two consecutive 30 save seasons, Rondon is established as the Cubs closer. Mgr Joe Maddon tends to be fluid with his closers so he may never have job security, but while he does count on him for plenty more saves. The biggest difference with Rondon is that over the last two seasons he has drastically cut down his walks. Pedro Strop might be a good handcuff to draft.

21. Sergio Romo, SF, Set Up: He lost his closer gig to Santiago Casilla after a rough patch in 2014 but is still one of the best relievers in baseball. If Casilla ever falters, watch Romo step right back in. Such is the nature of the beast. He’ll be 33 in a week, but that is not old for a late inning specialist. His Strikeout to Walks ratio is one of the best in baseball, 4th in MLB in 2015, and he was 2nd in Holds and 4th in IRS +H.

22. Santiago Casilla, SF, Closer: He had his best MLB season as far as saves go (38), but was fairly hittable as he pitches to contact. 6 of them left the yard in 2015. He posted his worst ERA in seven years. He comes in the incumbent closer at 35, but Romo is a must handcuff.

23. Brad Ziegler, Ari, Closer:Brad is now the closer on what appears to be the most improved, if not a contending team in 2016. He had his best season at the age of 35, saving 30 games and pitching to an ERA of 1.85 in 2015. But he also had the lowest Babip against of his entire career(.221), .60 points lower than his career mark. He is not dominant, and I could see someone like Daniel Hudson putting some pressure on him later in the year. It looks like he can close more than ball games too.

24. Huston Street, Ana, Closer: Closers close, and he has been doing it for 11 years even though he is only 32. He has been injury prone the last few years but managed 40 saves in an injury free season in 2015. Any season he is healthy he should get you at least 30 saves. He does not really help much in any other category.

25. Pat Neshek, Hou, Set Up: He is quietly one of the best middle relievers in baseball, near the league leaders in Holds and IRS for several years now. He is 35, but so far that has not affected him as a 1 inning specialist. His K/BB ratio is one of the best in baseball the last 2 years.

Next week’s article is going to try and rank another 40-50 relievers. I’ll do it differently so the actual rankings are less important than just knowing who is out there and what they can do. I’ll group them for ease, first listing the rest of the closers, then set up men and finally a brief breakdown of the lefty specialists worth owning in Fantasy. See you then.

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Major League Fantasy Baseball Radio Show: Join Corey D Roberts on Sunday February 21st, 2016 from 7-9pm EST for this week’s episode of the Major League Fantasy Baseball Radio Show. We are a live call in radio show so we encourage callers at 323-870-4395 . Press 1 to speak with the host. This week we will be breaking down the National League starting pitchers from a fantasy and MLB perspective. Our guests this week are Joe Iannone and Calvin Martin, Jr. Joe has been a writer with majorleaguefantasysports.com now for over 3 years. You can catch his articles out every week on Sundays. Calvin is the commisssioner of Major League Fantasy Baseball 3 and solid contender in our leagues. Come join a lively debate. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (Click the RED link below to listen) Major League Fantasy Baseball Weekly Radio Show: Join Lou Landers and Kyle Amore live on Thursday February 18th from 8-10pm EST for the 2016 debut of our Thursday night shows. This show airs live every Thursday night throughout the season from 8-10pm EST. We will take live callers at 323-870-4395. Our first show of the year will be breaking down starting pitchers from an MLB and fantasy perspective. Our guests this week are Hernan Batista and Joe Ciccone. Joe is a writer with MLFS as well as our Chief Editor. His articles release every Wednesday morning. Hernan is a fantasy baseball owner in MLFB1, and MLFB2. Come join a lively discussion!

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