Another week has come and gone and if closers are still piquing your interest it means you’re either in the playoffs in a head-to-head league or in the middle of a tight race in a roto or points league. Quite a bit of moving and shaking in the world of closers this week, and a smart pickup now may be the difference between a championship and another disappointingly close finish. With plenty of teams out of the playoff hunt (either mathematically or logically) and rosters consisting of over 30 players thanks to expanded rosters, some games are becoming much less exciting and taking even longer to play. On the other hand, September baseball is alive and well in places it hasn’t been for a while: Toronto, Chicago, Queens, and all of Texas. It should be a fun last few weeks filled with clutch hits, great plays, and huge saves.

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Closer News Around the League

Kansas City Royals

As most could have probably predicted, Royals closer Greg Holland’s ineffectiveness and continually declining velocity forced manager Ned Yost’s hand. He stated that Wade Davis would be the team’s closer starting now and going into the playoffs. This was inevitable, as the Royals used their huge cushion in the division to try to let Holland work through his issues, but with the playoffs rapidly approaching, Yost wanted to get Davis a few save opportunities before they really started to matter. He’s been excellent again this year, putting together an 8-1 record with a ridiculous 0.99 ERA. He strikes out 10.05 and only walks 2.73 per 9 innings pitched. Filling in for an injured Holland earlier in the year and taking the occasional ninth inning here and there, Davis already has 13 saves. He’s an elite fantasy option for these last few weeks. Meanwhile, Holland won’t even be pitching earlier in games, as the Royals announced that he won’t pitch again in 2015. He has a significant tear in his UCL and Tommy John Surgery is the most likely option.

Boston Red Sox

Ever since Red Sox closer Koji Uehara went down with a non-displaced fracture of his wrist, the team has tried its hardest to find a solid ninth inning option. Junichi Tazawa and Jean Machi have both been officially named the team’s closers before being supplanted soon thereafter. Tazawa has been shut down for the season due to his workload and Machi has been pitching well, but in earlier innings. The Red Sox closer-of-the-month for September is lefty Robbie Ross, who has all five of the team’s saves this month. On the year, Ross has a 4.06 ERA and a mostly pedestrian 7.80 K/9 to go with 2.97 BB/9. He’s not the long term answer for the Sox, but he should be able to hang onto his role for the remainder of the season, which gives him value in all formats of fantasy. Owners desperate for a few extra saves should check their waiver wires for Ross as he is most likely sitting there waiting to be claimed.

Detroit Tigers

Since the trade deadline, the Tigers have been having trouble finding a consistent option for the ninth inning. Alex Wilson had some opportunities as did Bruce Rondon. Now, Bruce Rondon has been sent home due to “effort level.” That doesn’t sound good and doesn’t bode well for his future with the Tigers. For the near future, the Tigers will reportedly go with a mix of Wilson and Neftali Feliz. Wilson has two saves and a 2.22 ERA, but other stats show he’s been lucky and is due for a bit of regression. He only strikes out 4.96 batters per 9 innings. He somewhat gets away with that due to his excellent control (1.43 BB/9) but you ideally never want a contact pitcher trying to lock down a win late in the game. Meanwhile, Neftali Feliz has much better strikeout numbers (7.62 K/9), but is matching it with a hideous 7.62 ERA since joining the Tigers. Neither of these pitchers will be the answer for the Tigers in 2016, but manager Brad Ausmus will likely mix and match for the remainder of the season. Fantasy owners who are absolutely desperate for saves can take a shot on one or the other, but neither is a recommended add outside of a desperation move.

Injury Updates

Baltimore Orioles closer Zach Britton has been listed as day-to-day with a sore left lat. He is reportedly feeling better and will try to play catch soon. Darren O’Day has been closing for the Orioles in the meantime and may be worth a short-term add until Britton returns.

As mentioned above, Royals closer Greg Holland has a tear in his UCL and will almost certainly need to undergo Tommy John Surgery. He is done for 2015 and most likely a large part of 2016 as well.

Interesting Tidbits

This week, Angels closer Huston Street saved his 150th American League game. He had previously piled up 164 National League saves, making him only the third pitcher in baseball history to save 150 games in each league. The others are Francisco Rodriguez and Jeff Reardon.

Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna has two saves against the Yankees this season, making him the only pitcher in baseball history to have more than one save against the Yankees before turning 21.

Top Performers for the Week

Mark Melancon – 4 IP, 4 SV, 4 K, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP

Darren O’Day – 4 IP, 3 SV, 6 K, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP

Arodys Vizcaino – 4 IP, 3 SV, 7 K, 0.00 ERA, 0.75 WHIP

Brad Boxberger – 3 IP, 4 SV, 3 K, 2.70 ERA, 0.90 WHIP

Quite a week for closers as three ninth-inning men ended up with four saves, one of whom (Huston Street) didn’t even make it into the Top Performers section. There were some impressive performances by the usual closers and a few new entries as well.

Pirates closer Mark Melancon had a perfect week, pitching four innings, saving four games, and striking out four batters. He’s one of the best closers in real baseball, but his usual low strikeout rate drops him a tier in fantasy circles.

Orioles closer Zach Britton is suffering from a lat injury, so Darren O’Day has filled in for him and done an excellent job. This week, he pitched four innings, saved three games, struck out six batters, and did not allow a single base runner. He’s only owned in 18% of fantasy leagues and may continue to pick up a few more saves until Britton returns.

Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino had a great week as well, saving three games while pitching four innings and striking out seven. He allowed just two hits and a walk this week. He’s owned in only 32% of leagues and is locked in as the Braves closer for the rest of the season and potentially into next year as well.

Rays closer Brad Boxberger has had an up and down season, but he had a solid week. In three innings spanning across four games, he saved four games and struck out three batters. He was far from perfect though, allowing two walks and a solo home run.

Don’t forget to check out our Closer Depth Chart >>

David A. Marcillo is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from David, check out his archive and follow him @DavidMarcillo77.

