Types of Closers I Look to Avoid
Sep 28, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Casey Janssen (44) throws a pitch during the ninth inning in a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre. The Baltimore Orioles won 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
If I draft a closer, then I am expecting them to have positive contributions in four categories. My relief pitchers should improve my team’s ERA, WHIP, and K or K/9 as well as saves.
The article about Greg Holland and the other elite closers shows the value they can add to your team, but can a low-end closer actually detract from it?
Yes, saves are nice, but I would not want to harm multiple categories in order to notch a couple of lousy saves. Casey Janssen of the Toronto Blue Jays provided his owners with 25 saves, but it came with a price tag, especially if you played in a league with K/9.
Janssen posted a pedestrian 3.94 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and a horrid 5.52 K/9. While Janssen did miss some time due to injury and struggling with keeping his job near the end of the season, he still only struck out 25 batters over the course of the season. Corey Kluber does that in like two games.
Old man LaTroy Hawkins of the Colorado Rockies is another closer with very limited upside and big downside. At 41 years of age, Hawkins found himself with a ninth inning gig and was one of the lowest drafted closers for good reason. He was old and would be lucky to have an average season.
LaTroy Hawkins posted a very respectable 3.31 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, but those are not what you want from your closers. Plus, old man Hawkins only notched 23 saves and 32 strikeouts on a putrid team.
Despite averaging around five strikeouts a month, I want to commend Hawkins on being able to produce at a Major League level at his age. That is pretty amazing for someone who debuted with the Minnesota Twins in 1995.
A third closer I am not terribly keen on is Santiago Casilla of the San Francisco Giants for a couple reasons. One is the strikeout rate I will always go back to and the second reason is that Sergio Romo is lurking. Yes, Casilla is the closer on the pennant winning Giants, but that means nothing for fantasy baseball next year.
Santiago Casilla had a phenomenal ERA of 1.70 and WHIP of 0.86, but his K/9 of 6.94 left a lot to be desired. He is major step up from Janssen and Hawkins, but I would rather invest in a four category contributor at a similar price.
However, if it comes down to getting a guy who is excellent in ERA and WHIP versus their ability to miss bats, then I would take the chance on a strikeout pitcher like Steve Cishek of the Florida, I mean, Miami Marlins next year. As a bonus, Steve Cishek posted a 2.17 FIP and 2.34 SIERA. Expect big numbers from him in 2015.
Besides the big four closers discussed earlier this week, check out the guys who did well in all of the categories that relievers can contribute in. If you choose not to break the bank on a big time closer, then target the guys that posted a double digit K/9 in 2014.