But wait there’s more. Call in
the next ten minutes and we’ll double your order and include the travel size version
as our free gift to you (just pay separate shipping and handling).
Who doesn’t like to get something for free? The makers of those “as seen on TV” ads sure
seem to understand that. And if you are
playing fantasy baseball, have I got a deal for you.
One scoring category that you have to deal with is saves. Unfortunately, that category is also the most
volatile and most difficult to predict in the draft. But that volatility is where the good news
comes in during the season. You don’t
have to pay to get saves.
Every team anoints a closer at the start of the season. Problem is that about a third of the thirty MLB
teams will finish the season with a different man in the role. Injury or ineffectiveness could lead a team
to install a new ninth inning specialist.
In fact, only a quarter of the way into this season the Cardinals, Cubs,
Tigers, Brewers, Red Sox and Diamondbacks have already made the switch. A few
of the clubs have even replaced their closer more than once.
When Ryan Madson returns from injury, the Angels will join that list as
the seventh team to depose a closer.
Madson’s return illustrates another point. To provide value through saves, a closer just
needs an opportunity. Since all thirty
teams designate a closer, any pitcher holding that closer label has the
potential to provide value.
Looking back at 2012, picking amongst the eight highest drafted closers
could have netted you Mariano Rivera, John Axford, Drew Storen, Brian Wilson or
Heath Bell. Injuries wiped out a large
portion of the season for Rivera, Storen and Wilson. Ineffectiveness sabotaged Bell and
Axford. Therefore, five of the eight
would have failed to deliver on your investment.
On the other hand, “freely available” closers could have netted you
very valuable statistics. Undrafted Jim
Johnson of the Orioles led the American League with 51 saves. Forgotten man Fernando Rodney set a new ERA
record with the Rays to go along with his 48 saves. Rafael Soriano stepped in for the injured Mariano Rivera
and churned out 42 saves. These three
men were the most valuable closers to own in the American League last year.
And the best thing about those three players is that you could have
added any one of them to your roster…for free.
That position is a difficult position to play. People do not realize the extreme pressure these guys are under. These players often receive a lot of criticism because they only pitch one inning every other day or every third day or so. Some closer's can go almost a week without pitching.
ReplyDeleteYou are right about the usage of closers. Part of the problem is the inconsistency in their appearances. It is possible to get 3 saves in 4 games and then go a week without one.
DeleteI never thought about baseball like that before. Very interesting!
ReplyDelete