Fantasy Baseball Closer Chart 6-14-21 update: Kendall Graveman and Zack Britton are back! Tejay Antone and Daniel Hudson are on the IL.
Be sure to check out all the new info below and adjust your lineups/rosters accordingly!
As witnessed year-in and year-out, Relief Pitcher exemplifies the term “volatility” more than any other position in baseball. Injuries, repeated blown saves/ineffective outings, and deadline trades are just a few reasons for player movement at the position.
The Closer role is an even more-fluid position due to the influx of “Closer Committees” present throughout the league. Numerous MLB teams have adopted this philosophy, allowing for more flexibility in deploying their best pitchers during the later innings.
Last season we altered the Job Security Legend in an effort to stay true to our site’s namesake. This year, we are keeping a similar format, but we have updated the BAC Levels slightly. Here is the breakdown of updated levels of confidence from high to low:
- Sober: Who got the keys to the Jeep? This guy does, and he is the clear Designated Driver of his team’s ninth-inning duties.
- Buzzed: This player has a clear case of the hiccups, but he’s still the best choice for late-night excitement.
- Hammered: Sloppy and stumbling are continually used to describe this player’s performance. His seat at the center field bar is ripe for the taking.
- Drunk Tank: Our new Closer Committee classification (noted with an *) for teams with two-plus relievers trying to seal the deal.
Pick-up a Sixer, and come drink-in all the frothy goodness of our 2020 Closer Chart. Stay tuned weekly for any, and all, relief pitching changes throughout the fantasy season.
Be sure to check out the rest of our Fantasy Baseball content for the latest news and notes to help you win your league. Stay frosty!
Fantasy Baseball Closer Chart
| TEAMS | BAC LEVEL | LEAD CLOSER | SETUP MAN | NEXT MAN UP | IL/COVID LIST | TEAM NEWS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL EAST | ||||||
| BAL | Sober | Paul Fry | Cesar Valdez | Hunter Harvey | Hunter Harvey has been activated off the IL, and has looked rusty in his last two innings, but we will see if he can overtake the closer role from Fry. | |
| BOS | Sober | Matt Barnes | Adam Ottavino | Darwinzon Hernandez | Ryan Brasier | Barnes continues to be an elite closer, racking up seven strikeouts, three saves, and one win in his last four appearances. |
| NYY | Sober | Aroldis Chapman | Zack Britton | Chad Green | Britton has returned from the IL, and pitched a hitless inning on 6/12. | |
| TB* | Drunk Tank | Diego Castillo | JP Feyereisen | Pete Fairbanks | Nick Anderson (60-Day IL) | Since becoming a member of the Rays, Feyereisen has recorded nine strikeouts, three saves, and two wins. He is quickly making a case to be the committee leader but will need to see a few more innings before that happens. |
| TOR* | Drunk Tank | Jordan Romano | Rafael Dolis | Tyler Chatwood | Kirby Yates Julian Merryweather David Phelps | Chatwood is on the verge of moving farther down the chart. He has allowed seven earned runs in his last three games. |
| AL CENTRAL | ||||||
| CHW | Sober | Liam Hendriks | Aaron Bummer | Garrett Crochet | In his last seven games, Hendriks has recorded 12 strikeouts, six saves, and one win, showing fantasy managers that he was worth the early draft capital. | |
| CLE | Sober | Emmanuel Clase | James Karinchak | Bryan Shaw | Bryan Shaw hasn't allowed a run in eight consecutive games and is now taking over the second-in-line spot over Wittgren. | |
| DET* | Drunk Tank | Gregory Soto | Jose Cisnero | Bryan Garcia | Michael Fulmer | Michael Fulmer is officially on the IL, which bumps Bryan Garcia up the chart. Soto and Cisnero will be a two-man closing committee. |
| KC* | Drunk Tank | Josh Staumont | Scott Barlow | Greg Holland | Jesse Hahn | Josh Staumont is back from the IL, so he will resume his position as the lead dog in the Royals' committee. |
| MIN* | Drunk Tank | Hansel Robles | Taylor Rogers | Alex Colome | Rogers recorded his 5th save on 6/5, but Robles is still the lead dog considering he has two of the Twins' last three saves. | |
| AL WEST | ||||||
| HOU | Sober | Ryan Pressly | Ryne Stanek | Brooks Raley | Pedro Baez Joe Smith | Joe Smith is on the IL, which moves Raley back up the chart. |
| LAA | Sober | Raisel Iglesias | Mike Mayers | Tony Watson | Iglesias has a 22 percent swinging-strike rate in his last 10 outings, which explains how he recorded six saves during that time. | |
| OAK* | Drunk Tank | Lou Trivino | Jake Diekman | Yusmeiro Petit | Trevor Rosenthal | After recording a loss against the Mariners, Trivino struck back hard with his 8th save. |
| SEA* | Drunk Tank | Kendall Graveman | Rafael Montero | Anthony Misiewicz | Graveman is back from the IL! | |
| TEX* | Drunk Tank | Joely Rodriguez | John King | Josh Sborz | Jonathan Hernandez Jose Leclerc Matt Bush Ian Kennedy | Ian Kennedy was placed on the IL on 6/6 with a hamstring strain. The Rangers are now a committee until Kennedy returns, which means that Rodriguez will be the lead now. |
| NL EAST | ||||||
| ATL | Sober | Will Smith | Chris Martin | A.J. Minter | Will Smith is on a roll right now. He has recorded four saves in his last five games. | |
| MIA | Sober | Yimi Garcia | Dylan Floro | Richard Bleier | Bass was on the verge of overtaking Bleier a month ago, but Bleier has been lights out in his last five games. | |
| NYM | Sober | Edwin Diaz | Miguel Castro | Jeurys Familia | Seth Lugo Dellinan Betances | May is off the chart because he can't pitch consistently anymore. |
| PHL | Sober | Hector Neris | Jose Alvarado | Sam Coonrod | Neris was placed on the paternity list, so Alvarado and Coonrod will have some shots at saves until Neris returns. | |
| WAS | Sober | Brad Hand | Wander Suero | Kyle Finnegan | Will Harris Daniel Hudson | Hand has recorded two consecutive saves. |
| NL CENTRAL | ||||||
| CHC | Sober | Craig Kimbrel | Andrew Chafin | Ryan Tepera | Rowan Wick | Tepera is moving up the chart; he has recorded five holds and one save in his last 10 games. |
| CIN* | Drunk Tank | Lucas Sims | Sean Doolittle | Heath Hembree | Tejay Antone | Antone is on the IL with foreman inflammation. |
| MIL | Sober | Josh Hader | Devin Williams | Brad Boxberger | Hader recorded his 14th save on 6/5. | |
| PIT | Sober | Richard Rodriguez | Kyle Crick | Chris Stratton | Kyle Crick is off the IL, and resumes his job as the setup man for Rodriguez. | |
| STL | Sober | Alex Reyes | Giovanny Gallegos | Ryan Helsley | Jordan Hicks Andrew Miller | Reyes recorded his 16th save on 6/1. |
| NL WEST | ||||||
| ARI | Sober | Stefan Crichton | Joakim Soria | Kevin Ginkel | Kevin Ginkel is back on the chart after pitching more consistently in his last four outings, allowing only one run. | |
| COL | Hammered | Daniel Bard | Carlos Estevez | Robert Stephenson | Scott Oberg | After a long stretch with no saves, Bard has now recorded two consecutive saves (his 7th save on 6/5). |
| LAD | Sober | Kenley Jansen | Blake Treinen | Victor Gonzalez | Corey Knebel | Jansen recorded his 12th save on 5/27. |
| SD | Sober | Mark Melancon | Emilio Pagan | Craig Stammen | Drew Pomeranz | Melancon continues to lead the majors in saves, recording his 19th save on 6/4. |
| SF* | Drunk Tank | Tyler Rogers | Jake McGee | Zack Littell | Reyes Moronta | Rogers is now the lead dog in the Giants' committee since he has recorded three out of the Giants' last four saves. |
