Fantasy Baseball Closer Chart 9/13/23 update: Tyler Kinley is the new committee leader for the Rockies, and Aroldis Chapman is the new leader for the Rangers as well. Adbert Alzolay is on the IL with a forearm strain, so the Cubs are back to being a committee.
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:Â 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 2023 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 | TEAM NEWS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AL EAST | ||||||
BAL | Sober | Yennier Cano | Danny Coulombre | Shintaro Fujinami | Dillion Tate Felix Bautista | Baltimore gets Coulombre back from the IL, but Felix Bautista is heading to the IL with an injury. Cano will likely get the majority of high leverage innings until Bautista returns. |
BOS | Sober | Kenley Jansen | Chris Martin | Josh Winckowski | Kenley Jansen said he is feeling good after leaving with a hamstring, and should be able to avoid the IL. Chris Martin could see more closing opportunities if Jansen needs extra days of rest to manage his injury. | |
NYY | Sober | Clay Holmes | Tommy Kahnle | Michael King | Holmes has completely turn around his pitching and has gotten his pinpoint placement back. So no more committee tag for the Yankees. | |
TB | Sober | Pete Fairbanks | Jason Adams | Colin Poche | Andrew Kittridge is back from his long recovery from Tommy John surgery. The Rays will ease him back into the action. | |
TOR | Sober | Jordan Romano | Jordan Hicks | Yimi Garcia | Erik Swanson | Erik Swanson was placed on the IL with a spine inflammation. |
AL CENTRAL | ||||||
CHW* | Drunk Tank | Gregory Santos | Aaron Bummer | Bryan Shaw | Liam Hendriks | Huge bummer, but Hendriks will miss the rest of the season with Tommy John surgery. Santos has been placed on the bereavement list, so Bummer and Shaw will take over until Santos returns. |
CLE | Buzzed | Emmanuel Clase | Trevor Stephan | Enyel De Los Santos | Clase has recorded his 10th blown save of the season. Due to these recently struggles and are slapping the buzzed tag on Clase. | |
DET* | Drunk Tank | Alex Lange | Jason Foley | Beau Brieske | Lange looks to regain his command and has recorded the last two saves for the Tigers, so he will hold on his spot even though Foley is looking sharp. | |
KC* | Drunk Tank | Carlos Hernandez | Taylor Clarke | Collin Snider | Josh Staumont Austin Cox | Austin Cox was placed on the 60-day IL after injuring himself while covering first base. Collin Snider recorded his first hold of the season, so will move the young arm up the chart. |
MIN | Sober | Jhoan Duran | Griffin Jax | Emilio Pagan Dylan Floro | Brock Stewart | The Twins traded for Dylan Floro, he'll share the third sport with Pagan. if Floro can be consistent he'll overtake Pagan in no time. |
AL WEST | ||||||
HOU | Sober | Ryan Pressly | Hector Neris | Bryan Abreu | The Astros traded for Kendall Graveman. The Astros have a deep bullpen, so Graveman won't make the chart right now, but he could crack it sooner than later. | |
LAA | Sober | Carlos Estevez | Aaron Loup | Jimmy Hergert | Jose Quijada | Jimmy Hergert picked up his 5th hold of the season and will move back up to his old spot. |
OAK | Sober | Trevor May | Lucas Ecreg | Dany Jimenez | Zach Jackson Richard Lovelady | Trevor May recorded his 19th save. It was been crazy the turnaround May has had the second part of the season. |
SEA | Sober | Andres Munoz | Matt Brash | Justin Topa | Brash recorded his third save of the year and is moving up to the setup spot for Munoz. | |
TEX* | Drunk Tank | Aroldis Chapman | Will Smith | Jose Leclerc | Well it has finally happened, Chapman has taken over as the leader for the Rangers, racking up his 5th save of the season. | |
NL EAST | ||||||
ATL | Sober | Raisel Iglesias | A.J. Minter | Kirby Yates | Nick Anderson | A.J. Minter has been activated off the IL. |
MIA | Drunk Tank* | Tanner Scott | Andrew Nardi | A.J. Puk | David Robertson has been removed as the Marlins' closer with his recent struggles. Scott will lead the Marlins going forward. | |
NYM* | Drunk Tank | Brooks Raley | Adam Ottavino | Drew Smith | Edwin Diaz | Adam Ottavino has failed in becoming the leader of the committee, so Raley is overtaking his spot as the lead dog. |
PHL* | Drunk Tank | Craig Kimbrel | Jose Alvarado | Seranthony Dominguez | Jose Alvarado has returned from the IL and should resume contributing in high leverage situations right away. | |
WAS* | Drunk Tank | Kyle Finnegan | Hunter Harvey | Mason Thompson | Tanner Rainey Carl Edwards Jr. | Mason Thompson is back from the IL and was used in high leverage situations right away. |
NL CENTRAL | ||||||
CHC* | Drunk Tank | Mark Leiter Jr. | Julian Merryweather | Michael Fulmer | Adbert Alzolay | Adbert Alzolay is on the IL with a forearm strain, which means the Cubs are back being a committee. Leiter will lead the Cubs bullpen going forwarded. |
CIN | Buzzed | Alexis Diaz | Lucas Sims | Buck Farmer | Tejay Antone | The Reds traded for Sam Moll from Oakland. We'll need to see what his usage will be before adding him to the chart. |
MIL | Sober | Devin Williams | Joel Payamps | Elvis Peguero Andrew Chafin | The Brewers traded for Andrew Chafin. We'll have to wait and see how Craig Counsell uses Chafin before moving him up the chart. | |
PIT | Sober | David Bednar | Colin Holderman | Thomas Hatch | Holderman was returned from the IL, and had a scoreless inning in his first action back, so he returns to his spot as the setup man for Bednar. | |
STL* | Drunk Tank | Ryan Helsley | Giovanny Gallegos | John King | JoJo Romeo | Ryan Helsley has recorded his first save since returning and is back to his old spot as the committee leader. |
NL WEST | ||||||
ARI | Sober | Paul Sewald | Kevin Ginkel | Miguel Castro | Mark Melancon | Arizona traded for Paul Sewald. He has been great and will be the top guy right away. |
COL* | Drunk Tank | Tyler Kinley | Justin Lawrence | Matt Koch | Tyler Kinley has been used mostly high leverage innings and has been great, so he is shooting up to the lead dog spot for the Rockies. | |
LAD* | Drunk Tank | Evan Phillips | Brusdar Graterol | Caleb Ferguson | Blake Treinen Alex Reyes Daniel Hudson | Well, Daniel Hudson is back on the IL with a MCL injury. He is going to be out for at least 1-2 months. No change in the chart for the Dodgers, it's just a shame that Hudson is back on the IL. |
SD | Sober | Josh Hader | Robert Suarez | Scott Barlow | Steven Wilson | Suarez is back from his 10 game suspension and will returned to his old spot on the old spot. |
SF | Sober | Camilo Doval | Tyler Rogers | John Brebbia | Doval is on a hot streak with four consecutive saves. |