September 19, 2019 Update: Well, so much for our 9/16/19 update being the last one of the 2109 Fantasy Baseball Season! Due to Tuesday’s news regarding Pirates Closer, Felipe Vazquez, I felt it was necessary to make another “final” update. I will not divulge into the criminal charges here, as this is a family-friendly site, and what he did is just, plain despicable! So, I will just move on with our new, last update of the season!
As previously stated, please be sure to check back with us next February/March when we unveil the revamped 2020 Fantasy Six Pack Closer Chart! Enjoy the offseason, and the MLB Playoffs. Cheers!
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.
This season, we here at Fantasy Six Pack decided to have a little more fun with the Closer Chart. And, in an effort to stay true to our site’s namesake, we have altered the Job Security legend from previous seasons. Here is the breakdown of the new-and-improved 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 clearly had a few drinks, but is still standing strong at Last-Call.
- Drunk: This guy is blatantly sloppy and stumbling, and his Uber driver is en route to take him home from the party early.
- Hammered Wingmen: Two (or more) drinking buddies who simply cannot seal the deal on their own.
Pick-up a Sixer, and come drink-in all the frothy goodness of our 2019 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
| Team | BAC Level | Current Closer(s) | Next Man Up | Looming Handcuff(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Diamondbacks | Sober | Archie Bradley | Kevin Ginkel | Andrew Chafin | Archie Bradley and Kevin Ginkel continue to be a strong 1-2 punch in the late innings for the D-Backs. |
| Atlanta Braves | Sober | Mark Melancon | Shane Greene | Chris Martin | Atlanta is officially headed back to the postseason, and all of the pieces they added to their bullpen at the trade deadline are a big reason for their continued success. |
| Baltimore Orioles | Hammered Wingmen | - Mychal Givens - Shawn Armstrong | Richard Bleier | Miguel Castro | Hunter Harvey will be shut down for the rest of the season with lingering biceps soreness. We're inserting Miguel Castro back into the O's hierarchy, but we cannot recommend using him after he blew a four-run lead on 9/18. |
| Boston Red Sox | Sober | Brandon Workman | Matt Barnes | Andrew Cashner | Workman continues to lock-down the Saves for Boston, but converted-starter, Andrew Cashner, is starting to rack-up the Holds for Boston down the stretch. |
| Chicago Cubs | Hammered Wingmen | - Rowan Wick - Steve Cishek | David Phelps | Brandon Kintzler (DTD) Craig Kimbrel (IL) | The Cubs are still without both Craig Kimbrel (IL) and Brandon Kintzler (DTD), so they will continue to turn to Rowan Wick, Steve Cishek and David Phelps until their other relievers get healthy. |
| Chicago White Sox | Sober | Alex Colome | Aaron Bummer | Evan Marshall | Things remain status quo for the White Sox. |
| Cincinnati Reds | Buzzed | Raisel Iglesias | Robert Stephenson | Michael Lorenzen | Robert Stephenson takes over as the Next Man Up, with four Holds in September. |
| Cleveland Indians | Sober | Brad Hand | Nick Goody | Tyler Clippard | Tyler Clippard finds his way back into the Cleveland hierarchy for the stretch run. |
| Colorado Rockies | Buzzed | Jairo Diaz | Carlos Estevez | Brian Shaw | Jairo Diaz has taken over as the stand-alone leader in Colorado, and should continue to see the majority of Save chances down the stretch. |
| Detroit Tigers | Sober | Joe Jimenez | Buck Farmer | Jose Cisnero | Jose Cisnero finds himself in the Detroit hierarchy as a Looming Handcuff. |
| Houston Astros | Sober | Roberto Osuna | Will Harris | Hector Rondon | No new changes to the Houston hierarchy. |
| Kansas City Royals | Sober | Ian Kennedy | Scott Barlow | Tim Hill | Things remain status quo in Kansas City. |
| Los Angeles Angels | Buzzed | Hansel Robles | Ty Buttrey | Keynan Middleton | No new changes to the LA Angels heirarchy. |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | Sober | Kenley Jansen | Joe Kelly | Pedro Baez | No major changes for one of the most-consistent bullpens in baseball. |
| Miami Marlins | Drunk | Jose Urena | Ryne Stanek | Jarlin Garcia | Jose Urena has both of the Miami Saves in September, but he has not been sharp. He still looks to be the first choice for Saves, though. |
| Milwaukee Brewers | Sober | Josh Hader | Drew Pomeranz | - Junior Guerra - Matt Albers | Josh Hader is back to form, with six Saves and one Win across 8.2 IP in September. Meanwhile, Drew Pomeranz continues to excel ahead of Hader, with four Holds and one Save on the month, himself. |
| Minnesota Twins | Sober | Taylor Rogers | Sergio Romo | Sam Dyson | We're anointing Rogers the lead Closer in Minnesota, as Sergio Romo has not earned a Save since 8/16, and has five Holds in September. |
| New York Mets | Buzzed | Seth Lugo | Justin Wilson | Edwin Diaz | Oh, how the mighty do fall! Edwin Diaz, arguably the best Closer in 2018, is now relegated to Holds/Setup duties for the Mets. |
| New York Yankees | Sober | Aroldis Chapman | Zack Britton | Adam Ottavino | Things remain status quo for the Yankees hierarchy. |
| Oakland Athletics | Sober | Liam Hendriks | Joakim Soria (DTD) | - Yusmeiro Petit - Lou Trivino | Joakim Soria has been dealing with an elbow issue since 9/6, but could return this week. Petit and Trivino figure to continue to fill-in for Soria until he is back. |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Sober | Hector Neris | Jose Alvarez | Blake Parker | Hector Neris remains the go-to-guy for Saves, while Jose Alvarez and Blake Parker continue to rack-up the Holds for Philly. |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Hammered Wingmen | - Keona Kela - Richard Rodriguez | Francisco Liriano | Yacksel Rios | Felipe Vazquez was arrested on 9/17, and will not pitch for the Pirates for the rest of the season. Keona Kela will get the first look for Saves in Vazquez's absence, but we're moving this bullpen into committee status for the rest of the year. |
| San Diego Padres | Sober | Kirby Yates | Craig Stammen | Andres Munoz | We're putting Andres Munoz back into the Looming Handcuff slot, as he and Craig Stammen continue to get the chances ahead of Kirby Yates. |
| San Francisco Giants | Drunk | Will Smith (DTD) | Shaun Anderson | Jandel Gustave | Tony Watson will miss the rest of the 2019 season with a fractured wrist, and Will Smith is still dealing with some lingering back issues. Look for Shaun Anderson and Jandel Gustave to continue to hold down the fort for San Fran while Smith is out. |
| Seattle Mariners | Hammered Wingmen | - Matt Magill - Anthony Bass | Sam Tuivailala | Matt Wisler | Matt Magill was dealing with back issues earlier in September, but returned to earn the Win for Seattle on 9/14. He should continue to lead the Mariners Closer Committee down the stretch, assuming he remains healthy. |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Sober | Carlos Martinez | Andrew Miller | Giovanny Gallegos | Martinez returned to the mound on 9/18, and converted a four-out Save with four groundouts. He remains the lead Closer for the Cardinals. |
| Tampa Bay Rays | Buzzed | Emilio Pagan | Nick Anderson | Oliver Drake | Emilio Pagan has taken over as the lead Closer for TB, with Nick Anderson and Oliver Drake picking up the slack in front of him. |
| Texas Rangers | Sober | Jose Leclerc | Rafael Montero | Emmanuel Clase | Shawn Kelley has fallen out of the Texas hierarchy in favor of Emmanuel Clase. |
| Toronto Blue Jays | Sober | Ken Giles | Derek Law | Jason Adam | Tim Mayza is now slated for Tommy John surgery after leaving his 9/13 outing early, and being diagnosed with a torn UCL. |
| Washington Nationals | Hammered Wingmen | - Daniel Hudson - Hunter Strickland | Fernando Rodney | Sean Doolittle | Sean Doolittle was activated from the IL on 9/1, but has only pitched in low leverage situations since his return. He will continue to do so until he's back to form. |
