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Closer Report: Parnell Sidelined, Valverde To Close

RotoExpertsGeorge Kurtz provides an update on Closer news from around the diamond and shares his latest Closer Chart.

 

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Closers really are a necessary evil in Fantasy Baseball. We have to draft them, we have to start them, and then we pray they will perform for us. It’s almost like playing Russian roulette and hoping the chamber is empty when the gun is pointed at you.  The strategy of never drafting a closer early or never paying big bucks for one has never looked better. Who will be standing when the season ends?

 

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The cylinder wasn’t empty when it landed on Casey Janssen. He was placed on the disabled list Sunday due to a lower back strain and won’t be eligible to return until April 13. How the Jays handled Janssen was curious to say the least. He had been dealing with a shoulder injury for most of the spring. Why pitch him in an official spring training game? Why not a minor league game where you could back date any DL stint should it be necessary? Whoops. Sergio Santos will take over the closer role and this could be more than just a temporary filling, as Santos was acquired from the White Sox after the 2011 season to be the team’s closer. If Santos were to pitch well during the next two weeks, I wouldn’t be surprised if Janssen returns as the setup man and not the closer. It would certainly be ironic, as an injury to Santos was how Janssen took over the closer role from him in the first place.

 

It’s still expected that J.J. Hoover will get first crack at the closer’s role in Cincinnati with Aroldis Chapman down for at least the next 6-8 weeks, but he hasn’t pitched all that well this spring. Hoover has given up a run in six of his eight appearances, which is certainly not something you want to see out of your closer. He could have a short leash in the role, especially when Jonathan Broxton and Sean Marshall are recovered from their respective injuries.

 

The news on Bobby Parnell sounds ominous, as it was revealed he has a partially torn medial collateral ligament in his throwing elbow. According to news reports, Parnell was given a platelet rich injection and will rest for two weeks before starting a throwing program. The Mets are hoping Tommy John surgery can be avoided, which would sideline Parnell for the 2014 season. It was also announced that Jose Valverde will be the Mets closer for the time being. Valverde posted a 5.59 ERA over 19.1 innings pitched with the Tigers last season. His last full season was 2012, when he was dropped as the Tigers closer after posting a record of 3-4 with 35 saves and five blown saves.

 

Francisco Rodriguez was announced as the Milwaukee Brewers closer to begin the 2014 season.  Jim Henderson, who was expected to take ninth inning duties, is experiencing “diminished velocity and life” on his pitches according to news reports. The move may be temporary since Henderson pitched effectively during his final four outings of spring training. Henderson will be used in situations where he can work on” getting his stuff back” according to manager Ron Roenicke. He left the door open for Henderson to return to closing at some point.

 

Tommy Hunter let it be known Sunday that he has never been told that he is the closer, only that it has been implied that he will get the first shot at the job. Anyone want to take bets on how long he will last? Could Kevin Gausman be in the mix down the line? How about Bud Norris? This is going to be a revolving door all season.

 

White Sox manager Robin Ventura caused quite a few Fantasy players to throw their hands in the air last week when he announced that he is thinking about going with a closer by committee to start the season. It was thought that Nate Jones would get the job but apparently Ventura likes what he has seen out of Matt Lindstrom and may also want to see what the newly acquired Javy Guerra can do. The Sox and Astros look like they want to keep owners guessing in the early part of the season.

 

Scouts that have watched the Yankees David Robertson are reporting that his fastball velocity has rarely gotten above 90 MPH this spring. Is this a red flag? Probably not, as there could be a reasonable explanation for this. Perhaps he hasn’t felt the need to let it loose in meaningless games or he could’ve even been working on something. Robertson has also been known as someone whose velocity increases as the season wears on. Still, if he proves that he can’t handle the job there is no clear cut choice on the roster to replace him. Dellin Betances anyone?

 

Since Carlos Martinez has been demoted to the bullpen it’s fair to wonder if he would be the closer in waiting should Trevor Rosenthal underperform or get injured. As it stands now, the Cardinals look like a team that wants to play seven inning games, as opposing batters will have an extremely difficult time scoring in the 8th and 9th innings off of these two flame throwers.

 

Closer Chart

 

Team  Closer  Next in Line  Deep Potential  DL
 ARI  Addison Reed  Brad Ziegler  J.J. Putz
 ATL  Craig Kimbrel  Jordan Walden  Luis Avilan
 BAL  Tommy Hunter  Darren O’Day  Ryan Webb
 BOS  Koji Uehara  Edward Mujica  Junichi Tazawa
 CHC  Jose Veras  Pedro Strop  James Parker  Kyuji Fujikawa
 CHW  Matt Lindstrom  Nate Jones, Daniel Webb  Scott Downs
 CIN  J. J. Hoover  Sam Lecure  Logan Ondrusek  Aroldis Chapman
 CLE  John Axford  Cody Allen  Vinnie Pestano
 COL  LaTroy Hawkins  Rex Brothers  Wilton Lopez
 DET  Joe Nathan  Joba Chamberlain  Al Alburquerque
 HOU  Chad Qualls  Josh Fields  Matt Albers  Jesse Crain
 KC  Greg Holland  Aaron Crow  Kelvin Herera
 LAA  Ernesto Frieri  Joe Smith  Kevin Jepsen  Dane De LaRosa
 LAD  Kenley Jansen  Brian Wilson  Chris Perez
 MIA  Steve Cishek  A.J. Ramos  Mike Dunn
 MIL  Jim Henderson  Francisco Rodriguez  Brandon Kintzler
 MIN  Glen Perkins  Jared Burton  Casey Fien
 NYM  Bobby Parnell  Jose Valverde  Vic Black
 NYY  David Robertson  Matt Thornton  Shawn Kelley
 OAK  Jim Johnson  Luke Gregerson  Sean Doolittle  Ryan Cook
 PHI  Jonathan Papelbon  Mike Adams  Antonio Bastardo
 PIT  Jason Grilli  Mark Melancon  Vin Mazzaro
 STL  Trevor Rosenthal  Carlos Martinez  Jason Motte
 SD  Huston Street  Joaquin Benoit  Dale Thayer
 SF  Sergio Romo  Santiago Casilla  Jeremy Affeldt
 SEA  Fernando Rodney  Danny Farquhar  Tom Wilhelmsen
 TB  Grant Balfour  Heath Bell  Jake McGee
 TEX  Joakim Soria  Alexi Ogando  Jason Frasor
 TOR  Sergio Santos  Steve Delabar  Brett Cecil  Casey Janssen
 WSH  Rafael Soriano  Tyler Clippard  Drew Storen

 
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