AJ Ramos is back, but not as the Marlins’ closer
Bad news: the regular season is almost over, with teams seeing fewer than 40 games left on their schedules. Good news: that means playoff baseball starts soon, and even sooner in fantasy leagues. Once fantasy playoffs start, the difference between advancing to the next week and digitally packing up and heading home could be as little as one save, one strikeout, one one-hundredth of a point in WHIP or ERA. There are going to be very few players left on waiver wires who can make an impact at this point, but maybe a lucky manager or two will find some saves at the last minute.
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Closer News From Around The League
Miami Marlins
Miami Marlins closer A.J. Ramos was having an excellent season until he fractured a finger on his throwing hand. He had a rough outing while trying to pitch through the pain, and was then placed on the 15-day disabled list. He only required the 15 days and no more, but his job was not waiting for him when he returned. Fernando Rodney was the logical choice to replace Ramos in the ninth inning while Ramos was on the shelf, but with Ramos already back in the bullpen, Rodney is still closing games and shooting arrows after his saves. At first, manager Don Mattingly said he wanted to ease Ramos back into his role and was unsure if he could pitch on back-to-back days. Ramos appeared on Tuesday and Wednesday, pitching scoreless innings in both games, neither in save situations. Meanwhile, Rodney is 8-for-8 in save opportunities, but he has not exactly pitched well. Seemingly every save ends with multiple runners on base, usually due to walks. Rodney has perfected the “roller coaster save” while with the Marlins, but his luck may run out soon. Ramos is the far superior pitcher and should regain his role before long.
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks’ organization, based on recent reports, is a mess. The Arizona Diamondbacks’ bullpen, based on recent games, is a mess. Isn’t symmetry fun? The D’Backs traded some bullpen pieces at the deadline, including more-than-solid closer Brad Zieger to the Boston Red Sox, leaving a closer-by-committee in the desert. At first, it was expected that Daniel Hudson would take over the ninth, but he’d pitched so poorly before the trade deadline that he was not given that chance. Jake Barrett closed a few games, Enrique Burgos gave it a shot, even Dominic Leone and his 7.91 ERA got a chance. It almost always went as poorly as you’d expect. Suddenly, though, Hudson has 10 consecutive scoreless appearances and it looks like he will get the chance to lead the ugly Arizona committee. Hudson has always had nice upside as a pitcher, but he can go into stretches where everyone he faces seems to reach base. Tread carefully in fantasy, but those desperate for saves may be okay dipping their toes in the desert water.
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies started the season with Jake McGee as their closer. Then he got hurt. They went with Carlos Estevez for a bit. Then he got bad. Adam Ottavino has always had closer written all over him, but he was hurt. Then he got healthy. Now, Adam Ottavino is the Rockies’ closer, and he seems fairly locked into the role. He has yet to allow a run in 16 1/3 innings and is striking out over a batter per inning (9.37 K/9) while keeping his walk rate impressively low (1.65 BB/9). He’s a definite target in fantasy leagues for managers looking for saves down the stretch and into the fantasy playoffs.
Injury Updates
Los Angeles Angels closer Huston Street had knee surgery on his right knee and will miss the rest of the season. Street hadn’t pitched since July 31st, but the surgery was a relatively minor one and the veteran should be ready for the start of Spring Training in February.
Top Performers From August 18 – August 25, 2016
Fernando Rodney (MIA): 4 IP, 3 K, 4 SV, 0.00 ERA, 1.75 WHIP
While almost all of Rodney’s outings this week were quite adventurous, the bottom line is he did not give up any runs and was the only closer to record four saves. He allowed three hits and four walks, seemingly always having runners on base, but ended up shooting his arrow after each appearance.
Craig Kimbrel (BOS): 3 IP, 6 K, 2 SV, 0.00 ERA, 0.33 WHIP
Kimbrel may have only saved two games this week, but he also struck out six and allowed only one hit in his three games. With all of the closers who saved three games this week allowing more hits and runs and striking out fewer batters, Kimbrel gets the second Top Performers spot for the week.
Kelvin Herrera (KCR): 3 IP, 3 K, 2 SV, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP
Another two-save closer, Herrera, makes it onto Top Performers not by his strikeouts, but by his perfection. In three games, he did not allow a single base runner, making it through perfectly. He’s currently owned in only 56% of fantasy leagues, but with Wade Davis already pitching in rehab games, it may not be the best time to snag Herrera as anything more than a very short term option.
David A. Marcillo is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from David, check out his archive and follow him @DavidMarcillo77.
