Fantasy Baseball Player Notes

Every year, there are arguments about the value of closers. Fantasy managers who consistently win leagues say having one or two elite closers is a season maker. Fantasy managers who say closers are always available on the wire and to never draft one before the 12th round usually spend August and September complaining that they lost the league by a half-dozen points because of a lack of saves and a bloated WHIP. Hader isn't just a closer. His numbers are so spectacular in just one or two innings of work at a time that rostering him is like getting half a season of an ace starter while also getting 35 saves. His Ks can cover for your lower-tier starters who can't reach that baseline K/IP number you want, and his paper-thin WHIP can move the needle. If you're on the wrong end of the snake draft and he's there at the fifth-round/sixth-round turn, grab him and start the closer run.