James Karinchak

Karinchak is expected to be Cleveland's closer after Brad Hand moved on to the Nationals, though it's not a sure thing yet. Yes, he walks too many batters (5.33 per nine innings), but you can get away with it when you strike out nearly half the batters you face and hitters bat .151 against you overall. Karinchak has two absolutely devastating pitches: a mid-90's fastball (.184 batting average against, .151 xBA) and a power curveball (.140 batting average against, .114 xBA). Cleveland may not have a ton of success this year and hence save opportunities may be limited, but Karinchak can be a dominant fantasy reliever if he gets the job. Monitor reports out of the spring to see when and if Terry Francona formerly anoints him as the closer. If he does, he should vault to being a top-6 or 7 reliever.

James Karinchak struggles Friday

Cleveland reliever James Karinchak struggled in a relief appearance in a 7-1 loss to the Brewers on Friday. Karinchak allowed a two-run homer in his inning of work while striking out two.

Fantasy Impact

Karinchak served up a two-run bomb to Keston Huira in the frame. The reliever was unhittable for most of the season but his past three appearances have been ugly as he's allowed five runs in 2 1/3 innings of work.