2019 Fantasy Baseball Rankings

There is a top tier of three or four closers, but among them, Diaz is likely the best. He racked up 124 Ks in 73 innings last year, and while you can't bank on 57 saves again, 40 is well within question for a surprisingly good Mets team this year. His ratios will surely be stellar, but even so, with only 70 innings, they won't help you enough to warrant using a fifth or even earlier pick on him or any other closer.

Jansen has been so good for so long that you might automatically assume him to be the top closer once again in 2019, but last year, he was nowhere close to it. Rather, his ERA plummeted to 3.01 with "just" 82 Ks. You can still grab him among the top tier, but you shouldn't even be considering taking him in the first five or six rounds.

Treinen was magical last season, floating a 0.78 ERA and 0.834 WHIP to go with 100 Ks and 38 saves. That made him the number two fantasy closer behind only Edwin Diaz, and that is precisely how he should be drafted this year. With that said, no closer taken in the first five rounds ever returns enough value so be patient.

Kimbrel still hasn't signed so wherever he plays will obviously impact his fantasy upside. Boston would offer plenty more save opportunities, of course, than somewhere like San Diego. You can bank on excellent ratios with nearly 100 Ks regardless, however, so don't hesitate to grab him toward the end of the top tier of closers once again.

Chapman has been exceptional for nearly a decade now. It may surprise you to learn that he hasn't struck out 100 batters since 2015, though. Edwin Diaz, meanwhile, had 123 last year to go with 25 more saves than Aroldis. Chapman is obviously one of the top closers in baseball still, but doesn't deserve any consideration as a top 50 fantasy pick.

You may not expect the Pirates to be great, but Vasquez is durable and has no competition for saves. Lock him in for 85 Ks, stellar ratios and enough save opportunities to warrant being selected as one of the top 10 closers in 2019.

Cleveland isn't as great as they've been in the past few years, but Hand should still get a load of save opportunities for the clear AL Central favorites. He now has three straight years with over 100 saves and ERA under 3.00 so don't hesitate to snag him in the top 110 picks of your draft.

Osuna didn't accomplish much last year because of his legal issues and the time missed as a result, but he as still extremely efficient, driving a 2.37 ERA with a 0.97 WHIP. Assuming he stays on the field, you can bank on 30 saves and plenty of strikeouts on top of the strong ratios.

Doolittle only had 25 saves and 60 strikeouts last year, but he had an absurd 0.600 WHIP. That isn't a typo. With a full season, don't be surprised when Doolittle finishes in the elite tier of fantasy closers.

The Padres aren't expected to compete with the Dodgers or even Rockies for the division, but San Diego plays in enough low scoring close games that their closers tend to rack up the saves. This year should be no different for their new closer, who just so happened to be one of the best setup men in baseball before Brad Hand left the closer job open. Yates should find his way to 80+ Ks to go with amazing ratios once again.

Iglesias has been one of the better closers over the past two seasons with 58 saves and 172 Ks, but the Reds have been suggesting that he might not be the every day closer this year. The Ks and ratios would still be good enough to own even if he didn't get any saves, but this undoubtedly causes a hit in his overall fantasy value.

You may not get a dozen saves out of Hader again, but the 143 strikeouts and lights out ratios are here to stay. Those video game numbers make him a top 10 fantasy relief pitcher, as you won't find anyone more apt to help you in those three big categories.

Knebel was injured and had a rough year, but still tallied up 88 strikeouts in 55 innings with a killer WHIP. Expect the ERA to improve closer to that 1.78 rate from 2017, and with that and a full bill of health should come a bounceback to 30 or even 40 saves.

 

Don't look now, but Leclerc may already be the most dominant reliever in baseball. His ERA last year was 1.56 with a 0.850 WHIP and 13.3 K/9. The saves could triple to 35+ this season so don't hesitate to reach a few rounds to secure a stud on draft day.

Giles may have been an elite closer in 2015 and 2017, but his other two seasons have been disappointing for fantasy owners. Although he straightened is out with Toronto in his final 20 innings, we were still looking at a low K-rate and an ERA over 4.00. Plus, it isn't like there will be a ton of save opportunities in Toronto like he saw in Houston the past few years.

It was easy to forget how great Robertson is since he only managed 19 saves over the past two seasons. He has racked up 88 Ks per season and excellent ratios over the last 8 years, however. With plenty of save opportunities in store, we could see him return to being a top 10 closer this year.

It seemed as though Ty Buttrey, Bedrosian and Anderson were going to compete for saves in LA, but then they signed Allen who figures to get the job. Don't be surprised if he losses the gig early, however, if he struggles like we saw last season. Don't consider him a lock for 25 saves again.

 

 

With a full season as the Rays' closer, Alvarado could end up one of the top 10 closers in baseball. There is some more risk with him than the guys who have done it for years, but we could be looking at 90 Ks with excellent ratios and 35 saves which makes him a total steal late in drafts.

Bradley isn't a 90 strikeout guy, nor should we expect an ERA south of 2.00, but he is the heavy favorite to get saves in Arizona, which certainly counts for something. Granted, they won't win 80 games, but even 35 saves is plenty to warrant a late-round pick.

The former top pitching prospect has struggled enough with his command that the Pirates relegated him back to Triple-A and eventually the bullpen. Once he was traded to Tampa, however, Glasnow showed flashes of his true-ace stuff. In the second half, his walk rate plummeted and he surrendered just a .195 batting average. Perhaps more impressive is the fact that he struck out 11 hitters per nine innings, which is the same as Blake Snell and Patrick Corbin and better than Stephen Strasburg and Luis Severino. With a full season, we could be looking at 220+ Ks to go with solid ratios.

 

It sounds as though Morrow is going to miss the start of the season. That could very well turn into multiple months as we've seen with "minor" pitching injuries many times before. It is a dangerous game to draft based on injury optimism, even if the closer does have considerable upside.

 

Contrary to popular belief, Hicks is the favorite to land the Cardinals' closer job over Andrew Miller this season. He may not be as dynamite a reliever, but Hicks is excellent in his own respect. If he does get the job, expect loads of save opportunities to go with 70+ Ks and excellent ratios.

Although Baltimore may only win 50 games, Givens is one of the closers who has no competition for saves on his team. Even 25 save opportunities is better than what someone like Josh Hader or Zach Britton will get. Pair that with another 80 strikeouts and respectable ratios and we are looking at a top 30 fantasy reliever.

 

 

The majority of Dominguez' appeal was ruined when the Phillies signed David Robertson, who will almost certainly be their closer. With that said, Dominguez should be a three-category monster and well worth owning even without the saves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Green wasn't as electric in 2018 as the year before, but he still registered 94 strikeouts with excellent ratios and 8 wins. He isn't the closer, nor does he have a path to saves, but you can certainly make a case for drafting him even in standard sized leagues.

 

 

 

There may be no other relief pitcher who is slipping under the radar as much as Barnes. Unless the Red Sox sign Craig Kimbrel, it seems as though Barnes will be the closer for a team that should win around 100 games once again. Don't hesitate to grab him late if your draft happens before Kimbrel signs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most depth charts have Shane Greene slotted into the closer role for Detroit but this job is up in the air. Jimenez was an all-star last season, and while he pitched poorly down the stretch, don't sleep on him winning the job this spring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hudson has quality stuff and produced for the Redbirds last season, but he is going to have a difficult time beating out both Alex Wainwright and Alex Reyes for the final spot in St. Louis' rotation. If it happens, he will be worth owning, but don't bank on it until we get more info.