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By Steve Kwan
Fantasy Sports 101 Baseball

Many fantasy experts will tell you that taking a closer in the early rounds of your draft is a wasted pick. However, a phenomenon, which I describe as the "closer bum rush," occurs in many drafts across the fantasy universe. It all starts when one or two people (usually those who have back-to-back picks in a live draft) jump the gun and take closers in the fourth or fifth round of their draft. Other owners, seeing how the elite closers like Francisco Rodriguez, Joe Nathan and J.J Putz have vanished off the board, panic and start using their own fifth or sixth round picks on closers, who, to put it simply, are not worthy of such high consideration.

By nature, most closers are toss-up picks; one bad week is all a young flame-throwing prospect needs to tear the closer job away from the incumbent and render your pick useless. The key is to be aware of not only which closers you select, but also who is most likely to take their place if they go down to injury or lose their job to poor form. An example of this would be Jeremy Accardo of the Toronto Blue Jays; astute owners who were quick to the waiver wire after news of B.J. Ryan’s injury were handsomely rewarded with 30 saves and impressive ERA and WHIP stats.

This article will focus on the closing situations of every team in the American League; remember these names, because a closer insurance policy, whether it be in the form of a late-round pick or whether you want to take a shot at being the fastest owner to the waiver wire, is almost always worth the investment.

AL East

Baltimore Orioles

The Contenders: George Sherrill, Greg Aquino
With Chris Ray out for the season, Sherrill, recently acquired from Seattle in the Erik Bedard trade, will get first crack at being Baltimore’s closer. The other candidate is former Brewer Aquino, who was inconsistent to say the least in 2007. Sherrill, who pitched well as part of Seattle’s outstanding bullpen in 2007, is certainly worth a late-round pick, but there’s no telling how Baltimore’s closer situation will play out, especially since neither Sherrill nor Aquino have much experience in the ninth inning.

Boston Red Sox

The Contenders: Jonathan Papelbon
So much for trying to move Pap into the starting rotation. Papelbon was perhaps the biggest steal of last year’s drafting as owners who took him as the price of a mid-to-lower level starter found themselves instead with an elite closer. Not a bad deal, in my expert opinion. Papelbon shows no signs of slowing down, but if you invest a high pick on him, be sure to lock up Hideki Okajima with a later pick as well.

New York Yankees

The Contenders: Mariano Rivera, Joba Chamberlain
Everyone knows that Yankee’s golden boy Chamberlain is being groomed to become an ace of the future, but for now he’s penciled to start the season in the bullpen. Rivera struggled early last season and his draft stock has fallen as such, so the smart fantasy owner who recognizes that Mariano is still very capable is the one who will benefit. Chamberlain is also going pretty high on draft boards, but he’ll be money either as a starter or a closer this season.

Tampa Bay Rays

The Contenders: Troy Percival, Al Reyes
After four years away from the fantasy spotlight, Percival returns to center stage (sort of) as Tampa’s closer-elect. Percival was dominant coming out of the bullpen with St. Louis last year, and with 324 career saves, this guy knows how to get it done. Should his success last year not translate to saves this year, Al Reyes, who closed for the Rays last season, will get the nod. Dan Wheeler is another outside option if he can rebound from a down year. In any case, Percival is worth a late round pick, but let Reyes slip to waivers for now.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Contenders: B.J. Ryan, Jeremy Accardo
Accardo pitched extremely well for the Jays after Ryan went down last year, but he will most likely slide into the setup role to start the season. Ryan, who is reported to be healthy coming into spring training, will be given every chance by the Blue Jays to reclaim the closer spot. Because of his short season last year, Ryan is ranked extremely low on draft boards and would be a massive steal if he can recapture anything similar to his pre-surgery form.

AL Central

Chicago White Sox

The Contenders: Bobby Jenks
The White Sox are in a state of flux now, but the closing duties will once again fall squarely on Jenks, who has been a consistent second-tier closer for the past two years. Octavio Dotel will now be the primary setup man, but probably does not deserve draft consideration as of now. Jenks, however, wouldn't be a bad choice near the eighth or ninth round of your draft, but if the closer bum rush occurs, don’t reach too far up for him.

Cleveland Indians

The Contenders: Joe Borowski, Rafael Betancourt, Masahide Kobayashi
Borowski was pretty good most of the time last year, but when he was bad, he was BAD. Cleveland added Japanese closer Kobayashi over the offseason, and so far all signs indicate that should Borowski lose his job, Kobayashi would get first pop at being the new closer. But don’t count out Betancourt, who was one of the league’s best setup men last season. At this point, only Borowski deserves to be drafted, but monitor this situation closely.

Detroit Tigers

The Contenders: Todd Jones
This was supposed to be Joel Zumaya’s job in 2008, but injuries (some of the freakish variety) have derailed that plan. So Jones continues to hold the job, with setup man Fernando Rodney unlikely to supplant him anytime soon. However, Jones’ poor ERA compared to other closers and his low strikeout rate means you should probably not look to him until really late in the draft. If Detroit didn’t have the scariest lineup in baseball, Jones might not even be worth a pick.

Kansas City Royals

The Contenders: Joakim Soria
Soria has been effective as a closer ever since he was handed the role in Kansas City, posting a good ERA and a high strikeout rate. Save opportunities, however, might be few and far between for the Royals. New Japanese import Yasuhiko Yabuta, who is currently penciled in as the setup man, will most likely get to close if Soria loses the job. Soria is worth a gamble in the late rounds of your draft.

Minnesota Twins

The Contenders: Joe Nathan
Nathan has been money ever since he became a closer and that isn’t likely to change this season. Nathan’s presence is that security blanket that saavy owners need; let someone else jump for Francisco Rodriguez or J.J. Putz while you pick up an almost-equal closer in later rounds. Nathan owners who remember what happened in Toronto last year would be wise to pick up Pat Neshek with one of their last picks of the draft.

AL West

Los Angeles Angels

The Contenders: Francisco Rodriguez
Will K-Rod’s contract year equal huge numbers? Or will the small but noticeable decline in his stats last season continue? Whatever the case, the Angels need to sign K-Rod soon, because they don’t have a younger arm to replace him and Scot Shields had a down year last season. It’s also possible that Justin Speier will be given a chance to impress. Whichever fantasy owner takes K-Rod will inevitably set off the closer rush, so unless you’re past the fifth or sixth round, don’t be the one who starts.

Oakland Athletics

The Contenders: Huston Street, Keith Foulke
Street, if healthy, will be the A’s closer, but if Oakland doesn’t have a huge season, you can expect Street to be traded to another team. That’s not a reason to skip over him come draft time, though; Street should be a productive closer wherever he pitches. If (or when) Street is shipped out, Foulke will most likely get a first stab at being the closer. Alan Embree is also in the mix.

Seattle Mariners

The Contenders: J.J Putz
Putz is either the second or third closer off the board, so the market for each individual draft will determine what position he jumps off. He put up huge numbers last year, and it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to add to them this time around. If Putz goes down, Brandon Morrow should be next in line.

Texas Rangers

The Contenders: Eddie Guardado, C.J. Wilson
After deciding not to take a chance with Akinori Otsuka, the Rangers find themselves depending on untested Wilson and the weathered Guardado to try and close games. Japanese new boy Kazuo Fukumori might also get a look, but none of the Ranger’s options looks fantasy-worthy at this point in time.

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