AMERICAN LEAGUE CLOSERS

By Steve Kwan
Fantasy Sports 101 Baseball
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AL East

Baltimore Orioles
Closer: George Sherrill
Insurance: Jamie Walker
Sherrill, acquired by the Orioles in the Erik Bedard trade, has been a pleasant surprise on a pleasantly surprising 6-1 Orioles team. In his first season as a closer, he has already notched four saves and given up no earned runs. There’s no saying how long Sherrill and the Orioles can keep up their hot start, but so far, so good.

Boston Red Sox
Closer: Jonathan Papelbon
Insurance: Hideki Okajima
There’s nothing new to report on Papelbon, which means that he is being his usual dominant self. After giving up a lone run against Oakland during the season-opening Japan series, Papelbon has been mowing hitters down, picking up six strikeouts in 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs. He has two saves so far this season, with lots more to come for sure.

New York Yankees
Closer: Mariano Rivera
Insurance: Joba Chamberlain
I left my tooting horn in Johnny Cueto’s locker, but I’m also pleased to report that so far, reports of Rivera’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. He’s picked up three saves in as many chances so far this season while giving up no earned runs.

Tampa Bay Rays
Closer: Troy Percival
Insurance: Al Reyes
Save opportunities have been hard to come by in Tampa, but in the two innings that he has had work, Percival looked pretty good, getting one save and not conceding any walks in either game. Al Reyes, the Rays' 2007 closer, is carrying an ERA of 13.50, so Percival's job looks pretty secure.

Toronto Blue Jays
Closer: Jeremy Accardo
Insurance: B.J. Ryan (15-day DL)
Prior to yesterday’s game against Oakland, Accardo was a perfect 3-for-3 as far as saves went. He was tagged with the loss after giving up the winning run of a then-tied game, which lifted his ERA from 0.00 to 2.25. However, as long as B.J. Ryan is still not 100 percent, Accardo will continue to close for the Jays, and he’ll probably do a fine job.

AL Central

Chicago White Sox
Closer: Bobby Jenks
Insurance: Octavio Dotel
So far so good for Jenks and the White Sox, who have taken advantage of Detroit’s freefall to climb into first place in the AL Central. The fact that Jenks has more walks than K’s so far might be a spot of concern, but he’s a perfect 4-for-4 in saves and has yet to give up a run. There’s not much to worry about here.

Cleveland Indians
Closer: Joe Borowski
Insurance: Rafael Betancourt
Borowski managed to corral 45 saves last year in spite of an ERA of 5.07. Whether he can be so lucky this year is anyone’s guess at this point. As long as the Indians keep winning, regardless of his shortcomings, Borowski will remain the closer. But since the Cleveland bullpen has so many strong arms, he will be on a shorter leash this year than last.

Detroit Tigers
Closer: Todd Jones
Insurance: Denny Bautista
The Tigers haven’t stumbled out of the blocks; they’ve fallen face-first with their pants at their ankles. And somewhere in this early-season mess is Jones, who is holding the job because all the young guys Detroit was grooming to replace him are on the shelf. The Tigers haven’t once given Jones a game to even save yet, but he’s looked fine in his two innings of other work.

Kansas City Royals
Closer: Joakim Soria
Insurance: Leo Nunez
While I was writing about Bobby Jenks, I spent half an hour fact-checking to see if I had actually read the reports right; Kansas City is tied for the lead in the AL Central? Do the Marlins have the league’s highest payroll as well? Soria has been a vital part of the KC revival, slamming the door shut to preserve all five of the leads the Royals have handed to him. With four saves and a blank ERA to show for his efforts, Soria is looking strong in the early going.

Minnesota Twins
Closer: Joe Nathan
Insurance: Pat Neshek
Nathan finally got big contract that he deserved this year, and so far he’s proved worthy of making elite-closer money. He’s a perfect 3-for-3 in save situations with no earned runs, which continues the excellence we've come to expect from him every year.

AL West

Los Angeles Angels
Closer: Francisco Rodriguez (day-to-day, ankle)
Insurance: Scot Shields, Justin Speier
K-Rod was perfect until a twisted ankle on April 7 against Cleveland contributed to a collapse which raised his ERA from 0.00 to 8.10. Now there are rumblings that K-Rod could be headed for the disabled list. Justin Speier, who was given closing duties on April 8th, couldn’t get the job done. Long-time setup man Scot Shields will now probably get the call to close while K-Rod mends.

Oakland Athletics
Closer: Huston Street
Insurance: Keith Foulke, Alan Embree
Street hasn’t been doing a good job in attracting potential trade suitors when Oakland eventually blows up what’s left of its team. He finally got a save yesterday against Toronto, an outing which lowered his ERA to 9.64. Alan Embree hasn’t been lights out either, but resurgent Keith Foulke has looked very impressive so far.

Seattle Mariners
Closer: J.J Putz
Insurance: Miguel Batista, Mark Lowe, Ryan Rowland-Smith
While Putz is on the DL with a ribcage injury that comes with an ambiguous timetbable, Lowe blew the save in his first stab at the closer job. Australian Rowland-Smith got the next save opportunity and took care of it, so he might get the call the next time a lead needs to be protected. To say that the closing situation in Seattle is in flux would be a huge understatement.

Texas Rangers
Closer: C.J. Wilson
Insurance: Joaquin Benoit
Save situations are probably going to be hard to come by this year for Texas, but C.J. Wilson has gotten off to the best possible start, saving the lone opportunity he has had. With the exception of Jason Jennings, Texas has looked fairly competent pitching-wise, which was a surprise to me Better enjoy the good times while they last.

NATIONAL LEAGUE CLOSERS

By Zach Freeman
Fantasy Sports 101 Baseball
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NL East

Atlanta Braves
Closer: Rafael Soriano
Insurance: Peter Moylan
Soriano has performed well in his first four appearances, allowing one run and striking out five in 4.0 innings. He gave up two walks in a shaky outing against the Mets on Sunday, but has been efficient otherwise. Soriano's job is secure, but if he runs into trouble or is injured, Peter Moylan or Manny Acosta would take over.

Florida Marlins
Closer: Kevin Gregg
Insurance: Justin Miller
Gregg has also appeared in four games, posting a 4.15 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, a win and a save in 4.1 innings of work. His four walks are cause for concern, but he has recorded a win and a four-out save in his last two appearances. Florida might not provide him with many opportunities, but his numbers show some promise with 5-win, 20-save potential.

New York Mets
Closer: Billy Wagner
Insurance: Aaron Heilman
Wagner won’t be losing his job any time soon, but he has been virtually non-existent as the Mets have yet to provide him with a save opportunity. The Mets will use him sparingly in non-save situations, which is the reasoning behind his one scoreless appearance this season. The Mets will hand him plenty of leads in the short future, and Wagner remains a lock for 30-plus saves - a plateau he's reached in six of the last seven seasons.

Philadelphia Phillies
Closer: Brad Lidge
Insurance: Tom Gordon
Lidge made his 2008 debut on Sunday with a scoreless eighth inning at Cincinnati, then recorded his first save, an adventureous one, in the series finale against the Reds on Monday. Gordon recorded a save on Tuesday when Lidge was unavailable after making back-to-back appearances. He remains a good insurance option for Lidge, who has a bruised psyche and is coming off arthroscopic knee surgery.

Washington Nationals
Closer: Chad Cordero (15-day DL)
Insurance: Jon Rauch
Rauch is the closer for Washington while Cordero (shoulder) is on the DL, and is currently a poor fantasy option, even for those desperate for saves. Cordero threw a bullpen session on Monday and begins a rehab assignment in Class-A Potomac on Wednesday, so his return is imminent. Rauch has been dismal in his place with a 6.00 ERA, one save and one blown save in three appearances, but should stay on your radar, as Cordero is a player who could be moved to a contender at some point in '08.

NL Central

Chicago Cubs
Closer: Kerry Wood
Insurance: Carlos Marmol
Wood is no stranger to the disabled list, but if he remains healthy there should be no competition for his job. After a rough Opening Day where he gave up three runs on two hits and one walk, Wood has allowed just one hit while recording three straight saves. Health is the lone question mark left for Wood, who, if he pitches an entire season, could save 40 games.

Cincinnati Reds
Closer: Francisco Cordero
Insurance: David Weathers
Cordero has proven to be a worthwhile sign for the Reds, recording a win and a save in three dominant outings versus Philadelphia and Arizona. After a rocky start to the 2006 season, the 32-year old has re-established himself as a reliable, high-octane closer in the National League. He has two career 40-save seasons to his credit and could push for a third if Dusty Baker's Reds (4-4) can keep playing .500 baseball.

Houston Astros
Closer: Jose Valverde
Insurance: Doug Brocail
Valverde hasn’t impressed his new team with his first three performances. In four innings, he has given up five runs on seven hits, while only striking out three. Fantasy owners can't complain about his early ERA and WHIP numbers (11.25, 2.25) because he has two wins and a save in three outings. That saves total could push the major league-leading 47 he put up with Arizona last season, so worry not about his stumbling out of the gates.

Milwaukee Brewers
Closer: Eric Gagne
Insurance: Salomon Torres/David Riske
Gagne is among the most risky closers in fantasy baseball, but the hefty 1-year, $10-million contract he signed in the winter also came with a long leash. The last thing the Brewers want to do is prematurely demote him and create a source of tension with a $10-million man in a setup role. The risk he presents is less in his job security and more in how many blow-ups could be in store for the owner who drafted him. Riske has been the popular insurance option thus far, but Torres is our pick to win the job, should it become available.

Pittsburgh Pirates
Closer: Matt Capps
Insurance: Damaso Marte
Capps is the man for Pittsburgh and is one of the franchise's building blocks as it continues a two-decade long rebuilding project. At just 24 years of age, management loves his competitive fire and uncanny ability to pound the strike zone. How that all translates to fantasy results remains to be seen because the success or [likely] failure of the Pirates to win games is out of his control. He is a good bet to exceed what he produced in a partial season of closing duties: a 2.28 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 18 saves.

St. Louis Cardinals
Closer: Jason Isringhausen
Insurance: Ryan Franklin
Barring injury, the job belongs to veteran Isringhausen, who has been one of the National League's steadiest closers since 2002. His strikeout rate (career 7.44 K's per 9), isn't that of an elite bullpen arm, but the results have been quality rotisserie numbers each step of the way. If the Cardinals can win 80 games, which is looking like a better bet by the day, Isringhausen will record at least 30 saves for the eighth time in nine seasons.

NL West

Arizona Diamondbacks
Closer: Brandon Lyon
Insurance: Tony Pena/Chad Qualls
Lyon had a tough assignment replacing Valverde while never gaining the full trust of his manager Bob Melvin. Two blown saves into the job, he is walking a tight rope with promising arms like Pena and Qualls waiting in the wings. Lyon and Qualls working in middle relief while Pena finishes games is the most logical pecking order for Arizona's 'pen, which is how we think it will pan out by the end of April.

Colorado Rockies
Closer: Manny Corpas
Insurance: Brian Fuentes
Corpas has been a bit inconsistent so far this season, but isn’t likely to lose his job anytime soon. He has two saves this season, but has also blown a save while set-up man (and former All-Star closer) Brian Fuentes has worked five scoreless innings and recorded three holds. Corpas, like most of his Colorado teammates, got out of the gates slow, but has shown signs of life with saves in back-to-back outings. Fuentes doesn't pose a threat to his job, barring any kind of prolonged cold streak.

Los Angeles Dodgers
Closer: Takashi Saito
Insurance: Jonathan Broxton
Fantasy owners who drafted Saito should be feeling pretty good about themselves right now, with the 38-year old showing no signs of a dropoff in 2008. Saito has yet to allow a base runner in three innings while recording four strikeouts, a win and a save. He needed just six pitches to record a save against the Padres on Sunday - efficiency that bodes well for the 38-year old's long-term fantasy worth.

San Diego Padres
Closer: Trevor Hoffman
Insurance: Heath Bell
Hoffman blew two of the Padres final three games last season and already has a blown save and two losses in the first week of '08. In four appearances, he has pitched well twice and pitched awful twice to get tagged with losses. He gave up four runs on three hits to the Astros last Wednesday and earned a save on eight pitches the next night. He will never lose his job in San Diego, but the inconsistency has been troubling.

San Francisco Giants
Closer: Brian Wilson
Insurance: Brad Hennessey
Wilson earned a four-out save last week, then gave up two runs on three hits to the Padres in a non-save situation later in the week. The Giants won’t be giving Wilson a lot of opportunities this season, which means there is little relevance in who is or isn't closing games in San Francisco. Wilson should have no problem keeping the job ahead of Hennessey or Tyler Walker, but isn't likely to hit the 20-save mark.