Closer is a designation, not a position. Closers are merely relievers who are given enough respect to be trusted with the ball when the game is on the line in the ninth inning.
A team's closer is never set in stone. The Cardinals entered the season with Jason Motte as their closer and as May begins it is Ryan Franklin who looks like a stud. Baltimore trusted George Sherrill, for a while. Now they have a closer by committee system.
Injuries can also play tricks with reliever's values. Nowhere has that been more evident this season than in Seattle and Toronto, where David Aardsma and Scott Downs have made names for themselves of late with Brandon Morrow and B.J. Ryan on the disabled list.
Aardsma has three saves and a 2.38 ERA for the Mariners and has shot up the Fantasy ownership charts from 15 to 26 percent in one week's time. Frivolous additions, if you ask us, because Morrow, who already has five saves this season and can pretty much do whatever he wants in Seattle as he's their golden prospect, is about to return once again.
On the disabled list with tendinitis in his right biceps, Morrow has been cleared to return when eligible on May 9 at Minnesota. When that happens, he'll be given the closer job back and Aardsma will go back to being just a middle-relief option, albeit a good one, and not worth owning in the majority of Fantasy leagues.
Toronto is in a similar situation, but it could shake out entirely differently for Fantasy owners. Ryan had two saves before going on the DL with a sore left shoulder and back. Of course, he also had two blown saves and an ERA of 11.12, trying the patience of manager Cito Gaston.
Downs is 3-for-3 in save situations since Ryan went out and has a 0.66 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings. It's clear that Downs has been the much better option thus far, especially with Ryan now out since April 22. Still, Ryan is scheduled to make $12 million this season and he's not getting paid to pitch in middle relief.
The Blue Jays first concern is to give the team the best chance to win as they currently lead the competitive AL East standings. No matter how much Ryan's paid, they won't trot him out in the ninth if they think he can't get the job done.
That's why Downs, owned in 66 percent of Fantasy leagues, should continue to stay on rosters in most formats. He's worth holding onto in case the Blue Jays are more comfortable with him closing games than Ryan.
Downs is worth keeping, while Aardsma will relinquish his role and should go from one of the most added Fantasy relievers in baseball to one of the most dropped in a one-week span.
Call to the Bench -- We feel this player might be worthy of adding to Fantasy rosters for the long haul
Michael Bourn, OF, Houston
Owned: 33 percent of
leagues
Analysis: Bourn has hit well all season for the Astros
as their No. 2 hitter behind Kaz Matsui. Known mostly for his ability to
steal bases -- he had 41 last season -- Bourn is showing a propensity
with the bat in his fourth major league season. He's hitting .298
currently with one homer, seven RBI and 14 runs scored in 87 at-bats.
Those numbers won't knock your socks off, but with eight hits, including
three for extra bases since May began, he's heating up. And at age 26,
Bourn is entering the prime of his career. The stolen bases will be
there and his offensive production should only continue to rise. He's
been a No. 3 or 4 outfielder in all Fantasy leagues this season and is a
must-start in Rotisserie formats. We expect nothing but good things
going forward from Bourn.
You're Out! -- We feel this player might have already peaked and his value could be on the decline, so Fantasy owners might want to cut bait ASAP
David Ortiz, DH, Boston
Owned: 97 percent of
leagues
Analysis: Ninety nine at bats into his season,
Boston's beloved slugger is still searching for his first home run.
That's right, Ortiz, owner of 289 career long balls, has not even been
able to hit the ball over the fence once. But Ortiz's struggles have
been deeper than just taters. He's hitting .222 and only has 13 RBI.
After doubling twice against the Yankees on Monday night, he now has a
total of 10 extra base hits this season. His stats haven't been worth
using in any Fantasy league. All this and he's not even injured, yet.
Ortiz has been so good for so long, owners are reluctant to cut ties
with him. But Big Papi is only eligible at DH and utility in Fantasy and
there are just far more valuable options available for him to be kept on
so many rosters in the hopes he'll turn it around at 34 years of age.
GIDPs -- We feel this player might not warrant as much Fantasy consideration as he is receiving and should be avoided in most instances
Anthony Reyes, SP, Cleveland
Owned: 31 percent of
leagues
Analysis: We're partly responsible for Reyes still
being on Fantasy rosters in 31 percent of leagues. We keep thinking --
and writing -- that Reyes is about to break out. He keeps pitching and
proving us wrong. It seems the Cardinals knew what they were doing when
they traded him for next-to-nothing as Reyes has a 7.58 ERA this season
and hasn't won since his first start back on April 12 vs. Toronto. In
his last outing against Boston, the 27-year-old gave up seven runs and
nine hits in just two innings. He only has nine strikeouts in 19 innings
to go with 11 walks and his WHIP is in orbit. Considering he entered
this season with a career major league record of 13-25 with a 5.09 ERA,
it's beginning to look as if he'll never tap his vast potential. He's
been one of the most dropped Fantasy starters around and that should
only continue unless he can somehow find his form in the coming weeks.
Scouting -- We feel this player is on the verge of being a Fantasy reliable option, but still needs to be monitored over the next few weeks
Billy Butler, 1B, Kansas City
Owned: 40 percent
of leagues
Analysis: After an April 27 win over the Blue Jays,
Butler's average stood at .193 with no home runs and three RBI after his
first 57 at-bats. Two games later, Butler's average was up to .262 with
two homers and eight RBI. He went 4-for-5 with two homers and four RBI
against the Jays and followed that by going 2-for-3 with another RBI
double. It seemed as if Butler would finally find his stroke and realize
his vast potential. But he's just 2-for-14 since with two RBI and he
once again looks overmatched by major league pitching. Butler is a big
man and he's capable of putting up monster run production totals, but
until that becomes reality, he's probably getting too many looks in
Fantasy. Butler showed what he can do over that two-game span, but
consistency has not been in his vocabulary thus far in his career.
Farm Boys -- This segment is for those long-term keeper owners looking for the next Fantasy superstar
Luke Hochevar, SP, Kansas City
Owned: 5 percent
of leagues
Analysis: There probably hasn't been a bigger
surprise this season than the success of the Kansas City Royals pitching
staff. Zack Greinke is the odds-on
favorite to start for the AL in the All-Star game and looks like an
early favorite for the Cy Young, while Gil Meche,
Kyle Davies and Brian Bannister are a combined 6-3 with solid ERAs. The only problem
child in the rotation has been Sidney Ponson,
who is 0-4 with a 7.16 ERA. Enter Hochevar, who went 6-12 last season
for KC with a 5.51 ERA. Hochevar, 25, the Royals No. 1 overall draft
pick in 2006, was chosen the Pacific Coast League pitcher of the week
after going 2-0 while allowing one unearned run and six hits in 13
innings last week. After five starts at Triple-A, Hochevar is 5-0 with a
league-leading 1.13 ERA with 21 K's and 10 walks in 32 innings.
"Everybody knows he's pitching well. I'm thrilled that he is," Royals
manager Trey Hillman told the Kansas City Star Sunday. Hillman
also said that he'll continue to evaluate the Royals rotation. It
doesn't take a baseball genius to see that one-fifth of the rotation is
struggling and Hochevar would look very nice behind the rest of the
surprising Royals staff.
Doctor's Report -- This segment highlights a player on the verge of coming off the DL and ready to make an immediate Fantasy impact.
Joe Beimel, RP, Washington
Owned: 26 percent of
leagues
Analysis: Let's face it. Nationals pitchers,
collectively, have got to be the worst cropping of Fantasy performers
available. Their ace, John Lannan,
needed six starts to earn his first win and his ERA stands at 4.59.
Their closers -- they began the year with Joel Hanrahan, toyed with the idea of Garrett Mock and are now using a committee of Julian Tavarez and possibly Kip Wells
and Saul Rivera -- are a tattered bunch.
Right now, their best and last hope, and the only player worthy of
consideration in Fantasy at the moment, is still on the disabled list
with a left hip flexor strain. Beimel, owner of three career saves over
parts of nine seasons with the Pirates, Twins, Rays, Dodgers and now
Nationals, is currently on a rehab assignment and will no doubt be
tabbed the closer upon his arrival in D.C., sometime within the current
Fantasy week. Although wins are always hard to come by for Washington,
Beimel should prove to be their best option and could become viable in
deeper mixed leagues immediately as the team has really picked up their
offense of late.
You can e-mail us your Fantasy Baseball questions to DMFantasyBaseball@cbs.com . Be sure to put Waiver Wire in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state.