Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat - NL

April 12, 2010 @ 16:00:00

By Tim Heaney
Edited by Nicholas Minnix

Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat: AL | NL

Fantasy baseball closer depth charts: AL | NL

In fantasy baseball, the closer position remains volatile. Rarely does every closer hang on to the job for an entire season - injuries, poor performance and managerial decisions can cloud a team's bullpen picture.

Should you be concerned about a struggling stopper? Which relievers are climbing the depth chart? Are any injuries popping up? KFFL.com's Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat keeps you informed when you're looking for saves.

Key

Job security (JS) score	1 (unstable) to 5 (untouchable)
Health (H) score	1 (injury-prone) to 5 (durable)

 

Milwaukee Brewers

Closer: Trevor Hoffman

Understudy: LaTroy Hawkins

How long? It's hard to say

Hoffman blew his second straight opp, giving up three runs on three hits (including two dingers) in one inning Sunday. Though the 42-year-old backed into the win, he has now allowed three homers in his last two outings, already one more than he gave up all last season.

"You throw 85 mph right over the plate and that's usually what happens," Hoffman said. He has done a good job of suppressing homers for most of his career, but when your approach is based on your changeup and location, missed location puts you in danger.

The good news: There's no job security risk here barring an injury. Hoffman is an institution, and the Brew Crew likes having LaTroy Hawkins pitch the eighth, where he's currently mowing batters down. Wait out Hoffman's struggles.

Job security score: 5

Health score: 4

Mound meetings

• The Philadelphia Phillies' Brad Lidge (elbow, knee) will throw in a rehab assignment Monday. He tossed one for Single-A Clearwater Saturday but had a rough going: three hits, four runs and one walk in just two-thirds of an inning. It was his first outing since he received his cortisone shot March 31. The Phils want to see better execution but cited Lidge's improved arm action and slight uptick in velocity (fastball was 89 to 91 mph). The team hopes Lidge will return before the end of April, but it isn't looking likely.
• Sidelined Colorado Rockies stopper Huston Street (shoulder) is continuing with strengthening exercises. He's expected to start a throwing program sometime this week.

Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat: AL | NL

Fantasy baseball closer depth charts: AL | NL

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Tim Heaney

Since the Boston University alum joined KFFL in 2006, his work has been featured by USA Today/Sports Weekly and Yahoo! Sports, among numerous publications.

Tim competes in Tout Wars and LABR and appears every Wednesday on 1570 AM WNST in Baltimore, as well as frequently on Sirius XM Fantasy Sports Radio.

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