Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat - AL

June 3, 2010 @ 14:00:00

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Tim Heaney

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.

 

Mound meetings

• Rauch not checking out

  With Kevin Gregg receiving a day off, Jason Frasor and Scott Downs were both called on to keep the Toronto Blue Jays in the game in the ninth yesterday. Shaun Marcum gave up a 2-1 lead, prompting manager Cito Gaston to go his 'pen with the score 3-2 and one out.
  Frasor was up first and walked the only batter he faced to load the bases. Then came Downs, who surrendered a grand slam to the Tampa Bay Rays' Carl Crawford before sitting down two of the next three batters.
  You should still speculate on Frasor, possibly Downs, if you're desperate for saves.
• Minnesota Twins closer Jon Rauch (hamstring) has been experiencing hamstring tightness but hasn't used that as an excuse for any letdown in his last five appearances. He has given up at least one run in three of those five outings.
  Of course, he also has three straight saves and has only blown two chances all year, so he's still getting the job done. Owners can speculate now on Matt Guerrier, if they have the room and are desperate. He'd likely be next in line should Rauch miss any time, if Minny doesn't do a committee.
• Bobby Jenks (calf) returned from his short injury hiatus and threw a scoreless ninth in the Chicago White Sox's 9-5 loss yesterday. "Bobby's our closer," manager Ozzie Guillen said.
• The Baltimore Orioles' Mike Gonzalez (shoulder) threw a bullpen session yesterday (25-30 pitches) and will attempt to throw about 40 pitches Saturday. He's aiming for a June 14 return.

Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat: AL | NL

Fantasy baseball closer depth charts: AL | NL

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Bryce McRae
Bryce McRae is a Managing Editor with KFFL and has been involved in fantasy sports since 1999. He joined KFFL as a volunteer writer in March 2005 before becoming a Hot off the Wire Analyst in March 2006. He began working in his current capacity in September 2008. His work has appeared on fantasy sports sites such as Yahoo! and CBS Sportsline as well as in print. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a B.A. in History and U.S. Studies.

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