Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat - AL

July 5, 2010 @ 15:00:00

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

• Will have to fight for saves

  Matt Thornton saved two games (one walk, three K's in two innings) over the holiday weekend with manager Ozzie Guillen still not ready to use Bobby Jenks in a save situation. Jenks was activated from the bereavement list Friday. J.J. Putz was used in both as a setup option.
  If he's available, sang Thornton to possibly vulture a few saves until Jenks returns to the ninth.
• The Baltimore Orioles won't be bringing back Mike Gonzalez (shoulder) until after the All-Star break. Gonzo threw a scoreless inning at Double-A Sunday, saying his pitches felt "crisper." His velocity was also in the low 90s. His next rehab appearances will come Tuesday, Friday then Saturday.
  This secures Alfredo Simon's value for the immediate future. Long term, Gonzo will have to earn his closing duties back from Simon.
• The New York Yankees' Mariano Rivera blew only his second save of the season yesterday. The one run he allowed was the first to cross the plate against him since May 21. And if the season ended today, Mo's ERA, which jumped to 1.11 after yesterday, would be the lowest of his illustrious career.
• Cleveland Indians closer Kerry Wood could be on the trading block - not a huge surprise. One scout, though, doesn't believe he'll be a closer on any new team because he walks too many hitters.
• Brian Fuentes didn't surrender a run for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in his July 2 appearance, but he was tagged with blown save No. 4. He generated two outs before giving up a double that scored the one unearned run. It'll take a far greater meltdown for Fuentes to lose his job.

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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