Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat - NL

July 15, 2010 @ 12:45:00

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)

 

New York Mets

Closer: Francisco Rodriguez

Need a midseason checkup? The righty doesn't have to worry about competition, but his skills have been in question for some time. This year, he's rebounding, especially in his command.

Ready to follow through with Coco?

Increases in first-strike percentage and zone percentage note his rediscovered aggressiveness. He isn't nibbling as much, which is making up for his average heat velocity, which is at a career low. His strand rate is back up, too, another result of his attacking mentality.

K-Rod's 2010 owners should be confident that he can keep this up. Now take a lollipop. That wasn't so painful, right?

Job security score: 5

Health score: 5

Cincinnati Reds

Closer: Francisco Cordero

Next appointment! No real threats to Cordero's job, but he has some disconcerting peripherals. His K's have continued their steady decline since '07. Cordero's control remains a glaring issue.

The 35-year-old, who has 24 saves, is making more use of his fastball, which still sits in the mid-90s on average. Fewer pitches are hitting the strike zone. His grounders are up, but more opponents' flies are threatening outfielders, and his HR/9 is at its worst since 2000.

The absence of true competition - barring a trade - and the Reds' first-place standing mean they'll likely continue to rely on him. Just know that if you hold on to him, his closures will probably hurt other categories.

Job security score: 5

Health score: 5

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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