Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat: Ryan Franklin, more

April 20, 2011 @ 00:13:39

By Tim Heaney
Edited by Nicholas Minnix

 

Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat | AL depth charts | NL depth charts

What are the odds that you still own the relief pitchers you rostered in your fantasy baseball draft? KFFL.com's Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat series gives you no-nonsense ratings of performances, injuries and managerial decisions in MLB bullpens. Get your arm loose: Let's find fantasy baseball players in your rotisserie or head-to-head baseball league who'll get saves.

St. Louis Cardinals

Closer: Miguel Batista, Mitchell Boggs

Understudy: Ryan Franklin, Jason Motte

Lurkers: Trever Miller, Eduardo Sanchez, Fernando Salas

Soria should - should - be fine

The Cards removed Franklin from the closer role Tuesday. Tony La Russa is saying he'll treat the vet like a cleanup hitter in a slump, hoping that changing his role might help him escape his rut.

Managers often make this move intending it as a temporary adjustment, and TLR has given that indication. Sometimes, though, a skipper finds a new gem and runs with it. Boggs has been the most impressive option overall; Batista has the most shut-down experience, which La Russa certainly has considered.

This could be a committee situation while they assess the candidates. La Russa likely wants to establish a single closer for the long run, though, his incumbent or otherwise.

Batista and Boggs remain your best targets. If you own Franklin, you're better off letting this sort itself out with him on your bench than you are dropping him and losing control of potential saves.

• Previously, in St. Louis...

Job security score: 1

Health score: 5

Mound meetings

• A hittable Joakim Soria held on Tuesday for his fifth save in six chances. The Kansas City Royals' stopper allowed a hit, plunked a batter and walked in an unearned run before registering a bases-loaded, game-ending whiff.
  KC insists Soria is healthy, and Ned Yost previously cited cold weather for some of Soria's struggles; it was again blustery last night. His cutter velocity hasn't been as consistent, though, and he has only five K's in 9 2/3 innings. It'd help to see his stuff improve, but at least he's wrapping up games through his shakiness. He should bounce back as the weather warms, and his job isn't in jeopardy.

 

Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat | AL depth charts | NL depth charts

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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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