Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat: Mark Melancon's availability, some 2012 notes

September 28, 2011 @ 09:50:31

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.

Mound meetings

• Sale: starter or RP?

  Mark Melancon was unavailable Tuesday in order to be with his wife for the birth of his child. No word on whether the newborn has arrived yet. The Houston Astros didn't need a stopper in last night's blowout loss. Wilton Lopez or David Carpenter would probably get the call if needed Wednesday; Lopez should be your first choice if you need a save.
• Chris Sale threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings for the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, striking out three and recording his eighth save of the season. Sergio Santos might not pitch again this season but will head into 2012 as the favorite to close, with Sale likely to transition into a starter's role. Stay tuned, though, considering how well Sale has taken to his setup role.
• On point with what has been mentioned in this space of late, Davey Johnson is grooming Henry Rodriguez to be the backup closer to Drew Storen. Even with all the deep-league fantasy intrigue this could bring for Rodriguez, Johnson might not be the Washington Nationals' manager next season, so those plans could change. It still makes H-Rod worthy of monitoring heading into next March.
• Javy Guerra blew the Los Angeles Dodgers' Tuesday save opportunity by giving up a bases-loaded walk and a grand slam (only two of the runs were his). After a fine season, though, he'll be the favorite in this bullpen again. Jonathan Broxton might still be a threat if the Blue keep him around, but that's still iffy, as is Broxton's ability to pitch like a closer again. Kenley Jansen still looms but doesn't have a big case just yet.

 

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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