Philadelphia Phillies Closer Situation

May 29, 2007 @ 16:00:00

By Art Morath
Edited by Nicholas Minnix

Philadelphia Phillies closer Brett Myers' (shoulder) bizarre season took a turn for the worse Friday, May 25, when he was put on the disabled list. Myers suffered a shoulder strain pitching in a game against the Florida Marlins May 23. Initially Myers thought he was fine, but the Phillies' medical staff decided he was not.

Background

The Phillies signed Myers to a three-year deal worth $25.8 million this past offseason. Myers started Opening Day and was expected to be the staff ace. After three unsuccessful starts the Phillies pushed the panic button and moved Myers to the bullpen April 18. Myers became the primary setup man for closer Tom Gordon and was fairly successful in that role.

When Gordon (shoulder) went down with an injury the first week of May, Myers became the closer. He was 6-for-7 in his three weeks as the Phillies' closer with a record of 1-0 and an ERA of 1.04 in those seven appearances.

Current Situation

It has been a confusing season for fantasy owners of Myers. Those who expected 12-15 wins from this season have been disappointed. He was moved to the bullpen, and it was unclear what the Phillies' long-term plans for him would be. Then, all of a sudden, Myers' value ballooned when Gordon went down.

While Myers is out the Phillies are expected to replace him with pitchers Antonio Alfonseca, Geoff Geary and Ryan Madson. The most experienced candidate is the 35-year-old journeyman Alfonseca, whose last stint in the closing role was in 2002 for the Chicago Cubs. Alfonseca, who signed a one-year contract with the Phillies, is 2-1 with a 4.57 ERA this season. After his save Saturday, he now has 122 career saves. Geary has one career save and Madson has three. Geary has an ERA of 3.86 and Madson has the best ERA of the three at 2.95.

Bottom Line

Myers has too much fantasy value to cut loose. If fantasy owners have room on their bench, they should hide him there and reevaluate when he comes off the disabled list.

Alfonseca should get opportunities over the next two to three weeks while Gordon and Myers remain out of action. His ratios are not likely to help your fantasy team, and he doesn't appear to be a lock to be the fulltime closer. Should he hold the job, his best value is found in deep mixed leagues and most NL-Only formats.

KFFLians are saying....

Comment

 

---

What do you think? We want to hear from you!

Name: E-mail: Please, enter the number that you see

Comment Guidelines

Art Morath
Art Morath has been a contributor to KFFL since 2007.

Talk Sports 24/7!
KFFL Sports Forums: Over 24,000 strong and growing!

One Day FREE Fantasy Contest - $350 in cash prizes (05/24)
Fantasy Closer Hot Seat: Addison Reed, J.J. Putz, Ernesto Frieri, more (05/24)
Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market: Brian Roberts seeing the light at the end of the rehab tunnel (05/24)
Fantasy baseball players in the news (05/24)
Fantasy football players in the news (05/24)
Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market: Dee Gordon's problems at bat (05/23)
Fantasy Baseball Player Prospecting: Will Smith, Yordano Ventura, Wil Myers, more (05/23)
Fantasy Baseball Roundtable: How trade talks develop (05/23)
Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat: Tyler Clippard, J.J. Putz (05/23)
Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market: Mark Teixeira's ill beginnings (05/23)