Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat - AL

by Bryce McRae on May 20, 2010 @ 14:00:00 PDT

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)

Cleveland Indians

Closer: Kerry Wood

Understudy: Chris Perez

Lurkers: Tony Sipp

Wood's first save chance ended after only one out - via strikeout - yesterday. The vet gave up five runs on four hits and two walks (one intentional). Perhaps he's still shaking off the rust.

Settling in ... for a while?

Wood made only two rehab appearances before returning from the DL. He has thrown just 3 1/3 innings since coming up May 7. It's hard to find the strike zone - his main problem - when appearances are infrequent after a lengthy layoff. Encouraging: His velocity is still in the mid-90s.

Perez and Sipp have both been solid and are deep mixed and AL-only options, respectively, the latter more to boost ratios than for save chances. Wood probably has a long leash, but given his ignominious start and lengthy medical history, it might not hurt to speculate, if you're desperate.

Job security score: 4

Health score: 3

Mound meetings

In May, the Texas Rangers' Neftali Feliz has saved seven of his eight chances and allowed only one run. Only four batters have a hit against him. He has 10 K's and only one walk. Preparation, a daily routine that involves long-toss sessions and more experience has helped him. He has been more aggressive in one-run situations.
Manager Ron Washington sees all that, too. Frank Francisco is the appropriate handcuff, but his shot at closing anytime soon is over. He's deep mixed worthy, at best.
Mike Gonzalez (shoulder) threw off the mound today to some minor leaguers. He gave up one single and walked one while striking out two in one inning, and he felt good. He'll pitch again Saturday before Baltimore decides what's next.
Daniel Bard saved it for the Boston Red Sox last night with Jonathan Papelbon taking a night off.

Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat: AL | NL

Fantasy baseball closer depth charts: AL | NL

About 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.