Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat - NL

by Bryce McRae on June 25, 2010 @ 13:10:00 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)

Colorado Rockies

Closer: Huston Street

Understudy: Manuel Corpas

Back in the saddle: Street

Manager Jim Tracy likely will use Street to close the next time such a situation arises. Street worked on his second consecutive day yesterday, giving up two runs on two hits in picking up the loss.

This pushes Corpas back into a setup role. Don't drop him yet, however. Street doesn't have a clean injury history, and his form during a rehab stint and in the majors so far hasn't been perfect.

Job security score: 4

Health score: 3

Mound meetings

Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Chad Qualls has reached out to Philadelphia Phillies closer Brad Lidge for advice on how to deal with his struggles. Lidge: "Stay positive."
Qualls believes he might have taken it easy on his landing leg in spring training, altering his mechanics. Starter Ian Kennedy has suggested he's throwing to hard.
Whatever the reason, manager A.J. Hinch expects to move Qualls back to the closer's role, eventually, but he wants to see consistency and success from the righty first.
The Houston Astros' Matt Lindstrom worked around three hits and one run in the ninth yesterday to record his 17th save in 21 tries. He has just two perfect appearances in 17 since May 8.
Tom Gorzelanny was used in the 13th inning to secure the Chicago Cubs' win yesterday. It was his first career save. Closer Carlos Marmol had been used for 1 1/3 innings earlier in the game.

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.