Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat - NL

August 13, 2010 @ 14:00:00

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Nicholas Minnix

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)

 

Los Angeles Dodgers

Closer: Jonathan Broxton

Understudy: Octavio Dotel, Hong-Chih Kuo

Cancel "The Closer" in Hollywood?

Broxton blew yesterday's game for the Blue; he gave up four runs on one hit and two walks without recording an out to blow a 9-6 lead. When asked after the game if Broxton was still his closer, manager Joe Torre said, "Let the smoke clear before you get me to say something I haven't thought about."

The 26-year-old wasn't helped by his defense after Casey Blake committed an error with the bases juiced, with no outs. Broxton gets one or two outs there, maybe he calms down a bit. He says he's healthy, and he has been hitting 98 mph on the radar gun. He thinks he's just suffering through a temporary bout of wildness.

Speculating on this situation, Dotel would be given the first shot if Torre doesn't want to go with the left-handed Kuo, whom Torre must be careful not to overuse. Long term, this is probably still Broxton's show, but you can go with Dotel and then Kuo to stabilize your saves potential.

Job security score: 3

Health score: 5

Mound meetings

• John Axford recorded his 17th save in 19 chances yesterday, working 1 2/3 innings. The Milwaukee Brewers' co-closer walked three batters, however, before he was able to escape without allowing a run in the ninth by virtue of a double play. He was protecting a four-run lead, possibly why manager Ken Macha gave Axford a long leash.
  Macha was ready with Trevor Hoffman if the Ax walked one more batter, though. He also might be inclined to go to Hoffman if a save chance crops up today after Axford needed 35 pitches yesterday.
• The New York Mets' Francisco Rodriguez was released on bail yesterday after being charged with third-degree assault. He's expected to return to active duty Saturday.

Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat: AL | NL

Fantasy baseball closer depth charts: AL | NL

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

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.

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

One Day FREE Fantasy Contest - $350 in cash prizes (05/25)
Fantasy Baseball Diamond Market: Orioles locking up Adam Jones (05/25)
Fantasy Baseball Closer Hot Seat: Joel Hanrahan, Addison Reed, Aroldis Chapman (05/25)