Fantasy Baseball 2.0: Relief Pitcher Rankings

1. Brian Wilson, San Francisco Giants, Draft Projection: 6^th-7^th Round

-The Defending saves champion and most colorful character in the game looks to build off his dominant 2010 campaign. The scary thing about Wilson other than the color of his beard is that his numbers keep getting better, career highs in WHIP, ERA, and strikeouts in 2010; look for more of the same in 2011.

2. Carlos Marmol, Chicago Cubs, Draft Projection: 6^th-7^th Round

-16 Ks/9 Innings, Marmol is easily the second best closer in fantasy baseball this year. The Cubbies also use him in plenty of non-save situations giving him more innings of work than the average reliever.

3. Joakim Soria, Kansas City Royals, Draft Projection: 7^th-8^th Round

-If Soria was on a team that gave him more save opportunities he could be number one, having said that Wilson played for the world champions and got 48 saves; Soria played for the Royals and got 43. On top of that he’s the most consistent reliever in the game and deserves a helluva lot more credit than he gets.

4. Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers, Draft Projection: 8^th Round

-It appears I have much more confidence in Feliz than most, which makes sense since all he did was set the rookie record for saves in a season (40), and posted an ERA of 1.42, a WHIP of .66 and .148 opponents batting average in the second half of the season. Do yourself a favor: Pick him!

5. Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees, Draft Projection: 8^th Round

-If it weren’t for a few awful outings in September the 41-year-old would have had the best season in his hall of fame career. Don’t let the Soriano signing scare you away from Rivera this year; he’s earned the closer job in New York until he dies.

6. Heath Bell, San Diego Padres, Draft Projection: 9^th Round

-Bell exploded onto the scene in 2009, in 2010 he proved he wasn’t a fluke, and in 2011 I guarantee you he’ll only get better. Also in Bell’s favor is that Padre Manager Bud Black gets more out of his relievers than most managers, which makes Bell and even bigger bargain.

7. Jonathan Papelbon, Boston Red Sox, Draft Projection: 10^th Round

-Topped 35-saves for fifth-consecutive year but struggled down the stretch. A lack of certainty amongst the rest of the crop of closers is the only reason he’s ranked in the Top-10. However he’s still an all-star and still expensive meaning he will put up more than above average fantasy numbers. Exercise caution.

8. Joe Nathan, Minnesota Twins, Draft Projection: 15^th Round

-Exercise even more caution as Nathan is still recovering from Tommy John surgery. Nathan believes he could be ready by opening day and the Twinkies have expressed clearly that he is still their closer. Could be a bargain based on where you draft him, but if he makes a full recovery he’ll return to his rightful place amongst the five best closers.

9. Jose Valverde, Detroit Tigers, Draft Projection: 11^th Round

-He was the best closer in the game for the first three months, after that, not so much. Valverde was dealing with his share of injuries during the season’s final months and the addition of Benoit will allow Valverde to get adequate rest. The Tigers will still be without Joel Zumaya meaning Valverde will be Jim Leyland’s go-to-guy in the clutch.

10. Rafael Soriano, New York Yankees, Draft Projection: 12^th Round

-Would have undoubtedly been ranked in the Top-5 had he signed anywhere that didn’t have a closer. However Soriano opted for the opportunity to win championships and backup closer immortality, Mariano Rivera. Soriano will still be a great fantasy player in every category besides saves so there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be a Top-10 guy, just don’t draft him if any of the nine guys ahead of him are available.

11. Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Reds, Draft Projection: 13^th Round

-No one really knows what the Cuban lefty’s role will be in 2011 but I can assure you he’s worth your time. In most leagues he’ll be eligible as an RP/SP option and the Reds didn’t hand him $30.25 Million to not dominate games.

Rest of the Pack

12. Francisco Cordero, Cincinnati Reds, Draft Projection: 13^th-14^th Round

13. Andrew Bailey, Oakland Athletics, Draft Projection: 14^th Round

14. Brad Lidge, Philadelphia Phillies, Draft Projection: 14^th Round

15. Huston Street, Colorado Rockies, Draft Projection: 14^th-15^th Round

16. Francisco Rodriguez, New York Mets, Draft Projection: 15^th Round

17. David Aardsma, Seattle Mariners, Draft Projection: 15^th-16^th Round

18. Matt Capps, Minnesota Twins, Draft Projection: 16^th Round

19. John Axford, Milwaukee Brewers, Draft Projection: 16^th Round

20. Chris Perez, Cleveland Indians, Draft Projection: 17^th Round

21. Brian Fuentes, Oakland Athletics, Draft Projection: 17^th-18^th Round

22. Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves, Draft Projection: 17^th-18^th Round

23. Brandon Lyon, Houston Astros, Draft Projection: 18^th Round

24. Joaquin Benoit, Detroit Tigers, Draft Projection: 18^th Round

25. Ryan Franklin, St. Louis Cardinals, Draft Projection: 18^th Round

26. Jonathan Broxton, Los Angeles Dodgers, Draft Projection: 18^th-19^th Round

27. Joel Hanrahan, Pittsburgh Pirates, Draft Projection: 19^th Round

28. Leo Nunez, Florida Marlins, Draft Projection: 19^th Round

29. JJ Putz, Arizona Diamond Backs, Draft Projection: 20^th Round

30. Daniel Bard, Boston Red Sox, Draft Projection: 20^th Round