Fantasy Baseball 2012: 20 Best Setup Men Worth Drafting

We fantasy baseball geeks love our closers. Every draft has that dude or dudette who spends a fourth-round pick on a finisher and starts a frantic scramble to snatch up all reliable closers on the board. Before you know it, they are gone.

And then you're left with the Astros bullpen and middle relievers. Not to worry; injuries, poor performance and plain old impressive innings before the ninth have the revolving door of closers constantly changing.

That's why you need to know the 20 best setup men worth drafting for 2012. Luckily, I am a man of great wisdom and roster-scaling ability. So click onward, fantasy baseball managers, and ready your depth charts.

Here are the 20 best setup men worth drafting, in alphabetical team order.

1. Jonny Venters, Atlanta Braves

The Braves have a problem. And it's the best problem you could ever ask for. Reigning National League Rookie of the Year Craig Kimbrel is an absolute stud. He's young, he's cheap and he throws gas. He's also not giving up the closer role anytime soon.

But setup man Venters is a viable closer on pretty much any other team. If for some reason Kimbrel goes down injured or has a sophomore slump, the Braves are still looking good at the end of games.

As a fantasy player, Venters is money for every big pitching category: holds, strikeouts, ERA and WHIP. 

2. Alfredo Aceves/Daniel Bard, Boston Red Sox

If the Braves have a good problem, the Sawx have a great one. They acquired former A's closer Andrew Bailey this winter, replacing big-time closer Jonathan Papelbon with an even bigger catch. But Bailey has had his injury troubles. 

If for some reason he goes down again, the Red Sox have not one, but two viable options to fill in at the end of games. Bard was expected to eventually take over Papelbon's spot as stopper, but with Bailey in town, he will continue to throw the eighth. 

Aceves is also a great setup guy and all three of these relievers in Boston are legit options to close out games. Bailey will go early with the elite closers in your draft, but Aceves and Bard will each get tons of holds and can be had later on.

3. Kerry Wood, Chicago Cubs

Why not? Since his days as a promising young strikeout machine to his triumphant return as a seasoned reliever, Wood has always delivered when healthy. He'll be setting up for closer Carlos Marmol in Chicago, a job Wood used to hold himself.

With the insanity that is ensuing at Wrigley right now under the new regime, you just never know if Marmol will hold down that spot. Methinks Wood is next in line to shut the door for the Cubbies.

If there are any wins to finish, that is. Regardless of if he takes over the role, Wood will be a nice addition to a league that has holds and strikeouts in it.

4. Matt Thornton/Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox

Technically, one of these guys will be named the closer for the White Sox. One will hold down the role on Opening Day. A week later, you could be seeing the other step in to finish a game. You just never know with Kenny Williams.

So, what to do as a fantasy manager? Assume both will be a closer, put an extra guy on your draft board and take them both if they are available when you need a closer. You have a 50/50 shot of getting the right guy, and if you get the wrong one, he might become the right one.

Either way, you'll have a nice combination in each of these players of saves, holds and strikeouts. But be careful. If either falters, there are a couple other relievers sneaking up on them.

Read on...

5. Addison Reed/Jesse Crain, Chicago White Sox

Okay, I'm kind of cheating. Not only are the Sox in here twice, but they have four viable closers? Well, yes. None of the four stand out enough in my mind to be THE guy, so I have to assume they all have a shot.

Reed is an up-and-coming young whippersnapper who can bring it. And Crain has been an exceptionally dependable reliever for years. Now, let's take the scenario from the previous slide and say either Thornton or Sale craps the bed in 2012. 

Now you have a battle for your White Sox setup man. Reed will get the glory numbers, Crain will bring you the consistency.

Again, flip a coin and take your pick.

6. Octavio Dotel, Detroit Tigers

Obviously. He's only been a setup man or closer for what seems like half a century on every team in the Western Hemisphere. Forget the age and how well-traveled Dotel is; he continues to get contracts because he is consistently blowing hitters away.

Dotel isn't going to get any chances to save games unless stopper extraordinaire Jose Valverde gets injured (let's hope he doesn't, because he has a legitimate shot at breaking Eric Gagne's consecutive save streak). 

But as always, Dotel will still be a dependable guy to pass the lead along to the closer. He's going to get a few more wins than most setup men, but his real fantasy value lies in holds and WHIP.

7. Jonathan Broxton, Kansas City Royals

Broxton had a great run as the Dodgers closer. Then along came the Yankees, who dropped a big ol' wet one on his parade. Since that day a season and a half ago, Broxton has fought control issues, fluctuating velocity and plenty of injuries.

So why in the world would you draft him as a setup man? Because a large portion of Broxton's struggles, even before he was the regular closer in Los Angeles, was mental.

He's not strong in the head; it's fairly obvious. But he's always, always excelled at setting up his closer.

Broxton is a fantastic eighth inning guy. He's going to be setting up Joakim Soria for the surprisingly scary Royals, which means plenty of opportunities for holds. And the big boy has always been a strikeout machine, so definitely don't sleep on Broxton in your draft.

8. Hisanori Takahashi, Los Angeles Angels

I'm actually not 100 percent positive Takahashi will be the official setup man for the Angels in 2012. In August of last season, he was actually the leading candidate to replace Joel Pineiro in the rotation when the starter was struggling. 

So, he may be suited for more of a middle relief or long relief role. But just a glance at his numbers screams "setup man" to me. He only allowed 58 hits in 68 innings, held opposing batters to a .232 average and held a 1.22 WHIP. 

Takahashi's got the stuff to be a seventh or eighth inning guy, and with the vaulted offense in Anaheim this season, he should get plenty of opportunities to pad those nice stats even more.

9. Kenley Jansen/Javy Guerra, Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers have a problem similar to the Braves, only we don't know for sure who the closer will be. My personal vote is for Jansen, but going either way will pay dividends for the 'pen in L.A. Guerra stepped in and did an incredible job last year, dropping 21 saves with a 2.31 ERA.

Both of these guys are capable of closing and racking up some saves and strikeout numbers in 2012, but whoever is left behind will be a ridiculous setup man. Look for either Jansen or Guerra to fill that eighth inning role and put some points up for your team.

Draft both of them, because if worse comes to worst, you have two dominant relievers who will rack up a lot of holds, a good chunk of strikeouts and a low ERA and WHIP.

10. Edward Mujica, Miami Marlins

I have to assume Mujica will be setting up Heath Bell in Miami this season. His numbers in 2011 were way too filthy to pick anyone else. He picked up nine wins, 17 holds and some hot numbers on ERA, WHIP and batting average against.

There's no doubt that Bell will be the closer for the Marlins this year. Even if he struggles, they will probably stick with him, because you don't pay such a large chunk of cash to a setup man. If for some reason Bell needs to be replaced, Mujica should be able to step in.

Regardless, he's got great averages and will get you a solid number of holds, especially with the improved offense. Last season, he averaged nearly a strikeout per inning as well.

11. Jon Rauch, New York Mets

The Mets made a bit of a splash in the relief pitcher market this offseason, picking up Rauch and Frank Francisco to finish games for them. I'm sure Francisco will be the guy finishing the games in the Big Apple, at least to begin with.

That being said, Rauch has experience closing and has been a solid reliever otherwise. You can expect at least 10 saves from Rauch in random situations this season, not to mention some consistent numbers across the board in every major fantasy category.

If other fantasy managers jump the gun and snatch up Francisco early, sit back and let Rauch fall to you late. You could be getting a steal, since Francisco will likely be on a short leash.

12. Rafael Soriano, New York Yankees

The ageless wonder, Mariano Rivera, will rack up north of 40 saves for the high-powered Yankees in 2012. Guess what that means for setup man Soriano?

Lots and LOTS of holds. 

You can expect another solid season from the former closer and a good amount of points via strikeout. He didn't have his best year in 2011 and still put up good fantasy numbers.

Soriano should probably go a little higher than most non-closers on your board, simply due to the fact that he will be playing on a team that will be in line to win any game its offense chooses to win.

You still want to fill out the rest of your roster first, but don't hesitate to take Soriano as soon as the sure-thing closers are off the board.

13. Fautino De Los Santos/Brian Fuentes/Grant Balfour/Joey Devine, Oakland

Let me explain. The A's offloaded star closer Andrew Bailey to Boston this offseason. Billy Beane felt he could justify that move because in his mind, closers are overvalued. It's easy to feel that way when your bullpen is loaded with worthy closing candidates.

Fuentes had some great years saving games for the Angels and Rockies, including 48 saves in 2009. De Los Santos has dirty stuff and can light up the radar gun (his pitches averaged 95.8 MPH last season), but he's a bit raw still. Balfour is boring, but consistently above average.

And of course, there's former closer-of-the-future in both Atlanta and Oakland, Joey Devine. He's recently recovered from Tommy John surgery, but if he's healthy, he should be the front runner.

We don't know who will close in Oakland, but once he's chosen, look at the remaining three on this list for viable bullpen candidates on your fantasy team.

14. Evan Meek, Pittsburgh Pirates

Meek may be the weakest draft possibility on this list, but if you need some desperation holds, this is your guy. He had some time closing in Pittsburgh for a while. He wasn't wildly successful, but who on the Pirates has been lately?

I've got to admit, the Bucs are looking better. They hung around for a while last year, and all indications point to an improved pitching staff and offense in 2012. It still won't be enough to contend, but at least they will win some games.

And wins are good for any owners of Meek. That means more opportunities for holds, strikeouts and a chance to keep his ERA low. No guarantees that he will pan out for you, but he's definitely got the talent.

Keep an eye on him in the waiver wire if you're scared off by his inconsistency in the past.

15. Fernando Salas, St. Louis Cardinals

Look, the Cardinals are perennial contenders, Albert Pujols and Tony La Russa be damned. Obviously, they will be worse this year, but they still made some nice moves to keep the offense respectable, and the return of Adam Wainwright boosts an already-scary rotation.

With that in mind, why not pick up their best setup option in Salas? St. Louis is going to win games in 2012 and somebody's going to have to hold those leads. More often than not, it's going to be Salas.

He can rack up some K's for you on a fantasy squad and definitely keep his ERA and WHIP low. He might even get a chance to save a few games here and there, and he will definitely pick up some wins.

Salas may be a good dark horse option later in the draft to fill those categories.

16. Sergio Romo, San Francisco Giants

The Giants can only hope that Brian Wilson will completely bounce back from his injuries last year to regain his form and be an elite closer like he was in 2010. If not, he'll still close, but he may be on a short leash from manager Bruce Bochy.

That's an easy problem to have when a ridiculous setup man like Romo is waiting in the wings. Chances are, Romo is going to just be setting up Wilson all season, but he's one of the best in the business. He has that weird frisbee slider that is unhittable for righties. 

Look for Romo to be one of the first setup men off the board in your fantasy draft, and rightfully so. He's going to get some good strikeouts, a lot of holds, a few wins and saves and of course a low ERA and WHIP.

If your league has beard points, you'll probably win that category too.

17. Mike Adams, Texas Rangers

Poor Mike. As soon as Heath Bell jetted to take his talents to South Beach, Adams was probably cursing the day San Diego shipped him to the Rangers. He would have been the sure closer for the Padres. Instead, they went on and got Huston Street.

And over in Arlington, the Rangers agreed to a contract with Joe Nathan, pushing Adams up to the eighth inning again as Neftali Feliz joins the starting rotation. That's a bummer for Adams. But for fantasy managers, tons of value still lies in one of the better setup men from recent years. 

He's going to get a ton of holds setting up for Nathan. With Nathan's injury history, Adams might actually get that chance to close out some games. Undoubtedly, Adams will pick up some big stats for you at a pretty nice bargain in the later rounds of your draft.

18. Jake McGee, Tampa Bay Rays

I know you probably think I'm a little whack-o for this one, but give it a shot. He could probably be the last pick of your draft, and then what do you lose? Nothing. All you can do is gain something from this.

McGee is going to be in the 'pen because the Rays rotation is loaded. And with his stuff, chances are he'll at least get a shot at the seventh or eighth. If you've seen the kid pitch, you realize why I have him stocked so high on my board. 

He's got electric stuff in his left arm and he could project as a top-of-the-line starter or a shut-down closer down the line. I think at some point, McGee will get a shot at setting up. And even if he doesn't, he's going to improve in season number two with strikeouts and ERA.

19. Francisco Cordero, Toronto Blue Jays

The Reds spared themselves a lot of grief from yours truly by signing Ryan Madson this winter. If they had just disposed of Francisco Cordero without a plan, I would have been livid. Cordero has been underappreciated in Cincy since day one, and now he's gone to Canada.

Cordero will be setting up in Toronto, where he will surely do a fine job, per the usual. He's going to get a lot of strikeouts, a lot of holds and probably a few wins. He's also going to be a filthy closer if he ever needs to step up and fill that role.

Give Cordero a look right after the top-tier closers are off the board. If he's not going to get you saves, he's going to score points with strikeouts, holds and low averages.

20. Tyler Clippard, Washington Nationals

The Nationals are quickly becoming the beasts of the East. Well, on paper, but you've got to like the direction that team is headed. This is another team with a plethora of talented relievers who could potentially close. 

As it stands now, Clippard is the guy running the eighth inning. He's going to get a chance to close if anything goes wrong, and that alone is worth a draft choice on a team that might surprise and win 90 games in 2012. 

He's got great stuff and will rack up strikeouts for you like nobody's business. He will get holds and good numbers across the board. You can safely select him around the same spot as Cordero for the Jays.

If he doesn't get any saves, you're still looking at one of the better setup men in the game.