Additional 2012 Fantasy Baseball Closer Options

We already looked at the LestersLegends’ Top 15 closers for 2012, but there are plenty of solid options out there.

Mid-Level Options

Joel Hanrahan, Pittsburgh Pirates: Collected 40 saves last year to go along with a 1.83 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP and 61 Ks in 68-2/3 IP. Pitching for the Pirates keeps him out of my top 15, but he’s easily on the fringe.

Carlos Marmol, Chicago Cubs: Picked up 34 saves and racked up 99 Ks in 74.0 IP, but his ERA was at 4.01 and his WHIP at 1.38.

Sergio Santos, Toronto Blue Jays: Saved 30 games last year for the White Sox with a 3.55 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP and 92 Ks in 63 1/3 innings. Francisco Cordero is there if Santos struggles, which keeps him out of the top 15.

Javy Guerra, Los Angeles Dodgers: He’ll have to compete for the spot, but his 21 saves, 2.31 ERA and 1.18 WHIP give him a leg up on Kenley Jansen. If he struggles in the least, Jansen’s electric stuff could put him in the closer role.

Brandon League, Seattle Mariners: Delivered with 37 saves, a 2.79 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP and 45 Ks in 61 1/3 IP.

Jason Motte, St. Louis Cardinals: Finally solidified the Cardinals’ ninth inning duties with nine saves, a 2.25 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP and 63 Ks in 68 innings.

Rafael Betancourt, Colorado Rockies:  He was a tale of two seasons. Before the All-Star Break, he posted a 4.84 ERA in 35 1/3 innings. After the break he gave up just one earned run (0.33 ERA) in 27.0 innings. He’s somewhere in between.

Chris Perez, Cleveland Indians:  Saved 36 games last year with a 3.32 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP and 39 Ks in 59 2/3 innings. The strikeout rates scares me.

Kyle Farnsworth, Tampa Bay Rays:  Despite only recording 25 saves, he was brilliant last year with a sparkling 2.18 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 51 Ks in 57 2/3 IP. Given his history and his age (36 in April), he makes me a little nervous of serious regression.

Low-end Options

Jim Johnson, Baltimore Orioles:  He was solid last year with nine saves, a 2.67 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP and 58 Ks in 91.0 IP. Matt Lindstrom’s presence concerns me.

Brett Myers, Houston Astros:  Returns to the closer role. He had success, but that was back in 2007 and he has pretty much started for the rest of his career.

Matt Capps, Minnesota Twins:  Capps saved 15 last year, but blew nine save opportunities. Not exactly a comforting feeling.

Frank Francisco, New York Mets: After pitching in Texas and Toronto, CitiField will seem like a luxury. He is injury-prone though, which makes him a risk.

Grant Balfour, Oakland A’s:  He’s the favorite to close for Oakland, though he doesn’t have much experience in that role. He was rock solid last year (2.47 ERA, 1.03 WHIP), but closing is a different animal.

Matt Thornton, Chicago White Sox:  He’s not a lock to close, which puts him in this category. He had more blown saves (four) than saves (three) last year with a 3.32 ERA and 1.36 WHIP. The good news is his competition isn’t very impressive.

Also check out:

• 2012 Fantasy Baseball First Base Rankings
• 2012 Fantasy Baseball Second Base Rankings
• 2012 Fantasy Baseball Outfielder Rankings
• 2012 Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Rankings
• 2012 Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings