Fantasy Baseball Rankings 2012: Under-the-Radar Closers to Seal Your Title

Projecting the saves of a closer is a complete roll of the dice.

I’m not here to try and hit snake eyes.

I’m here to provide you with the information that leads us to the conclusion that, barring a major injury or a complete collapse of the team, the following five closers are going to be invaluable members of your fantasy team, even if they aren’t named Mariano Rivera.

1. Rafael Betancourt, Colorado Rockies

Betancourt takes over for the departed Hudson Street and should be an outstanding pickup. He collected his first save on August 9^th and proceeded to produce a minuscule 0.19 WHIP, 17 strikeouts and zero walks.

Coors Field doesn’t seem to be an issue with Betancourt, who now has a 3.14 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 94 career games there. After putting up superb fantasy numbers as a middle reliever for years, now is the time for Betancourt to emerge as one of the best closers in 2012.

2.  Jason Motte, St. Louis Cardinals

He was outstanding in the postseason last year and has earned the trust of his coaches and teammates with the guts displayed in the tensest moments.

From September 1 to the end of the World Series in 16 appearances, Motte was 13 of 14 in save opportunities and had a 0.82 WHIP.

With a terrific fastball and polished cutter, Motte has the pitches and confidence to save 40 games for a Cardinals team that is better than expected despite losing Albert Pujols.

3. Javy Guerra, Los Angeles Dodgers

The 26-year-old saved 21 of 23 games in his rookie season, a number the team has to be thrilled about. He had a 2.31 ERA in 46.2 innings and seemed to only improve as the year went along.

As long as he continues to keep his walks per nine inning around the 3.47 range, he’s a star in the making on a team that I believe will exceed expectations in 2012.

4. Matt Thornton, Chicago White Sox

With Bobby Jenks out of the picture, it’s time for Thornton to show that his experience outweighs what Jesse Crain brings to the table.

He has 20 or more holds in four straight seasons and is coming off a year where he struck out 63 in 59.2 innings. At 6’6’’ he is one of the tallest players in the game and hides the ball incredibly well with his delivery. The problem is his team is going through a transition, and save opportunities may be rather difficult to come by.

This is a safe pick in the latter rounds.

5. Sean Marshall, Cincinnati Reds

Thanks to the season-ending elbow injury to Ryan Madson, it looks like Marshall will be assuming the closers role for the favorites to win the NL Central.

With three outstanding pitches (fastball, curveball, slider) in addition to a cutter he busts out occasionally, Marshall is a nightmare for guess hitters. He has been among the league leaders in relief ERA and WHIP the past two years and is more than qualified for the closer’s role, even if the job wasn’t handed to him at the beginning of spring training.

The only unknown is if he can handle the mental strain of being a closer. That’s something we will find out soon. 

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