David Robertson: Is He Now One of MLB's Top 10 Fantasy Closer Options?

The following slideshow touts the top 10 fantasy closers in the major leagues right now.

It was conceived as an immediate response to Mariano Rivera suffering a season-ending knee injury on May 3, along with the subsequent speculation of who would replace him as the Yankees' back-end ace—David Robertson or Rafael Soriano?

For the sake of this exercise, we'll assume Robertson gets the first crack at the high-pressure gig.

In general, my professional stance on closers hasn't really changed much in the last seven years.

Unless we're talking about elite pitchers (with absurd strikeout totals), closers are often viewed as dime-a-dozen assets—on draft day and throughout the regular season.

Basically, just pick one, two or maybe three arms with 25-save potential...then hope for the best. This slideshow is a reflection of that progress.

Enjoy the show!

10: Joe Nathan, Texas Rangers

2012 Stats (through May 3): 0-2, 3.38 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 11/1 K-BB, 6-for-7 in save chances

Skinny: One could make a strong case for Javy Guerra, Grant Balfour, J.J. Putz or Brandon League occupying the final spot here, but it's hard to look past Nathan's greatness in my favorite non-fantasy category—strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Simply put, Nathan refuses to tempt fate with free passes in the late innings...and I love that.

This isn't to say Nathan's been perfect this season. But when subtracting his one wayward performance (against the Mariners on April 11), Nathan has surrendered just two runs and six hits in the other 10 outings.

It also helps that Nathan anchors a team that's a lead-pipe cinch for at least 93 victories.

9: Rafael Betancourt, Colorado Rockies

2012 Stats: 1-0, 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 11/4 K-BB, 6-for-7 in save chances

Skinny: I have great respect for Betancourt's evolution through the years. At 37, he's still bringing underrated excellence to the closer spot, which is no easy feat playing in Coors Field.

And now, with approximately one-sixth of the season in the books, I can realistically see Betancourt flirting with 70-75 strikeouts, a sub-2.75 ERA and 27 saves—the calling card of a closer who belongs in this countdown.

8: Henry Rodriguez, Washington Nationals

2012 Stats: 1-1, 1.64 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 14/6 K-BB, 6-for-7 in save chances

Skinny: It's hard to say if Rodriguez would have made this countdown if Brad Lidge or Drew Storen were imminent returnees to the first-place Nationals.

But Rodriguez has no time for rankings or media speculation regarding his role with the Washington bullpen. Aside from the April 28 clunker against the Dodgers (blown save), Rodriguez has allowed just two hits and one run in 11 other appearances—some of which came before Lidge's injury.

That's the kind of back-end dominance that a front-running club needs in a tight battle for the National League East crown.

7: David Robertson, New York Yankees

2012 Stats: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 18/3 K-BB, zero save chances

Skinny: From a numbers standpoint, Robertson compares favorably to Braves' closer Craig Kimbrel; and if that rings true after Robertson's expected promotion with the Yankees, this ranking may be completely obsolete by Memorial Day.

Yes, the sting of losing Mariano Rivera to a season-ending knee injury may never go away with Yankees fans...but don't mistake that sadness for diminished expectations with the new closer.

Conservative ranking aside, Robertson has top-five potential.

6: Brett Myers, Houston Astros

2012 Stats: 0-0, 1.17 ERA, 0.52 WHIP, 5/1 K-BB, 6-for-6 in save chances

Skinny: Myers deserves full props for making the seamless transition back to the bullpen, and the Astros warrant credit for following through on their brainstorm.

As a result, Myers has brought stability to a scrappy club that's steadily loading up on young, talented players and may be legitimate contenders in the American League playoff race sometime in 2015.

Regarding this season, Houston's final one in the National League, it's all a question of the Astros' staying power: Can they scratch and claw their way to more eighth-inning leads?

If so, Myers is a good bet to capitalize on nearly every opportunity.

5: Chris Perez, Cleveland Indians

2012 Stats: 0-0, 3.38 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 8/5 K-BB, 9-for-10 in save chances

Skinny: Since his Opening Day meltdown against the Blue Jays (documented here), Perez has been a scintillating back-end ace for the Indians, yielding only one run and five hits in 11 appearances (10 innings).

As a result, Perez, the American League co-leader in saves, stands as the May 3 favorite to carry that crown all the way into September.

Because of this, I fully expect Perez to finish with a sub-2.30 ERA and sub-1.05 WHIP.

4: Jim Johnson, Baltimore Orioles

2012 Stats: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 7/4 K-BB, 7-for-7 in save chances

Skinny: My fantasy skepticism toward Johnson has nothing to do with him and everything to do with the embattled Orioles.

Yes, the club is functioning at a high rate in the American League East right now, but are they a reliable bet for contention in six weeks—let alone three? And by extension, will Johnson get enough opportunities to rack up 1.75 saves per week, while maintaining the paces of his more heralded competitors?

Without a doubt, Johnson has been awesome so far. I just need to see more evidence of elite staying power.

3: Fernando Rodney, Tampa Bay Rays

2012 Stats: 1-0, 0.73 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 12/2 K-BB, 9-for-9 in save chances

Skinny: How does one assign a No. 3 ranking to a stupendous closer from arguably baseball's best team? History, that's how.

Rodney has been nothing short of remarkable in his brief stint as the Rays' closer (thanks to Kyle Farnsworth's elbow injury); but it's still too early in the 2012 campaign to forget about his career marks in ERA (4.19) and WHIP (1.44).

Bottom line: If Rodney can maintain this prodigious pace for another six weeks, perhaps he'll own a better slot before the Fourth of July holiday.

2: Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta Braves

2012 Stats: 0-0, 2.70 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 18/7 K-BB, 8-for-9 in save chances

Skinny: Kimbrel has endured a somewhat shaky start to the season, surrendering at least one hit in seven of his nine appearances and blowing one save on May 2 (Atlanta's crazy 15-13 win over Philly).

But there is ample evidence to suggest he'll recapture his dominant form in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, fantasy owners can look forward to an abundance of save opportunities and absurdly high marks in K/9 and strikeouts per inning.

1: Jonathan Papelbon, Philadelphia Phillies

2012 Stats: 0-0, 0.82 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 11/3 K-BB, 9-for-9 in save chances

Skinny: Papelbon is the perfect candidate to hold the No. 1 spot.

He's bringing the wood in four categories right now (minus wins); plus, he has the exemplary track record of an asset that should be featured in all blockbuster trades that call for relief help.

Of equal importance, Papelbon has a starring role on a club that will undoubtedly contend for the NL East title.