RADIO
Los Angeles Angels
The Angels received Huston Street in a six-player trade in July of last year, and they were not disappointed. He converted 23 of his 24 save chances with the Padres, and would go on to save 17 more games for the Halos in an All-Star caliber season. The 41 saves were a career high for Street, and his 1.37 ERA and 0.94 WHIP have earned him the closer job for another year. Street should see plenty of opportunities on a solid Angels squad, and shouldn’t have any trouble holding onto the job, provided he can stay in one piece and off the DL. At age 31, there is no reason to suspect any regression here, and I certainly don’t see Joe Smith, the Angels setup man, threatening Street at any point in this season, barring a string of meltdowns.
Street should have no problem cracking 40 saves again in 2015, and is worthy of being one of the top 10 closers off the board in any format. A solid career strikeout rate of 9.0 per nine innings is exactly what you want from your closer, and I don’t see any reason why Street can’t put up 60+ strikeouts this year. Draft him with confidence.
Texas Rangers
The Rangers bullpen is mostly sorted out, with Neftali Feliz set to be the closer come Opening Day. The 27-year-old spent the first half of 2014 sorting himself out in the minors after Tommy John surgery, and returned to the Rangers a very different pitcher than the hard thrower he was prior to the procedure. While his stats were solid for the 31.2 innings, he did throw down the stretch, and I have some concerns about Feliz going into 2015.
The first troubling statistic is his average pitch speed—Feliz averaged only 93.1 mph in 2014, versus an average over 96 mph in previous years. This decrease corresponded to a decrease in strikeout rate, as he only averaged six strikeouts per nine innings last season. His ERA and WHIP were definitely closer-worthy (1.99 and 0.98, respectively), but those numbers came on the heels of a .180 BABIP, which is definitely not sustainable.
Ultimately, you have to like the fact that Feliz has a firm grasp on the job to start the season, but I wouldn’t put him in the top 15 as far as relievers are concerned. The Rangers also aren’t going to win many games this year, which means his save opportunities will be limited. I don’t see Feliz notching any more than 32-35 saves, which makes him no better than a low second-tier, high third-tier closer. Draft him, but later on and with lower expectations.
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland closer picture would have been clearer, if not for a recent injury to lefty dynamo Sean Doolittle. He suffered a partially torn rotator cuff, which fortunately didn’t require surgery, but he still won’t be available for Opening Day, meaning the A’s need to find an alternative to begin the season.
It appears that righty Tyler Clippard will be the man to start out closing in 2015. He's a very solid option, who served as the remarkably reliable setup man for the Nationals for the better part of the last three years. Oakland acquired Clippard in an offseason trade this winter, and he's always been touted for his ability to eat up innings and get both righties and lefties out. He has closed before, gathering 32 saves for the Nats in 2012, so he was the natural choice when Doolittle went down. A 10.5 K/9 rate during an All-Star season last year along with a sub-1.00 WHIP and 2.18 ERA are encouraging rates for a prospective closer, but I won’t be drafting him this year.
Regardless of how well Clippard does to start out 2015, the closer job will be Doolittle’s once he returns. From all recent reports, Doolittle is progressing at a decent clip, and he could return as soon as mid-April. With the numbers he put up last year after beating out Luke Gregerson for rights to the ninth, I have to believe that the A’s will give him the job upon his return. He pounds the strike zone, issuing just eight walks in 62.2 innings in 2014, and managed a very solid 12.8 K/9. Those are closer numbers, and the Athletics know it.
Ultimately, I think Doolittle is worth drafting fairly early, and would expect him to be around the seventh or eighth closer off the board. You'll have to sacrifice some production for the first couple of weeks of the season, but the returns you can expect over the remainder of the year make Doolittle a worthwhile investment.
Houston Astros
The Astros are officially undecided as to who will close out ballgames come April. Spring Training will be used to audition closers from among the foursome of veteran Chad Qualls, newly acquired Luke Gregerson and Pat Neshek, and Josh Fields. By all accounts, this is a four-horse race, with nobody having any particular advantage as we head into the first week of March games.
Ultimately, I think this job will go to Pat Neshek. He was outstanding in an All-Star season for the Cardinals in 2014, and has the best stuff of the group of candidates. All of the numbers suggest he has the ability to close ballgames, as his career 9.1 K/9 rate and 1.05 WHIP indicate his effectiveness. He also throws particularly hard with a submarine delivery, making him especially effective against right-handed hitters.
I wouldn’t touch any Astros reliever in a fantasy draft until we get some more clarity. However, if you’ve already had your draft before a closer is announced, check every day to see whether a decision has been made. The Astros are much improved, and should provide a decent amount of save opportunities for whoever locks down the ninth.
Seattle Mariners
Imaginary archer Fernando Rodney has a tight grip on the Seattle closer job heading into 2015. The hard-throwing veteran closed the most games in the MLB last year with 48, and there really isn’t anything to suggest a regression. He’s going to be 38 this year, but there is plenty of life on his fastball, which is his bread and butter. He was an All-Star in 2014, and deservingly so—he cut down his walk rate by a full walk from 2013, and still put up more than 10 strikeouts per nine innings.
The one red flag with Rodney is that his saves last year were rarely easy. His WHIP was rather high for a closer, at 1.34, and he actually had a 1-6 record. I think he’ll have a fairly long leash after his success last year, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a couple of really rough meltdowns over the course of the year.
I don’t see Rodney approaching 50 saves again, but he should be able to notch at least 40 if he holds on to the job all season. He’s still a top 10 closer due to his relative safety, but draft him with the expectation of some regression.
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