X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

More Later-Round Closer Candidates - Targets and Avoids

Analysis of another five fantasy baseball closer candidates being drafted in the later rounds. Read about undervalued saves and potential sleepers to target late.

Once you reach the later rounds of drafts, you start thinking about upside fliers that can provide a great return on value. These are the rounds to take risks on more unknown commodities like prospects, forgotten-about veterans, players returning from injuries or players that have previously showed promise but haven't put it all together yet. Knowing about the deeper player pool can help you be more flexible throughout the draft, especially if you can identify someone you like and plan your earlier picks around that.

Last week we looked at five closer candidates to target late. Today we are looking at even more late-round potential closers who need to be considered. Do we think they are draft targets, or players to avoid? Are their ADPs undervalued? Will they make significant fantasy contributions and be one of your later-round draft sleepers? Read on to see our take.

Our editors have hand-picked these specific MLB players for your draft prep enjoyment. Normally only available to Premium subscribers, the five outlooks below are meant to give you a taste of the in-depth analysis you receive with our industry-leading 2019 Draft Guide. Be sure to subscribe today and start reading all 400+ of our 2019 player outlooks, and many other premium articles and tools, available exclusively in our 2019 Draft Guide.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Arodys Vizcaino - RP, Atlanta Braves

Arodys Vizcaino started the 2018 season as the Braves’ closer, hit the DL, came back, lost the job, hit the DL again, and then seemingly finished the season strong. The final line for Vizcaino’s season actually looks quite good with a 2.11 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and a 9.39 K/9. However, managers suffered through the injuries and insecurity, especially if they were unable to snag A.J. Minter when he filled in as the closer.

Vizcaino offers all the hallmarks of a traditional closer: a modest WHIP and ERA, strikeouts, and saves. He throws a high-nineties fastball and a curve that is regarded as one of the best in the league. If Vizcaino’s issue in 2018 was simply a shoulder that needed more time to heel, then he’ll offer real value. However, if his shoulder is still a problem or he struggles with other effectiveness issues, there are a series of closer options behind him.

To some extent, Vizcaino comes with the same risks as most closers going after pick 150. However, Vizcaino’s ADP of 206 builds his injury history into his price and it may account for his job instability. If Vizcaino can limit himself to one modest trip to the DL, he should keep his job as closer, provide 30-plus saves, 70 Ks, and strong ratio stats.

--David Emerick - RotoBaller

 

Drew Steckenrider - RP, Miami Marlins

Miami Marlins closer Drew Steckenrider surfaced from the reliever group to take over the closing duties. He finished the year with a 3.90 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 64 innings. Aside from terrible performances in May (10.24 ERA) and August (7.84 ERA), Steckenrider had a good season.

Steckenrider also had 19 holds but was definitely far from perfect as he only lockup up five games out of 10 save chances. Steckenrider also had career-lows in strikeout (27%) and ground-ball (33%) rates. There isn’t much promise for a much different outcome in 2019.

He plays for one of the most offensively inept teams but even still, he should still accrue a few saves. The opportunities will just be sparse. Steckenrider is currently the 34th-ranked reliever. He currently has an ADP of 267, which might be late enough to provide a little value for some save speculation.

--Ellis Canady - RotoBaller

 

Hunter Strickland - RP, Seattle Mariners

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Hunter Strickland is looking for a better year in 2019. His 2018 season started out decently enough, but a broken hand after a blown save landed him on the disabled list and he wasn't nearly as effective upon his return. Strickland gives up a lot of hard contact and doesn't have particularly good control (10.5 BB%) which can lead to some big innings.

He's slotted in as the closer for the Mariners right now, but there are other capable arms in the bullpen that should make Strickland's leash somewhat short. He's okay to draft at the end of AL-only drafts, but should be left on the waiver wire for now in most deeper formats.

--David A Marcillo - RotoBaller

 

Wily Peralta - RP, Kansas City Royals

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Wily Peralta finally found a role in which he could succeed last season, posting 14 saves after working his way into the ninth inning in the second half of the season. While some of his numbers were solid (the 14 saves, a 3.67 ERA, and a 23.5 K%), others were quite concerning (15.4 BB%, 4.73 FIP).

Peralta should be in line for early season saves, but manager Ned Yost has already said he might not name a closer and instead mix Peralta, Brad Boxberger, and Tim Hill. That all makes for a situation better avoided, at least for now. Peralta can be grabbed in the late rounds of AL-only leagues for his upside, but he should be left on the wire in most deeper formats.

--David A Marcillo - RotoBaller

 

Shane Greene - RP, Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Shane Greene will look to build on his 32 saves from last season while trying to lower his unsightly 5.12 ERA. Greene has already been handed the ninth inning by manager Ron Gardenhire, but he'll need to pitch better than he did last year if he wants to keep his job, especially with Joe Jimenez in the bullpen with him.

Greene had some solid numbers besides the 32 saves last season, striking out 65 while walking just 19 in 63 1/3 innings of work. He'll need to limit home runs, and will likely only be in the closer's role until the trade deadline, but he's still likely to be a solid enough reliever to be worth owning in AL-only leagues and some deeper mixed leagues.

--David A Marcillo - RotoBaller

 

Bonus: Pedro Strop - RP, Chicago Cubs

Pedro Strop is coming off of another terrific season for the Cubs, posting a 2.26 ERA over 59.2 innings while collecting 13 saves, a career-high. He'll turn 34 during the 2019 season, but there is no real reason to expect any age-related regression. Instead, I'd point out his career-high 4.08 xFIP from 2018.

Between a .222 BABIP and a career-high 83.9% LOB, we can infer that Strop got fairly lucky last season. However, he'll continue to be used in high-leverage situations, and should be a decent asset in saves+holds leagues. He currently has an ADP of 259 as he is the leading candidate to start the year as the closer. Take advantage of this value.

--Bill Dubiel - RotoBaller

More Fantasy Baseball Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Marvin Mims Jr.

Could be on Track for First 1,000-Yard Season
Jaylen Johnson

Chargers Place Jaylen Johnson on PUP List
Dereck Lively II

Undergoes Right-Foot Surgery Tuesday
Kendrick Bourne

Kayshon Boutte Fighting for Final Spots
Isaiah Collier

Logs a Double-Double in Summer League Action on Monday
DeMario Douglas

Kyle Williams "Locks" for Receiving Corps
Trey Smith

Chiefs, Trey Smith Finalizing Massive Extension
Anthony Richardson Sr.

Colts Expected to Ease Anthony Richardson Sr. Back in
Devin Carter

Posts 17 Points Versus Suns
Bronny James Jr.

Scores 17 Points in Summer League Loss
Terry McLaurin

Undecided on Whether he Will Report to Training Camp
Colston Loveland

Says his Shoulder is 100 Percent
Harrison Ingram

has Impressive Outing Against Jazz
Sam Williams

has Potential to be Elite Edge Rusher
Shemar Stewart

Considering Going Back to College?
Jahmyr Gibbs

Lions Want Jahmyr Gibbs "More Involved" in Passing Game
Jordan Addison

Could be Facing Three-Game Suspension
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Kyle Filipowski

Records 35-Point Double-Double Against Spurs
Kel'el Ware

Dominates Against Celtics
Kon Knueppel

Gets Going Monday
Matas Buzelis

Puts Up 28 Points in Win Over Pacers
Reed Sheppard

Shut Down for Rest of Summer League
Paul George

Undergoes Arthroscopic Knee Surgery
Oneil Cruz

Ties Home Run Derby Distance Record
Cal Raleigh

Wins 2025 Home Run Derby
Najee Harris

Likely to Miss Time at Start of Training Camp
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Collin Morikawa

Misses The Cut at Genesis Scottish Open
Hideki Matsuyama

Finishes Tied For 13th at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Brooks Koepka

Finishes Tied For 32nd at LIV Andalucia
Tommy Fleetwood

Finishes Tied For 34th at Genesis Scottish Open
Jason Day

Misses The Cut at John Deere Classic
Ludvig Aberg

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Cam Taylor-Britt

has Benefited From Addition of Al Golden
Rome Odunze

Could Take Off in Year 2
RJ Harvey

to Get "Significant" Work in Broncos' Passing Game
Jackson Powers-Johnson

More Comfortable Heading into Year 2
Luke McCaffrey

In Line for Larger Role?
Braelon Allen

Jets Viewing Braelon Allen as Long-Term Starter?
Joel Embiid

Participating in Partial Basketball Activities
Victor Wembanyama

Officially Cleared to Return After Blood-Clot Recovery
Mike Williams

Heading to PUP List
Garrett Wilson

Lands Historic Deal
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Michael Lorenzen

Royals Put Michael Lorenzen on Injured List With Oblique Strain
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Kel'el Ware

Collects 21 Points in Summer League Loss on Sunday
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Cam Spencer

Contract Being Restructured
Drew Timme

Scores 30 Points in Summer League Loss to Wizards
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Alexandre Sarr

Logs Impressive Outing in Summer League Action on Sunday
Junior Tafa

Unsuccessful in his Light-Heavyweight Debut
Kyle Filipowski

Scores 21 Points in Summer League Loss to Warriors
Cody Williams

Collects 22 Points in Summer League Loss on Sunday
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Tosses Gem Against Giants
Shota Imanaga

Shuts Down Yankees on Sunday
Nathan Eovaldi

Dominant Again in Seventh Win
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Chicago White Sox

Billy Carlson Goes 10th Overall to White Sox
Cincinnati Reds

Steele Hall Selected Ninth by Cincinnati
Toronto Blue Jays

Blue Jays Select JoJo Parker with Eighth Overall Pick
Boston Celtics

Damian Lillard Drawing Interest from the Celtics
Miami Marlins

Marlins Select Aiva Arquette With Seventh Overall Pick
Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates Select Seth Hernandez with Sixth Overall Pick
Kyle Stowers

Punishes Former Team with Three-Homer Game
St. Louis Cardinals

Cardinals Select Liam Doyle with Fifth Overall Pick
Daniel Gafford

Agrees to Contract Extension with Dallas
Colorado Rockies

Rockies Select Ethan Holliday Fourth Overall
Seattle Mariners

Kade Anderson Selected Third Overall by Seattle
Ha-Seong Kim

X-rays on Ha-Seong Kim's Foot Come Back Negative
Los Angeles Angels

Tyler Bremner Selected Second Overall by Angels in 2025 MLB Draft
Washington Nationals

Nationals Select Eli Willits First Overall
Jake Meyers

to Miss More Than Three Weeks With Calf Injury
Edward Cabrera

Hopeful to Avoid Injured List
Oneil Cruz

Absent on Sunday
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
Erik Karlsson

Open to Move Away From Pittsburgh
Zach Hyman

Hopes to be Ready for Start of Next Season
SJ

Jeff Skinner Joins Sharks on One-Year Contract
Ryan Reaves

Traded to Sharks
Vladislav Kolyachonok

Moves to Dallas
Matt Dumba

Lands in Pittsburgh
Mackie Samoskevich

Re-Signs with Panthers on One-Year Deal
Josh Manson

Inks Two-Year Extension with Avalanche
EDM

Isaac Howard Signs Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract With Oilers
Tallison Teixeira

Set For His First UFC Main Event
Derrick Lewis

Set To Headline UFC Nashville
Gabriel Bonfim

Looks For His Third UFC Win
Stephen Thompson

Returns At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Calvin Kattar

In Dire Need Of Victory
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere A Favorite At UFC Nashville
Nate Landwehr

Aims To Bounce Back
MMA

Austen Lane Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF