March 2, 2018
Here are the Monkey’s closer rankings for 2018. As always, we’ve got them divided into tiers for your drafting ease.
Tier 1
1. Kenley Jansen
2. Craig Kimbrel
3. Aroldis Chapman
Jansen, Kimbrel, and Chapman have it all — proven track records, great ratios, and elite strikeout numbers. As a bonus, they all play on teams expected to contend in 2018, so they’ll have plenty of ninth-inning leads to protect.
Tier 2
4. Ken Giles
5. Corey Knebel
6. Roberto Osuna
7. Felipe Rivero
8. Wade Davis
9. Cody Allen
Ken Giles and Corey Knebel would be tier 1.1 if it weren’t for Giles’s postseason struggles and Knebel’s high walk rate. Even with those concerns, they should still be two of the best closers in 2018. The other closers in this tier are rock-solid with excellent strikeout numbers.
Tier 3
10. Brad Hand
11. Edwin Diaz
12. Sean Doolittle
13. Raisel Iglesias
14. Alex Colome
15. Mark Melancon
16. Brandon Morrow
Tier 3 is a mix of veterans and youngsters. Diaz and Iglesias are really exciting from a fantasy perspective, but still a little unproven. Hand and Colome come with some trade concerns since the Padres and Rays look to be rebuilding. Doolittle was able to stay healthy in 2017 and was great, while Melancon is hoping to return to form in 2018 after injuries derailed his first year in San Francisco.
Tier 4
17. Kelvin Herrera
18. Brad Brach
19. Jeurys Familia
20. Archie Bradley
21. Blake Treinen
22. Hector Neris
There could be some real value in this part of this list. Familia saved 50 games two years ago. Bradley is looking like the next great starter-converted-to-reliever. Treinen settled into the closer’s role nicely after a midseason trade, while Neris had a stretch of 20 straight successful save opportunities during the 2017 season.
Tier 5
23. Arodys Vizcaino
24. Luke Gregerson
25. Blake Parker
26. Shane Greene
Blake Parker is probably older than you think (32) and the Angels’ bullpen has been as volatile as any in recent seasons, but his strikeout numbers (86 in 67.1 inning) and WHIP (0.83) are very tempting. Shane Greene doesn’t have much competition for the closer’s job in Detroit, but his walks and low swinging-strike rate could be an issue in 2018.
Tier 6
27. Joakim Soria
28. Keone Kela
29. Fernando Rodney
30. Brad Ziegler
Fernando Rodney always seems to find his way into one of the bottom tiers, but still mostly got the job done last year at age 40. Will Rodney’s age (he will turn 41 before the season starts) finally catch up with him in 2018? Brad Ziegler is one of the least exciting fantasy options at closer after recording just 26 strikeouts in 47 innings last year.
