We finish our positional rankings with the top 30 closers. I wish I could drum up some more excitement for this list, but there really aren’t many new names, or anything out of the ordinary. As usual, expect this position to be extremely volatile throughout the year due to trades, injuries, and random implosions.
2016 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Catcher/First Base/Second Base/Shortstop/Third Base/Outfield(Top 25)/(Top 50)/(Top 75)/Starters(Top 25)/(Top 50)/(Top 75)/(Top 100)/Top 250 Overall
1) Kenley Jansen LAD – Almost lost his job amidst the Aroldis Chapman circus this offseason, but was spared at the last moment. 2016 Projection: 3/2.42/0.93/40/92
2) Craig Kimbrel BOS – Atlanta, San Diego, Boston … doesn’t matter. Elite closer anywhere. 2016 Projection: 3/2.29/0.97/37/90
3) Wade Davis KC – K’s were down last season compared to his 2014 breakout, but it didn’t seem to affect him all that much. He actually improved. 2016 Projection: 4/2.35/0.99/37/83
4) Trevor Rosenthal STL – Saved 93 games in his last two seasons combined. It’s hard to predict saves, but Rosenthal is a good bet to lead the league. 2016 Projection: 2/2.59/1.23/43/89
5) Jeurys Familia NYM – Breakout closer of 2015. K’s ticked up in the 2nd half too (43 K’s in 34.2 IP). 2016 Projection: 2/2.64/1.11/39/78
6) Zach Britton BAL – Added more K’s last season to solidify his spot as one of the best closers in baseball. 2016 Projection: 3/2.68/1.07/35/71
7) Aroldis Chapman NYY – Suspended for 30 games. Andrew Miller will close in his absence. Joe Girardi likes his relievers to have set roles, so I wouldn’t worry too much about Miller or Betances poaching too many saves upon his return. 2016 Projection: 2/2.24/1.05/30/92
8) Cody Allen CLE – Has a legitimate chance of breaking into the elite tier this season. 2016 Projection: 3/2.79/1.13/34/90
9) David Robertson CHI-AL – Safe pick with elite K upside. Had a bloated ERA the past two seasons compared to his FIP. 2016 Projection: 4/2.95/1.09/35/84
10) Mark Melancon PIT – Everything but K’s. 2016 Projection: 3/2.71/1.02/42/66
11) Hector Rondon CHI-NL – Joe Maddon rightfully doesn’t care about the “save” stat, but that doesn’t stop it from being annoying for fantasy owners. 2016 Projection: 4/2.91/1.12/31/67
12) Jonathon Papelbon WASH – He choked Bryce Harper in the dugout on live television, and absolutely shattered team chemistry after joining Washington last season. Things could only go up from there. 2016 Projection: 2/3.00/1.15/34/58
13) Huston Street LAA – 81 saves in his last two seasons combined. Good bet to be among the league leaders again this year. 2016 Projection: 2/3.20/1.17/37/55
14) A.J. Ramos MIA – Carter Capps’ torn UCL secured the closers job for Ramos. He struggled a bit in the second half last season, but has the talent to finish much higher on this list. 2016 Projection: 4/3.09/1.19/33/81
15) Roberto Osuna TOR – Named the Blue Jays closer over Drew Storen in a semi surprise decision. Like Ramos, can easily finish much higher on this list. 2016 Projection: 2/3.09/1.10/32/72
16) Shawn Tolleson TEX – Two straight seasons of a sub 3.00 ERA. Relatively safe pick with some upside. 2016 Projection: 4/3.28/1.18/36/72
17) Glen Perkins MIN – Durability concerns, but claims he is completely healthy coming into this season. At least so far. 2016 Projection: 3/3.26/1.17/35/65
18) Francisco Rodriguez DET – Only 34 years old, but feels like he has been around forever. Maybe that is because he made his MLB debut as a 20-year-old and set the league on fire. Still getting the job done 14 seasons later. 2016 Projection: 2/3.43/1.12/37/60
19) Sean Doolittle OAK – Reports have been positive in Spring Training so far, after having shoulder issues in 2015. Struck out 89 batters in 62.2 IP in 2014. 2016 Projection: 3/3.08/1.10/33/72
20) Jake McGee COL – The trade to Colorado doesn’t kill his value, but it does probably cap his ceiling. 2016 Projection: 4/3.05/1.14/32/78
21) Santiago Casilla SFG – Safe and boring. Won’t standout, but will likely get the job done. 2016 Projection: 3/3.20/1.25/36/53
22) Brad Ziegler ARI – Submarine delivery has hitters pounding the dirt. 2016 Projection: 2/3.12/1.19/33/45
23) Luke Gregerson/Ken Giles HOU – (Last minute update: Astros name Luke Gregerson primary closer.) Houston gave up a minor haul to get Giles for a reason (and apparently that reason was to be the set up man). Gregerson 2016 Projection: 4/3.00/1.06/31/60 Giles 2016 Projection: 5/2.75/1.18/9/85
24) Brad Boxberger TB – (Update: Out for at least 8 weeks after abdominal muscle surgery. Alex Colome and/or Danny Farquhar could see save opportunities while he is out.) Should have the closer’s job to himself after Jake McGee was shipped to Colorado. Had a down year in 2015, but still has elite K upside. 2016 Projection: 2/3.37/1.22/29/70
25) Jeremy Jeffress MIL – With Will Smith tearing the LCL in his right knee, Jeffress is now the favorite for the closer’s job. 2016 Projection: 2/3.40/1.27/27/60
26) Steve Cishek SEA – Completely imploded last season after 4 strong years in a row. Relievers have been to known to just lose it out of nowhere, but there is still some bounce back potential here. 2016 Projection: 4/3.46/1.28/29/64
27) Jason Grilli ATL – Prime candidate to be traded to a contender (as a setup man) if he is pitching well. 2016 Projection: 1/3.30/1.18/20/65
28) J.J. Hoover CIN – Can lose this job at any moment. 2016 Projection: 4/3.60/1.29/27/60
29) Fernando Rodney SD – Trade risk. Implosion risk. Age risk. About as risky as they come. 2016 Projection: 3/3.62/1.33/25/66
30) David Hernandez PHI – The Phillies closer competition is an absolute mess. It went from Hernandez to Andrew Bailey, and now it is looking like it is Hernandez’s job again. Stay away from this situation if you can. 2016 Projection: 2/3.75/1.26/20/69
By Michael Halpern
Email: michaelhalpern@imaginarybrickwall.com
Twitter: Imaginary Brick Wall (@ImaginaryBrickW)