BULLPEN RANKINGS

This segment I will look at bullpens that are either going through or will soon be going through a change of some sort. I will identify future closers and future busts.

MINNESOTA TWINS - Joe Nathan, Pat Neshek, Juan Rincon, and even Jesse Crain, in deeper leagues, are all worth spots for your team. The Twins are typically a second half team and more hold opportunities are sure to come. Neshek is a closer in the making, and could help the GM decision about trading Nathan next year. He also seems to have taken the setup role while Rincon was hurt. Minnesota uses both Rincon and Neshek in all situations, so they are both good to have. This fearsome foursome makes the twins the #1 bullpen in the majors.

Joe Nathan, 2.70 ERA, 8/9 Saves, 1.50 WHIP, 10.26 K/9
Pat Neshek, 1.50 ERA, 2 Holds, 0.70 WHIP, 11 K/9
Juan Rincon, 3.00 ERA, 5 Holds, 1.80 WHIP, 6.60 K/9
Jesse Crain, 5.51 ERA, 6 Holds, 1.40 WHIP, 5.51 K/9

SAN DIEGO PADRES - Trevor Hoffman, Scott Linebrink, Cla Meredith, and Heath Bell are worth a look on this team. Linebrink is another lights-out middle reliever who could take over the closer role when Hoffman hangs them up. Meredith and Bell round out a nice pen that can use any of the three in the setup role while the others rest. The only reason why they are not above Minnesota is because the dominance of Nathan.

Trevor Hoffman, 3.60 ERA, 10/12 Saves, 0.82 WHIP, 7.36 K/9
Scott Linebrink, 2.89 ERA, 7 Holds, 0.91 WHIP, 5.30 K/9
Cla Meredith, 3.32 ERA, 5 Holds, 1.26 WHIP, 5.68 K/9
Heath Bell, 1.57 ERA, 3 Holds, 0.78 WHIP, 9.39 K/9

LOS ANGELES ANGELS - Still one of the strongest pens in Baseball, Francisco Rodriguez left his early struggles behind him. Scot Shields is still one of the best setup men in the league, and Justin Speier seems to be emerging as a great, complimentary option in the pen. Although Speier is on the DL right now with a viral infection, there is no need to worry. As soon as he is healthy he should be ready to pitch.

Francisco Rodriguez, 2.60 ERA, 12/13 Saves, 1.04 WHIP, 13.50 K/9
Scot Shields, 3.54 ERA, 8 Holds, 0.93 WHIP, 8.41 K/9
Justin Speier, 1.69 ERA, 8 Holds, 0.75 WHIP, 9.56 K/9

BOSTON RED SOX - Jonathan Papelbon is becoming an elite closer, and his embracement of the role has made it even better. He told the Coaching staff in the beginning of the year he is more comfortable out of the closer role and might be set there until the Redsox acquire another next year or even longer. HIdeko Okajima has also been lights out and moved up to the setup role. Donnelly seems to have put things together this year and locked down the 3rd spot in the rotation. This is a team that will win a lot of games, and have a lot of opportunities for Holds and Saves.

Jonathan Papelbon, 1.35 ERA, 10/11 Saves, 0.90 WHIP, 11.48 K/9
Hideki Okajima, 0.48 ERA, 9 Holds, 0.70 WHIP, 10.61 K/9
Brendan Donnelly, 2.61 ERA, 4 Holds, 1.06 WHIP, 4.35 K/9

LOS ANGELES DODGERS - With a better one-two punch then even the best bullpens, the Dodgers can march Broxton in the 8th and Saito in the 9th to close out games. The only thing that separates the Dodgers from the other top pen’s is their depth. Broxton is the best setup man who has the ability to shut anyone down. Billingsley is starting to get better, but talk of him taking a spot in the rotation takes him out of the discussion.

Takashi Saito, 1.50 ERA, 12/12 Save, 0.78 WHIP, 11 K/9
Jonathan Broxton, 1.23 ERA, 10 Holds, 1.00 WHIP, 9.41 K/9

NEW YORK METS - Wagner has been great so far this year, and Heilman seems to be coming back to form. They have found a 3rd out of the pen with Joe Smith pitching so well. They have not gotten as many holds or save chances because the Mets have a great offense and their starting pitching has been excellent. Some regression is expected with their starting pitching and they should be seeing more opportunities come.

Billy Wagner, 0.56 ERA, 9/9 Save, 0.88 WHIP, 9.00 K/9
Aaron Heilman, 3.78 ERA, 4 Holds, 1.02 WHIP, 5.40 K/9
Joe Smith, 1.56 ERA, 3 Holds, 1.10 WHIP, 9.87 K/9

CHICAGO WHITE SOX - I know it doesn’t seem like it the way they have been pitching, but the Whitesox have a lights out bullpen with four great options. Jenks has been a little shaky at times, but he gets the job done. MacDougal, Thorton, and Aardsma are all great options for holds. Aardsma has looked as the best of the bunch, but has yet to take over the setup spot. MacDougal and Thorton share that role at this tmie. Ozzie has no set order he chooses from, he just goes by what he feels like will do the trick. All are worth owning in leagues that score holds. The only reason this pen is not ranked higher, is because they have not been performing like it. I look for them to take a jump in the ranks by my All-Star break rankings.

Bobby Jenks, 3.38 ERA, 12/13 Saves, 1.25 WHIP, 9.56 K/9
Mike MacDougal, 5.40 ERA, 9 Holds, 1.56 WHIP, 6.48 K/9
Matt Thorton, 5.40 ERA, 8 Holds, 1.65 WHIP, 8.78 K/9
David Aardsma, 1.31 ERA, 2 Holds, 1.06 WHIP, 11.32 K/9

TEXAS RANGERS - With Gagne back, the Rangers have moved up in the ranks, but it only seems to be a matter of time until he makes another visit to the DL. If he sticks with them the rest of the year, they have a great bullpen. If not they are just another one man show with Otsuka. Gagne moves back into the closer role, and Otsuka to the setup role again. If Gagne shows some stability in health, it might be a good idea to make a move for Otsuka. He will get Holds and Saves all year. Gagne’s strike out total is down this year, although he has not pitched that much it is still a little of a concern for me. He is still effective when closing.

Eric Gagne, 0.00 ERA, 1/1 SV 1 HD, 1.13 WHIP, 3.38 K/9
Akinori Otsuka, 1.23 ERA, 4/5 SV 2 HD, 1.16 WHIP, 7.36 K/9

MILWAUKEE BREWERS - Well is appears that Francisco Cordero is Human after all. He gave up his first ER last week, but still got the save. They were using him a lot..at one point in 6 straight games. He is a horse and I don’t think injury will be a problem. He is getting some rest now while the Brewers are in a mini slump. Turnbow has taken a turn for the worst the last few appearances, but I can’t see him dropping that much in such little time without injury. Maybe something is hurting him, but I would bench him until he gets out of his slump. Wise has been a good option not too many talk about, because he doesn’t get the strikeout ratio. Still he is collecting holds with the best of them.

Francisco Cordero, 0.54 ERA, 15/15 Saves, 0.66 WHIP, 12.42 K/9
Matt Wise, 3.24 ERA, 9 Holds, 1.02 WHIP, 3.78 K/9
Derrick Turnbow, 4.24 ERA, 9 Holds, 1.18 WHIP, 12.78 K/9


SEATTLE MARINERS - Putz has looked dominant since Seattle has come off their stretch of non-save opportunities. You missed the chance to buy him low if there ever was one. Seattle also has found some stability in the bullpen with Reitsma, Sherrill, and Morrow, in deeper leagues. Reitsma is the clear cut setup man, but Sherrill and Morrow have been outperforming him. Sherrill has looked the best with a 0.82 WHIP, and he might take over the setup role in the long run.

J.J. Putz, 1.08 ERA, 9/9 Save, 0.60 WHIP, 7.59 K/9
Chris Reitsma, 3.21 ERA, 3 Holds, 1.43 WHIP, 5.14 K/9
George Sherrill, 2.45 ERA, 4 Holds, 0.82 WHIP, 6.55 K/9
Brandon Morrow, 2.57 ERA, 3 Holds, 1.57 WHIP, 9.00 K/9

ATLANTA BRAVES - Hopefully Wickman has his pains and discomfort behind him, and should return to form. However it must be contagious, because Gonzalez was placed on the DL today with elbow discomfort that was affecting his velocity. Let’s hope it is a short 15 day stint. Wickman was pitching great until he got rocked in his last few appearances. Soriano and Gonzalez took over without problem for Atlanta. Soriano is a great option in a Holds league, but with Gonzalez hitting the DL, I would stay away. Gonzalez is still perfect in the save chances from last year and so far this year, but Soriano got more chances when Wickman went down. So looking at one for them to assume the closer role if Wickman goes down again is harder then it seems. My bet would be on Soriano because he is older and this coaching staff loves the experience factor.

Bob Wickman, 3.97 ERA, 6/8 Saves, 1.85 WHIP, 7.15 K/9
Mike Gonzalez, 1.59 ERA, 2/2 SV 5 HD, 1.35 WHIP, 6.88 K/9
Rafael Soriano, 2.75 ERA, 5/5 SV 6 HD, 0.66 WHIP, 7.78 K/9

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS - Isringhausen has been great so far, but the hip surgery still scares me. Well see how he is pitching at the All-Star break. Franklin and Flores has been nice complimentary out of the pen, and they are starting to solidify that role. I am not sure if the Cardinals can turn there season around, but if they can more holds in store.

Jason Isringhausen, 1.80 ERA, 10/11 Saves, 0.73 WHIP, 6.60 K/9
Ryan Franklin, 1.06 ERA, 7 Holds, 0.76 WHIP, 5.29 K/9
Randy Flores, 2.70 ERA, 3 Holds, 1.35 WHIP, 9.45 K/9

OAKLAND ATHLETICS - With Street landing on the DL Oakland is already feeling the effect. He was the only one performing well in the pen. If they lose him for any extended period of time they might be in the same boat as Toronto, only because Duchscherer has been pitching bad lately. I am starting to wonder if he has some kind of injury also. Still, you have to hope Street can come back and be as dominant as he has been and Duchscherer can turn things around. If this can happen look for them to move up in the rankings by the All-Star break.

Hudson Street, 2.50 ERA, 9/11 Saves, 0.89 WHIP, 10.00 K/9
Justin Duchscherer, 4.96 ERA, 5 Holds, 1.59 WHIP, 7.16 K/9

NEW YORK YANKEES - The Yankees have been tapping this pen for all it is worth. Their starting pitching has been hard pressed to go 7 innings an outing and the relievers have been holding their own for now. It has to catch up to them at some time or another. Rivera has been bad this year also, but he has little chances to prove himself because they are either being blown-out or blowing someone out. You have to hope Rivera gets back on track, and when the starters get their act together they will be ok. Proctor has been reliable, but he has a 5 game suspension and at least he will be getting some rest.

Mariano Rivera, 7.11 ERA, 3/5 Saves, 1.50 WHIP, 8.53 K/9
Scott Proctor, 3.72 ERA, 6 Holds, 1.19 WHIP, 4.19 K/9

DETROIT TIGERS - The loss of Zumaya will hurt a little to Detroit, but they have enough to keep things together. Jones has still been pumping out saves while Detroit is off to another good start. Rodney is a great setup guy to have for a league that scores holds. He was off to a little of a rough start, but settled down and should be fine the rest of the way.

Todd Jones, 2.50 ERA, 13/15 Saves, 1.06 WHIP, 3.50 K/9
Fernando Rodney, 4.75 ERA, 2 Holds, 1.26 WHIP, 8.53 K/9

BALTIMORE ORIOLES - Ray has already had 3 blown saves, but he is in no jeopardy to lose his job. Baez and Bradford have been nice options for league with holds. This bullpen is deep and Baez and Bradford should not get worn out from overwork. Both are poor options for strikeouts, but sometimes you have to sacrifice.

Chris Ray, 4.34 ERA, 8/11 Saves, 1.07 WHIP, 8.60 K/9
Danys Baez, 4.91 ERA, 9 Holds, 1.09 WHIP, 3.93 K/9
Corry Bradford, 3.07 ERA, 7 Holds, 1.70 WHIP, 4.91 K/9

HOUSTON ASTROS - Wheeler has not gotten too many save opportunities as of late, but things should turn around. Houston has been a second half team the last few years, so more opportunities will likely come. Qualls has been off to a great start, and Lidge has been pitching better as of late, but still needs to show a lot to get back into the mix for closer. Unless Wheeler falls on his face, Lidge should be used in smaller situations. Still his K/9 is too hard to ignore.

Dan Wheeler, 4.00 ERA, 8/9 Saves, 1.06 WHIP, 9.00 K/9
Chad Qualls, 3.44 ERA, 5 Holds, 0.98 WHIP, 8.35 K/9
Brad Lidge, 3.57 ERA, 2 Holds, 1.70 WHIP, 12.23

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS - Valverde has been very shaky at times, but still you can’t ignore 13 saves. He is not in jeopardy of losing his job anytime soon. Their middle relievers have been great so far, and it is a big reason why they are doing so well. Pena is off to a great start and is in line to take over the closer role if anything happens to Valverde. Lyon has also been good in the middle relief role and should be picked up in deep leagues.

Jose Valverde, 3.30 ERA, 13/15 Saves, 1.47 WHIP, 9.37 K/9
Tony A. Pena, 1.21 ERA, 5 Holds, 0.76 WHIP, 4.84 K/9
Brandon Lyon, 1.59 ERA, 9 Holds, 1.35 WHIP, 3.71


CHICAGO CUBS - Chicago’s pen is better than it has been playing. They have been one of the biggest reasons why the Cubs are off to such a bad start. Dempster has been great this year, but save chances are slim. If his setup guys would hold a lead he might be up there for the league lead. Howry is a good option when he is playing well. Wuertz has been good, but he had a break down earlier this week, still he is a good option in deeper leagues. Cotts has been one of the better options in the Cubs pen, but for some reason they are not going to use him in the setup role. All should be monitored until they get things together. The Cub bullpen has a combined 11 losses.

Ryan Dempster, 2.37 ERA, 8/9 Saves, 0.84 WHIP, 9.00 K/9
Bob Howry, 4.34 ERA, 5 Holds, 1.61 WHIP, 5.30 K/9
Michael Wuertz, 2.08 ERA, 3 Holds, 1.38 WHIP, 8.31 K/9
Neal Cotts, 1.76 ERA, 2 Holds, 1.04 WHIP, 8.22 K/9

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES - With Gordon landing on the DL, Myers has taken over the closer role. He seems to be doing well, but it is hard to judge what will happen when Gordon comes back. I feel they are going to put Gordon in the closer role and see what happens, but I feel Myers will get chances once and a while until Gordon loses the role for good. Geary has done well in 7th inning duties, while Madson is out...that is another sticky situation. When Madson comes back it is hard to tell what role he will come back to. Gordon and Myers are the only real options here with Geary as an option in deep leagues.

Brett Myers, 5.06 ERA, 4/5 SV 3 HD, 1.38 WHIP, 12.09 K/9
Tom Gordon, 4.82 ERA, 5/8 Saves, 1.71 WHIP, 10.61 K/9
Geoff Geary, 3.79 ERA, 5 Holds, 1.37 WHIP, 5.68 K/9

COLORADO ROCKIES - Colorado made a trade for Julio, but I fail to see the help he will provide. I feel they might try and see if he pans out they can trade Fuentes near the trade deadline. Why someone will want to trade a good closer is beyond me. They are hard to come by and it seems to be one of the only pluses to the Rockies team. Fuentes has only blown 1 save so far and his 0.72 WHIP is excellent. Corpus has been a great option for holds because they have little help in the pen. He should be a part of most Colorado wins.

Brian Fuentes, 2.50 ERA, 9/10 Saves, 0.72 WHIP, 6.00 K/9
Jorge Julio, 12.54 ERA, 1 Hold, 3.11 WHIP, 5.79 K/9
Manuel Corpus, 1.42 ERA, 9 Holds, 1.05 WHIP, 6.16 K/9

CINCINNATI REDS - Weathers has been excellent this year so far, and he is not showing any signs of slowing up. The only problem he is having is getting chances. Guardado is on the path to rehab, but Weathers has no fear of losing his job. Weathers right now is the only one worth anything from this pen, but hope Guardado comes back and puts some stability in the setup role. Stanton and Coffey have been terrible this season.

David Weathers, 1.89 ERA, 7/8 Saves, 0.79 WHIP, 8.53 K/9
Eddie Guardado, off DL soon

FLORIDA MARLINS - Tankersley seems to be moving in the closer role while Owens is on the DL, but a few bad outings have come since then and looks like his future closer status seems to be in jeopardy. With the Julio trade they received Byung-Hyun Kim, but they are going to start him off in the rotation. Lindstrom seems to be the sleeper candidate in all this confusion and he could be tested out in the closer role if Owens has more time off. All should be monitored and all are worth holding onto.

Taylor Tankersley, 6.55 ERA, 2 Holds, 1.45 WHIP, 5.73 K/9
Matt Lindstrom, 4.41 ERA, 4 Holds, 1.47 WHIP, 8.82 K/9
Henry Owens, 1.96 ERA, 4/5 Saves, 1.25 WHIP, 5.89 K/9
Byung-Hyun Kim, being used as a starter now.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS - Rauch took over the closer role Wednsday, but i think this is just a temporary move until Cordero gets it together. Still, you can't ignore the fact that Rauch is getting some save ops and in a hold league this makes him a must pickup. Don't drop Cordero, because i still think he is going to get a chance to close soon as he finds his grove.

Chad Cordero, 4.41 ERA, 4/8 Saves, 2.02 WHIP, 7.71 K/9
Jon Rauch, 3.98 ERA, 5 Holds, 0.93 WHIP, 5.31 K/9
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS - Benitez has not had too many save chances, but he still is getting the job done for now. The Giants have not had as many close games as expected. This pen is not deep at all, but Hennessey has done well in the setup role and should continue to gather holds there. There is not too much else that they can depend on, so he is not a bad gamble in deep leagues.

Armando Benitez, 3.55 ERA, 7/8 Saves, 1.50 WHIP, 9.95 K/9
Brad Hennessey, 3.00 ERA, 6 Holds, 1.07 WHIP, 4.80 K/9

PITTSBURGH PIRATES - The Pirates have given Torres little chances since the beginning of the year to gather up some saves. Capps has been putting the pressure on Torres to pitch well or his job might be a stake. Marte has done a good job and is a viable option in deep leagues if you are pressed for holds.

Salomon Torres, 5.06 ERA, 11/14 Saves, 1.44 WHIP, 5.63 K/9
Matt Capps, 1.74 ERA, 12 Holds, 0.87 WHIP, 5.66 K/9
Damaso Marte, 0.73 ERA, 3 Holds, 1.14 WHIP, 10.95 K/9

TORONTO BLUE JAYS - Accardo took over the closer role and ran with it. He is perfect in 3 chances. It is his job to lose because they have tried everyone else. Janssen has also done well as the setup man as of late and let’s hope they can keep this together. I was ready to rank them last, but the emergence of Accardo and Janssen has given them hope and that is better then the last 2 teams.

Jeremy Accardo, 0.00 ERA, 3/3 Saves, 0.78 WHIP, 9.50 K/9
Casey Janssen, 0.93 ERA, 6 Holds, 0.98 WHIP, 2.33 K/9

CLEVELAND INDIANS - Borowski has not had many saevs opps as of late and those that he has had...he blew. Sunday he blew the game, but it was a team effort there. All they needed was one more out. Unless you are in deep league Borowski belongs on the bench or the waver wire. Cabrera has not done well either. He gave up the homerun Sunday after Borowski left the game. Hernandez has also not been doing well. I guess when you are in a slump like they are these things happen. The only bright spot for the pen has been Betancourt. He has taken over the Setup role and seems to be the only option when Borowski is taken out of the closer role.

Joe Borowski, 9.00 ERA, 12/14 Saves, 1.73 WHIP, 10.80 K/9
Rafael Betancourt, 2.45 ERA, 6 Holds, 1.02 WHIP, 7.98 K/9
Fernando Cabrera, 4.24 ERA, 1 Hold, 1.47 WHIP, 12.71 K/9
Roberto Hernandez, 4.80 ERA, 3 Holds, 1.73 WHIP, 5.40 K/9

KANSAS CITY ROYALS - The only reason why I have the Royals ranked last right now is the infrequent opportunities for saves and holds. Also the fact they have no other option after Soria. He has stepped in the role and done very good on a bad team, but they need a bridge to the 9th inning. They say Dotel is closer to coming back, but he is unreliable until he shows he can stay healthy. Soria is nice to hang on to but you can’t really count on this team for saves on a regular base.

Joakim Soria, 3.93 ERA, 7/9 Saves, 1.42 WHIP, 9.82 K/9
Octavio Dotel, coming back soon.