2010 Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings

Mariano Rivera fantasy baseball 2010 closers

Fantasy Baseball Rankings 2010: Closers

In comparison to real baseball, closers have an inflated value in fantasy baseball. They certainly play an important role in winning games, but c’mon – is it really that hard to get 3 hitters out with a 3-run lead?

With that said, there is one closer is Major League Baseball who makes it look easier than all the rest: Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees, our no. 1 fantasy baseball closer heading into draft time for the second straight season.

How can we not rank Rivera no. 1 on this list? Well, Joe Nathan’s injury certainly has helped Rivera’s cause. That said, all Rivera does, every year, is go out and shut the door in the 9th inning when called from the bullpen. Last season Rivera paid some serious dividends for his fantasy owners, saving 44 games with a 3 wins and an ERA of 1.76, a WHIP of 0.90, and 72 strikeouts in 66.3 innings of work.

Unless your league shows love to holds as a fantasy baseball category, then there really is no reason for you to consider middle relievers on draft day.

Fantasy Baseball Closer/
Relief Pitcher Rankings

Closer is probably the toughest position to evaluate in fantasy baseball. Unlike most positions where the starter has a lock on his job, some closer situations become a revolving door if some pitchers can’t get their act together.

Despite the volatility at the position, Fantasy Baseball Dugout still recommends carrying 3 closers on a fantasy roster. Why? Because you can corner the market. That said, don’t overpay for saves.

There are a wide variety of quality closers to consider in 2010, below are our Top 30. E-mail webmaster [at] fantasybaseballdugout [dot] com if you think we got something wrong.