Andrew Bailey
Leo Nunez
Jason Frasor
LaTroy Hawkins
CJ Wilson
Chris Sampson
Mike MacDougal
David Aardsma
Scott Downs

What do the above names have in common? You are correct if you guessed that very few, if any, of these guys were drafted in mixed leagues or leagues that don't count holds. Yet, as of today, these guys have earned a total of 59 saves. This number will definitely rise, too,especially in Florida and Toronto. Meet Exhibits A through I as to why I rarely pay for saves on draft day. The only closers I actually drafted this year on my four teams were Mariano Rivera (x2), Huston Street, George Sherrill, Frank Francisco (x2), Kevin Gregg (x2), Chad Qualls, Matt Lindstrom, and Joel Hanrahan (x2). Obviously, Hanrahan was an epic fail this year and Lindstrom was a WHIP killer before his injury and subsequent shelving for four to six weeks. Only Rivera actually cost anything, as all these other guys were drafted after the thirteenth round in 12 teams leagues. Sure, if you drafted K-Rod, Papelbon, and Heath Bell you are probably winning the saves category. But if you spend a high draft pick on one or more of those guys you'd best be prepared to win the category and draft other closers with high picks. In my keeper league, I am in second place in saves with Frank Squared, Kevin Gregg, CJ Wilson, Leo Nunez, LaTroy Hawkins, and Huston Street. The guy who leads saves had Papelbon, Heath Bell, and Kiko Cordero. With the draft picks he spent on those guys, I was able to land decent offensive players like Joey Votto, Pablo Sandoval, Adam LaRoche, and Jorge Cantu. As a result, I am winning the league by a comfortable margin.

In order to succeed at this strategy, you need to be a vigilant gambler, willing to move on a guy early, perhaps before the seeds of doubt have been planted in the established guy. For example, Chris Perez could be a decent pickup in leagues if you have the room. The chances that Kerry Wood makes it through this year without a trip to the DL (remember, he missed six weeks last year with a blister) are slim to none, and slim's putting his boots on.

The Hurler Invitational league has a dedicated group of save chasers, as Leo Nunez has been rostered since draft day. Last night, that strategy has paid off as Leo was anointed after getting the 27th out against the Nationals. So scour, gents, and go find yourself some saves. Remember, closers emerge.

Comments (4)

spike said:

	... thanks , kevin . perez is now a crimson king in the hurler league. owning nunez has been a bumpy ride but hopefully he keeps the closer job thru sept. drafting closers before the 8th round is especially costly in leagues with large offensive rosters to fill
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July 02, 2009
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spike said:

	... eric karabell doesn`t like perez much for saves but at least chris is pitching better than villanueva who i dropped for him. in this fix mainly because of a wasted 12th rd pick for b.j. ryan
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July 02, 2009
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Kevin said:

... When given the choice between mid-level starter who only gives you chances at wins and hard throwing 8th inning guy who has a chance, albeit remote, to close, I always choose the latter. I have Nunez on two teams because Lindstrom's arm injury could linger and Nunez brings it mid 90's with some decent control. I definitely see him sticking around in the mix. I threw Perez out there because Wood will not be closing for the Tribe when they are good again and their front office knows this. If (read:when) he does go down on the DL, they will be 15-20 games out of first place and have nothing to lose by giving him a chance. They tried Jensen Lewis in that role last year and ended up signing Wood in the offseason. What does that say about how they like him to close again? Also, managers lie when they say they want to go the 'closer by committee' route. With very few exceptions, managers are creatures of habit who want to trust one guy to do the job. Figuring out a closer based on matchups, etc. is a pain in the ass and not something most managers want to do. Many of them are kinda lazy and just want to get back to the hotel to get their drink on. Plus, it minimizes the second guessing and awkward questions from beat reporters after the game. So let that BJ Ryan pick be a lesson to ya, Spike. In the future, avoid spending high to mid-round draft picks on closers with a history of arm trouble. Glad to see you back here, though. I missed the frequent, mildly insane rantings of the Executioner

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July 02, 2009
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alfonso said:

	... I hear that... I've been watching guys like this all year. Hell, I'm even keeping an eye out to see if Uggy Urbina's get a parole hearing!
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July 02, 2009
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