This is the eighth article in the series examining the current 2011 fantasy baseball ADP (average draft position) for closers. The data used for this article is from Mock Draft Central using the NFBC scoring system which has 15 teams per league in a mixed format with two catchers needed per team.
The grid below has the players listed based on my 2011 fantasy baseball rankings with the current ADP shown for where a player would fall in either a 12 or 15 team mixed league. The rounds for a 12 team league may vary slightly as closers may slide a little bit later with fewer teams in the league, but it will still give you a good ballpark range for what round you should be looking to take that certain player that you have an eye on.
Looking at the list of the top 20 closers, there are three guys that stand out to me as value plays based on their current fantasy baseball ADP but they each come with some caveats. Jonathan Broxton going as the 15 to 17th best closer after being a top five closer a few years ago could provide some value for owners. New manager Don Mattingly is saying all of the right things in regards to Broxton being back as closer but there Dodgers have several options looming in the background which means a change would be easy to make if Broxton struggles. With Mattingly as a new manager, we also don’t know what his philosophy is in regards to player moves so if Broxton blows two saves in a week, how long will he stick with him? Does he let him ride out any type of struggles or does he pull the plug quick knowing he has other capable options?
Matt Thornton could be going higher for the White Sox but the presence of youngster Chris Sale in the bullpen combined with Thornton never having been a full-time closer before makes his value slide a little in current drafts. Since both pitchers are left-handed, there is no worry about a guy getting situational saves. It is either going to be one guy or the other.
Coming off of Tommy John surgery, Joe Nathan is going later in fantasy baseball mock drafts and with Matt Capps in a fallback role, the Twins have some options. We will need to watch Nathan in spring to see if he performs as well and if he is able to close in back-to-back games. If the Twins keep him from throwing two consecutive days for the first month or two of the season, that could be five to eight saves he misses out on.
| 12 Teams | 15 Teams | ||||||
| Rank | Name | ADP | Round | Pick | Round | Pick | |
| 1 | Joakim Soria | 81 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 6 | |
| 2 | Brian Wilson | 75 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 15 | |
| 3 | Heath Bell | 92 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 2 | |
| 4 | Neftali Feliz | 110 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 5 | |
| 5 | Carlos Mármol | 73 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 13 | |
| 6 | Mariano Rivera | 67 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 7 | |
| 7 | Jonathan Papelbon | 120 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 15 | |
| 8 | Francisco Rodríguez | 159 | 14 | 3 | 11 | 9 | |
| 9 | Andrew Bailey | 142 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 7 | |
| 10 | Huston Street | 155 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 5 | |
| 11 | José Valverde | 148 | 13 | 4 | 10 | 13 | |
| 12 | John Axford | 164 | 14 | 8 | 11 | 14 | |
| 13 | Chris Pérez | 172 | 15 | 4 | 12 | 7 | |
| 14 | Jonathan Broxton | 193 | 17 | 1 | 13 | 13 | |
| 15 | J.J. Putz | 146 | 13 | 2 | 10 | 11 | |
| 16 | Joe Nathan | 209 | 18 | 5 | 14 | 14 | |
| 17 | Matt Thornton | 227 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 2 | |
| 18 | Craig Kimbrel | 223 | 19 | 7 | 15 | 13 | |
| 19 | Brad Lidge | 190 | 16 | 10 | 13 | 10 | |
| 20 | Francisco Cordero | 187 | 16 | 7 | 13 | 7 | |
