Here is a look at my 2010 final fantasy baseball rankings for relief pitchers. These rankings base ERA and WHIP on innings pitched and not just a round number so player A who pitchers more or less innings with the same ratio as player B will be ranked differently.
1. Billy Wagner – his last year before retirement was a good one as he finished as the number one closer in fantasy baseball. No doubt that he could have still gotten it done for a few more years if he wished to keep playing. His 104 strikeouts were the most since 2003. His ERA and WHIP were the lowest they had been since 2005. His seven wins tied a career high set back in 1997.
2. Heath Bell - 6 wins and 40+ saves for the second year in a row makes him the top fantasy closer heading into 2011. Slightly raised his strikeout rate and allowed only one run home run in 70 innings which helped keep his ERA under 2.00.
3. Brian Wilson - edged out Bell to capture the saves crown with 48 for the San Francisco Giants. Kept his walk rate lower for the second straight year while getting a few more strikeouts.
4. Rafael Soriano - won the American League saves title with 45. Had no problem in his first year as closer in Tampa Bay, converting all but three saves with a 1.73 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP. Will be looking for a new home in 2011 as he will likely cost too much for Tampa Bay to bring back.
5. Carlos Marmol - still walks too many hitters but he gets away with it because he is unhittable when he is in the strike zone. Held opposing hitters to a .147 batting average while striking out 138, an increase of 45 punch outs from 2009.
6. Neftali Feliz – took over as closer for Frank Francisco the second week of the season and dominated, converting 40 of 43 save opportunities. Still has some work to do when pitching at home where his ERA was three times higher versus on the road, 3.73 vs. 1.27.
7. John Axford – replaced Trevor Hoffman as closer in Milwaukee at the end of May and converted 24 of 27 save chances. Was better in the second despite blowing three saves with a 1.97 ERA and 1.13 WHIP.
8. Joakim Soria – finished second in the American League in saves with 43. Numbers were right in line with his 2008 season except he was slightly easier to hit, though a .216 batting average against is nothing to sneeze at.
9. Hong-Chih Kuo – took over as closer for Jonathan Broxton and saves 12 of 13 games. Held opposing hitters to a .139 batting average while recording a 1.20 ERA with a 0.78 WHIP.
10. Mariano Rivera – his 33 saves were the lowest total since 2007. Struck out less than one batter per inning for the first time since 2006. ERA and WHIP both still solid at 1.80 and 0.83. Still in question whether he returns for the 2011 season at age 41.
11. Matt Capps – he seemed destined to be out of the closer role by mid season before the year began, but then he pitched well in Washington and was even better when he went to Minnesota. Has increased his save total now for three straight years.
12. Francisco Rodriguez – it is hard to believe he ranked this high after missing the last month and a half of the season. Managed to drop his walk rate and keep the long ball in check, leading to a 2.20 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP.
13. Jonathan Papelbon – his seven losses were almost as many he had in the previous three years combined. Walk rate and home run rate slowly creeping up. Numbers after the All-Star break not too pretty, with a 4.35 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. If he is back in Boston in 2011, the leash will be short with Daniel Bard waiting in the wings.
14. Chris Perez – ERA dropped from previous seasons as he was much better at keeping the ball in the park. Pitched very well after the break, converting 16 of 17 saves with a 0.63 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP.
15. Ryan Franklin – ERA spiked as the gopher ball returned in 2010, with seven allowed in 65 innings. Drastically cut his walk rate which helped his WHIP stay close to 1.00.
16. Brian Fuentes – numbers wise he has shown that he was a better pitcher in Colorado. Two years in the American League, plus his age (35) has started to raise his stats in the wrong direction. Will be looking for a new home in 2011 as a free agent this winter.
17. Andrew Bailey - ERA and WHIP were nice, but strikeouts and saves were kept in check due to injuries. Was able to reach almost the same amount of saves as in 2009 despite 21 less appearances.
18. Leo Nunez – stats were similar to 2009 despite losing his closer role in Florida at the end of the year to Clay Hensley. ERA was half a run lower as he curtailed his gopheritis from the year prior. Fell apart in August with a 9.31 ERA and a 2.48 WHIP but finished strong, allowing two runs over his final 11 innings with 12 strikeouts.
19. Francisco Cordero – his eight blown saves were the most he has had since 2006. Skills starting to decline at age 35 as he struck out less then a batter per inning for the second straight season. Might face some pressure from Aroldis Chapman for the closer role in 2011 if they leave the youngster in the bullpen.
20. Jose Valverde - Valverde was humming along nicely the first half of the season with a 0.92 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP before the wheels fell off. Was hit hard in July and had the flue plus an abdominal strain in August that left him with a second half ERA of 6.38 and a WHIP of 1.71.
– injury concerns plus the possibility of him starting the season on the disabled list has dropped his average draft position by three to four rounds.
