Midseason Rankings: Closers

On to the next position, and I'll be honest, this was the most challenging I've drafted so far. Closers so frequently lose their jobs to poor performance or injury that projecting them usually proves impossible; just ask anyone who paid dearly for J.J. Putz. Because this isn't an easy task, please comment where you see fit (last rankings' fifteen posts was a record for our site, but one we hope to break regularly).

Tier One:

• Jonathon Papelbon
• Francisco Rodriguez
• Joe Nathan
• Mariano Rivera

Truth is, I don't trust Rivera in that tier, but his numbers are just insane. Since 2003, he hasn't had an ERA above 2.00 save but one year. Of course, since that year was last, many of us "experts" had written him off. While K-Rod has ten more saves than Papelbon, the latter has 10 more strikeouts in fewer innings, while posting significantly better WHIP and K/BB numbers. In fact, I'm more confident that Papelbon will be the better bet going forward than I am in Nathan providing more value than Rivera.

Tier Two:

• Brad Lidge
• Kerry Wood
• Billy Wagner
• Joakim Soria

These are the names we recommended targeting on draft day, and we did not fail you (picking sleeper closers is probably my sixth sense). I'm a Cubs fan so it seems wrong not having Kerry Wood at the top of this list, because he will probably get more saves than the other three names. All these teams look to be buyers at the break with the exception of the Royals, who don't plan on giving up the kind of impact bat that has been keeping them in games.

Tier Three:

• Takashi Saito
• Bobby Jenks

Shortest tier probably ever. While Saito has only blown three saves, he has only been handed 16 save opportunities (you do the math). Jenks isn't a strikeout machine, but has solid peripherals and is on a pretty good team. Since its strikeouts that make a fantasy closer elite, and since you depend on saves from this position alone, these guys don't make tier two, but have fewer question marks than tier four.

Tier Four:

• Francisco Cordero
• Jason Isringhausen
• Huston Street
• Salomon Torres
• B. J. Ryan
• Kevin Gregg
• Jon Rauch
• Jose Valverde
• Mike Gonzalez

Cordero almost makes tier three, but the Reds are going to be sellers and that offense could struggle without Dunn and Griffey, even if both have been underperforming. After Isringhausen broke down (insert any adverb), he has been lights out in June on a solid team. Torres and Gonzalez will have to perform to hold their jobs, but are the better options over their injury-prone counterparts and have been solid thus far (Torres's ERA since taking over? A tad over 1.50, but his K's haven't been there). Street is on a good team that will hand him opportunities, which he will gladly blow until the A's trade him, a fate much more likely for Jon Rauch.

Tier Five:

• Brandon Morrow
• George Sherrill
• Troy Percival
• Trevor Hoffman
• Brian Wilson
• Brian Fuentes
• Todd Jones
• Brandon Lyon
• C. J. Wilson
• Damaso Marte
• Joe Borowski

Here's how I look at these guys... Poor Performance: Hoffman, Wilson, Jones, Lyon, Wilson, Borowski (with Zumaya, Pena, and Betancourt/Kobayashi ready to step in for some). Likely Traded: Sherrill, Fuentes, Marte. Injury Concerns: Percival. Morrow is the only guy not tainted on this list, but at some point the M's have to hand the job back to Putz; I think it will be later than you'd expect.