Fantasy Baseball Player Rankings & Projections
2008 Closer Preseason Preview
Bobby Jenks
|
 |
He is not quite dominate enough to
break the preseason top-ten, but the young Jenks should
be good for another 40 save season. |
11. Bobby Jenks - White Sox - 2008 Preview:
He proved himself in 2007 after a solid 2006 with 40 more saves
and a much improved 2.77 ERA (down from 4.00 in '06). His k-ratio
took a hit in '07, but that is -1.33 ERA is more than a fair trade.
There is no reason not to expect another 40 saves out of Jenks in
2008.
2007 Statistics:
40 SV's - 3-5 - 2.77 ERA - 56 K's - 65 IP.
2008 Projection:
40 SV's - 2-3 - 2.95 ERA - 65 K's - 69 IP.
12. Mariano Rivera - Yankees - 2008 Preview:
The veteran has lost a lot of his magic. His stats have fallen over
the last few years, especially his save totals (53, 43, 34, 30)
as well as posting his highest ERA (3.15) as a closer. With that
said, he is still a good closer and still plays for a winner in
the Yankees. If he is healthy he should rebound and improved his
stats a notch from his sub par 2008 performance.
2007 Statistics:
30 SV's - 3-4 - 3.15 ERA - 74 K's - 71.1 IP.
2008 Projection:
36 SV's - 3-3 - 2.64 ERA - 73 K's - 68 IP.
13. Huston Street - Athletics - 2008 Preview:
At 24 Street can still take a step and become one of the best closers
in major league baseball. His problem has been injuries and he missed
significant tim in 2007. The Athletics always have a moderate scoring,
competitive team which is perfect for fantasy closers. If he is
healthy, he is a top 5-8 closer.
2007 Statistics:
16 SV's - 5-2 - 2.88 ERA - 63 K's - 50 IP.
2008 Projection:
35 SV's - 3-2 - 2.68 ERA - 73 K's - 64 IP.
14. Jason Isringhausen - Cardinals - 2008 Preview:
Another veteran who is guaranteed to keep his job and give you a
good closer in your fantasy bullpen. He is also guaranteed to go
down with an injury at some point in the season. He has nailed 30
saves in 7 of the last 8 seasons even with his injury bugs.
2007 Statistics:
32 SV's - 4-0 - 2.48 ERA - 54 K's - 65.1 IP.
2008 Projection:
34 SV's - 3-2 - 2.52 ERA - 55 K's - 66 IP.
|
The search
has been done for you! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
15. Brad Lidge - Phillies - 2008 Preview:
A move out of Houston is exactly what Lidge needs. The one-time
fantasy stud has been erratic over the couple last years, but also
showed signs of settling in as a good closer again by picking up
19 saves in the second half of the season and maintaining a stellar
11.82 k-ratio . The Phillies are simply a different and it is amazing
how that can help a closer sometimes. The Phillies are also winners
and Lidge could get enough save chances to become a top-ten closer
in '08. He ranks a bit lower than some of the consistent veterans
above because of the risk he carries.
2007 Statistics:
19 SV's - 5-3 - 3.36 ERA - 88 K's - 67 IP.
2008 Projection:
40 SV's - 3-4 - 2.88 ERA - 95 K's - 73 IP.
16. Chad Cordero - Nationals - 2008 Preview:
He will only be 26 when the season starts and Cordero has of averaged
just over 38 saves in his first 3 seasons as a closer. If he were
on a better team he would easily be a top ten closer. Even so, Cordero
can break the top ten if he can get his ERA below the 3.00 mark.
2007 Statistics:
37 SV's - 3-3 - 3.36 ERA - 62 K's - 75 IP.
2008 Projection:
38 SV's - 4-3 - 3.07 ERA - 63 K's - 73 IP.
17. Manny Corpas - Rockies - 2008 Preview:
He took over the closer's role for the National League Champs and
never looked back nailing 19 out of 20 saves after getting the role
in July He continued and only gave up 1 earned run in 10.1 innings
pitched in the playoffs. He is young and can get better, but he
also does not have a proven record and is a gamble. The only negative
of his 2007 season is his low k-ratio of 6.69. It did improve slightly
when he began closing and could continue to improve in 2008.
2007 Statistics:
19 SV's - 4-2 - 2.08 ERA - 58 K's - 78 IP.
2008 Projection:
40 SV's - 2-3 - 2.44 ERA - 61 K's - 71 IP.
18. Joe Borowski - Indians - 2008 Preview:
He lead the American League with 45 saves, but had terrible numbers
otherwise (4-5 record, 5.07 ERA, 8. 0 k-ratio). He is not your typical
closer and it surprising that he has been given the job with some
of the harder throwers the Indians have in their bullpen. With that
said, he has the job in Cleveland he and gets the big saves numbers.
2007 Statistics:
45 SV's - 4-5 - 5.07 ERA - 58 K's - 66 IP.
2008 Projection:
41 SV's - 3-5 - 4.67 ERA - 57 K's - 67 IP.
19. Kevin Gregg - Marlins - 2008 Preview:
He took over the closer's role and benefited by the Marlins winning
ways in the second half. The Marlins have lost some big players
in the of season and will not win as much as they did in '07 and
it is thus likely that Gregg will get less save chances. Gregg looked
very good as a closer in '07, but he has no past record that shows
he will continue to be a good closer in '08.
2007 Statistics:
32 SV's - 0-5 - 3.54 ERA - 87 K's - 75 IP.
2008 Projection:
37 SV's - 2-4 - 3.20 ERA - 78 K's - 70 IP.
20. Rafael Soriano - Braves - 2008 Preview:
He took over the closer's role after the veteran Wickman failed
and had mixed reviews. For a time he lost his job and he is no guarantee
to keep the job in 2008. The good news is he finished as the closer
and he finished strong nailing 4 out of his last 4 and saw his ERA
fall from a high 3.93 down to a very solid 3.00 to end the season.
In addition, if he is the Braves closer, that position is generally
one of the best no matter who closes.
2007 Statistics:
9 SV's - 3-3 - 3.00 ERA - 70 K's - 72 IP.
2008 Projection:
37 SV's - 2-2 - 2.89 ERA - 71 K's - 73 IP.
Bargain Veteran:
Troy Percival - Devil Rays
Bargain Baby:
Tony Pena - Diamondbacks
