Fantasy Baseball Player Rankings & Projections
2009 Closer Preseason Preview
Chad Qualls
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He was 7 for 7 in save opportunities
with 7 K's and 0 runs as he as the Diamondbacks closer at
the end of the season. Can he become and stud in 2009? |
16. Chad Qualls - Diamondbacks - 2009 Preview:
He took over the highly-coveted Diamondback's closer's role and
looked great, finishing the season with 7 consecutive saves and
giving up no runs during that time. He has 15 career saves, including
some with Houston, so the role isn't completely new to him. If he
continues to pitch like he did at the end of 2008, 2009 will be
a top ten year for Qualls.
2008 Statistics:
9 SV - 4-8 - 2.81 ERA - 71 K's - 73.2 IP
2009 Projection: 37
SV - 2-3 - 2.71 ERA - 74 K's - 68 IP
17. Mike Gonzalez - Braves - 2009 Preview:
The Braves have been unsettled in the closer's position since John
Smoltz moved back to the starter's role. They went through several
pitchers and ended up with Gonzales at the end. Gonzales has been
a closer before in Pittsburgh in 2006 when he posted 24 saves and
a 2.17 ERA. He missed a portion of the 2008 season with injury,
otherwise he may have taken over the closer role sooner. In the
end he finished pretty strong and looked sharp as the Braves' closer.
He should maintain the job and have a solid 2009.
2008 Statistics:
14 SV - 0-3 - 4.28 ERA - 44 K's - 33.2 IP
2009 Projection: 37
SV - 2-2 - 3.26 ERA - 76 K's - 67 IP
19. Brian Wilson - Giants - 2009 Preview:
He was one of the closer by default pitchers and doubt and up and
down season, he finished with 41 saves and goes into 2009 as the
Giant's closer. The Giants have a great young pitching staff and
a weak offense and that is usually a good combination for save chances.
At 27, the Giants feel Wilson is young with room to improve and
that he has the mentality of a closer.
2008 Statistics:
41 SV - 3-2 - 4.62 ERA - 67 K's - 62.1 IP
2009 Projection: 38
SV - 2-2 - 3.98 ERA - 69 K's - 65 IP
19. Chris Ray - Orioles - 2009 Preview:
He will return from Tommy John surgery after missing the entire
2008 season. He will be turning just 27, so he should see a fast
recovery and be ready for the 2009 season. He came onto the scene
in 2006 when he posted 33 saves and a 2.73 ERA and slipped a bit
in an injured 2007 season when he posted 16 saves and 4.33 ERA.
He is not a flashy, big-time strikeout pitcher (8.33 k-ratio), but
he seems to be steady and consistent.
2008 Statistics:
DID NOT PLAY
2009 Projection: 34
SV - 3-2 - 3.24 ERA - 52 K's - 66 IP
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20. Huston Street - Rockies - 2009 Preview:
The one-time stud in the making blew up in Oakland and was shipped
to Colorado. Overall his stats in Oakland weren't that bad, but
bad enough combined with injures for the A's to let him go. In fact,
he nailed 94 saves with a 2.88 ERA lifetime with the A's, so there
is plenty of hope that a healthy Street can become a top closer
again in Colorado.
2008 Statistics:
18 SV - 7-5 - 3.73 ERA - 69 K's - 70 IP
2009 Projection: 35
SV - 3-3 - 3.39 ERA - 68 K's - 67 IP
20. Brad Ziegler - Athletics - 2009 Preview:
He took over at the tail-end of the 2008 season after several A's
failed at the closer's role. He looked great nailing 11 of 12 saves
while posting an incredible 1.06 ERA. That is the good news. The
bad news is Ziegler is a 29-year-old rookie with no proven record
and reilies on a submarine-style pitch that fools batters...at first.
Many times they crash and burn as batters catch on to the pitch.
Add to that a horrible 4.56 k-ratio and there are red flags here.
2008 Statistics:
11 SV - 3-0 - 1.06 ERA - 30 K's - 59.2 IP
2009 Projection: 34
SV - 3-2 - 2.88 ERA - 51 K's - 68 IP
Bargain Veteran:
Matt Capps - Pirates
Bargain Babies:
Joel Zumaya - Tigers
Chris Perez - Cardinals
Jose Arredondo - Angels
