Top 25 Relief Pitchers
Michael Lins 4.4.09

Always a great topic for debate, the volatile closer position is something that can cause many owners their league title.  There are injuries, ineffectiveness and more that play into the success of closers and whether they keep their role or not.   If you are able to grab one of the elite closers, like Nathan or Papelbon, you help to lower your risk injury, as they have proven to be durable, although nothing is for certain.

When selecting a closer, you want someone who will not only provide saves, but will also help out in ERA and Whip.  You'll need to spend a high pick to grab one of these guys.  Rather than do this, I would recommend that you look for value - BJ Ryan will offer ERA and Whip help to go along with his saves.

RANK RELIEVERS AL/NL IP W SV K ERA Whip
1 Joe Nathan, MIN AL 68 3 42 76 2.20 1.00
2 Jonathan Papelbon, BOS AL 64 3 40 75 2.05 0.89
3 Mariano Rivera, NYY AL 62 3 41 72 2.41 1.05
4 Joakim Soria, KC AL 67 3 37 69 2.33 1.02
5 Jonathan Broxton, LAD NL 72 3 34 89 2.90 1.19
6 Francisco Rodriguez, NYM NL 67 2 37 81 2.35 1.24
7 Brad Lidge, PHI NL 68 3 36 90 2.95 1.28
8 Brian Fuentes, LAA AL 64 4 37 72 3.15 1.16
9 B.J. Ryan, TOR AL 63 2 36 64 2.61 1.10
10 Carlos Marmol, CHC NL 74 3 16 103 3.13 1.12
11 Jose Valverde, HOU AL 69 4 36 76 3.25 1.19
12 Bobby Jenks, CWS AL 63 3 35 47 3.00 1.15
13 Kerry Wood, CLE AL 63 2 35 80 3.58 1.21
14 Francisco Cordero, CIN NL 68 5 38 77 3.41 1.34
15 Joey Devine, OAK AL 42 3 13 43 1.75 1.07
16 Chad Qualls, ARI NL 76 2 33 69 3.18 1.18
17 Frank Francisco, TEX AL 65 2 30 85 3.62 1.20
18 Grant Balfour, TB AL 62 4 18 75 3.10 1.22
19 Matt Capps, PIT NL 72 3 30 60 3.22 1.04
20 Heath Bell, SD NL 70 3 27 71 3.23 1.19
21 Mike Gonzalez, ATL NL 58 2 26 67 3.10 1.23
22 Trevor Hoffman, MIL NL 52 2 33 40 3.44 1.15
23 Joel Hanrahan, WSH NL 65 4 28 78 3.77 1.35
24 Brad Ziegler, OAK AL 75 4 13 42 3.15 1.27
25  Brian Wilson, SF NL 65 2 33 70 4.34 1.37