1. Jose Mesa (just kidding)
1. Craig Kimbrel (BOS)- I love closers. I think closers obviously play an integral part in protecting the team's lead ultimately to victory. I know other people disagree with me but the "save"is a stat that must be kept because the pitcher is entering the game in a last ditch effort for the offense to win the game. Craig Kimbrel might be the scariest closer in the game, I get nervous just watching him throw against anyone, doesn't even have to be my team. Kimbrel coming over from SD to a Red Sox team that is out for vengeance this year, should have a chance to record many save opportunities. In terms of Kimbrel dominance, last year wasn't his best year, but I just didn't see him having a great year in SD in the first place. The Red Sox seem to be a great fit for him and with Tazawa and Uehara as the set up men, he should be given the chance to shut the game down.
2016 Stats: 44 Saves, 90 Ks, 1.91 ERA
2. Aroldis Chapman (NYY)- I'm always a bit hesitant to rank guys so high when they come to play for any New York team (see Neil Walker when I rank 2B), especially the Yankees. But I also believe there are some guys who are un-phasable, and Chapman is one of them. Playing for a dismal Reds' team last season, Chapman still was able to rack up 33 saves in 36 opportunities. 9th inning chances were plentiful last year with Betances and Miller getting the lions share of the work, so with more chances comes more saves. In 2015, Chapman had his most dominant season since 2012, boasting a 1.63 ERA with 116 Ks. Unless there is a suspension in the beginning of the season, Chapman is the guy to own for the NYY and you will be happy you did.
2016 Stats: 38 Saves, 110 Ks, 2.10 ERA
3. Wade Davis (KC)- Finally getting his shot to be the full time closer in KC, I don't expect Davis to miss a beat after his dominant 2015 campaign. Though his strikeouts were down considerably in 2015, he still was a bonafide stud as a setup man and set the table easily for Greg Holland in the 9th. His ERA & WHIP were insanely low as he only surrendered 7 ERs in 67.1 innings all season, while racking up 8 wins as a reliever. Boasting pretty much the exact same roster as last year, I don't expect any part of the Royals to falter and Davis will see plenty of save opportunities and you can bet he'll convert on them as well.
2016 Stats: 39 Saves, 82Ks, 1.74 ERA
4. Trevor Rosenthal (STL)- Rosenthal is poised to have another successful season in 2016. He quietly racked up 48 saves last season with the Cardinals second only to Mark "The Shark" Melancon. Rosenthal got into a little bit of trouble last season and racked up 4 losses, with 3 blown saves, but more often than not he was able to get the job done. One of the most staggering statistics for Rosenthal was he lowered his ERA from 3.20 in 2014 to 2.10 in 2015, such a resounding drop. I don't expect Rosenthal to falter at all in 2016, look for him to perform very similarly in 2016 as he did in 2015.
2016 Stats: 45 Saves, 85 Ks, 2.20 ERA
5. Jeurys Familia (NYM)- This guy received his opportunity to close partly because of luck, but kept it because he was straight fire. He's lucky because Mejia is a fool, Parnell was hurt then when he came back, he stunk up the joint. But it's all good for Familia! The Mets offense wasn't too potent last year and I don't expect it to be as such this year as well, especially after losing Daniel Murphy to free agency this year. This will keep Mets games very close as we all know how their starting rotation looks this year. Mix that with pitching in a pitcher's park, Familia should have another dominant 2016 campaign as the Metropolitans' closer.
2016 Stats: 42 Saves, 81 Ks, 2.25 ERA
6. Kenley Jansen (LAD)- Jansen has had so much hype surrounding him since he entered the league in 2010. Since then, he's had to battle injuries and closer controversies so his hype has been a bit derailed in the meantime. However, this season should be a nice fresh start for him coming off a dominant end of the 2015 campaign. In his last 10 outings of the season, Jansen only let up 1 ER while racking up 7 saves and no blown saves in that time period. If he can stay healthy and pitch in around 65-70 games this year, I don't see any problems choosing him as a top priority option at the closer position.
2016 Stats: 40 Saves, 90 Ks, 2.40 ERA
7. Ken Giles (HOU)- After the Phillies traded Jonathan Papelbon last year, Giles got his chance to prove himself as the closer. He started out great but it looked like fatigue got the best of him since he never pitched more than 44 innings in the majors before last season (small sample size of 2 years, though). His last few outings saw him surrender 4 ERs in about 10 innings, but what he did as a setup man and in the middle of the season should be the story told about Giles. He reminds me of a Wade Davis type, not a high strike out guy, but has an extremely low ERA and WHIP to match. Playing on a team that should get him the save chances he deserves, this could be the breakout season Giles' fans have been hoping for.
2016 Stats: 33 Saves, 84 Ks, 1.93 ERA
8. Zach Britton (BAL)- One of the first things I look at to determine if a guy will be a dominant closer is his ERA. Since Britton became the O's full time closer in 2014, he has boasted a sub 2.00 ERA ever since. One of the most encouraging stats for Britton was his difference in strike outs from 2014 to 2015; they increased by almost 25% from year to year. The unfortunate thing about Britton from 2014 to 2015 was his WHIP increased as well: hits increased but walks decreased. So there is a lot of good with the bad with Britton, but I still see him as a top-10 closer option for sure.
2016 Stats: 36 Saves, 75 Ks, 2.02 ERA
9. Mark Melancon (PIT)- Despite Melacon's increase in ERA, WHIP, and decrease in strikeouts, he still found a way to get the job done in 2015. He led all of MLB in saves with 51 and only incurred 2 blown saves along the way. Melancon and his nasty sinker ball should be ready to have another similar season in 2016, though I do believe the saves will be down. Hitters are starting to figure him out and his stock might not be as high again as it is now, but he still will be a legit closer this season for the Buccos and will be fine for your team.
2016 Stats: 41 Saves, 65 Ks, 2.35 ERA
10. David Robertson (CWS)- Robertson was supposed to be an absolute stud for the White Sox last season but unfortunately underwhelmed quite a bit. 7 blown saves and an ERA of 3.41 are not what you pay 10 million dollars a year for ($11mm this season). I'm taking a gamble here, but I want to say last year was just a fluke for Robertson. There are some bright spots to talk about with Robertson, however. His walks and WHIP were both down significantly, he just needs to do a better job keeping the ball in the ballpark, he let up 7 HRs in the last two seasons. There's no closer battle to speak of in Chicago, so he'll get his chances, now it's time to convert and bounce back from last season.
2016 Stats: 35 Saves, 90 Ks, 3.20 ERA
Keep it locked for future updates, and as always, I welcome any and all feedback!
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