Best MR in Fantasy Baseball

[schlesinj]

Since Lidge is now a closer who moves in as the best MR in fantasy baseball?

My vote goes to Mota 6 wins 1 Save 1.65 ERA 1.171 Whip 48 Ks 54.1 IP.

I love that guy!

[elliotmag]

Originally posted by schlesinj
Since Lidge is now a closer who moves in as the best MR in fantasy baseball?

My vote goes to Mota 6 wins 1 Save 1.65 ERA 1.171 Whip 48 Ks 54.1 IP.

I love that guy!

Has to be Marte.

[B-Fly]

As I've mentioned before, I finally know why that girl loved Tom Gordon.

Year Team INN GS W L S K BBI HA ERA WHIP
2004 NYY 50.7 0 2 3 2 48 15 27 1.776 0.829

Mota has him beat in Ws and ERA, but Flash has a significantly better WHIP, an extra SV and a better K/IP.

[B-Fly]

Juan Rincon is also having a spectacular season, maybe better than Gordon's despite Gordon's better ratios.

Year Team INN GS W L S K BBI HA ERA WHIP
2004 MIN 44.0 0 8 3 2 54 21 27 1.841 1.091

[kldub4life]

What does K-Rod qualify at currently?

Percival is the closer again evidently.

[schlesinj]

Originally posted by B-Fly
As I've mentioned before, I finally know why that girl loved Tom Gordon.

Year Team INN GS W L S K BBI HA ERA WHIP
2004 NYY 50.7 0 2 3 2 48 15 27 1.776 0.829

Mota has him beat in Ws and ERA, but Flash has a significantly better WHIP, an extra SV and a better K/IP.

I was thinking about him too, I figured he would be my AL representative..

[Ryno84MVP]

Don't forget Akinori Otsuka...

42.3 IP
2.33 ERA
1.039 WHIP
5 wins
2 saves
46 strike outs

[elliotmag]

Gordon is having a killer year THIS year.. but look at Marte and Gordon over the past 3 yrs and I think Marte clearly wins.

Gordon 2002-2004 yrs:
2.80 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 10 wins, 14 Saves, 10.05 Kp9

Marte 2002-2004
2.30 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 8 wins, 25 saves, 9.69Kp9

[Kevin Seitzer]

Using Budmans values for 5x5 here's how they fall this year. I left out guys like Lidge, Takatsu, and Hawkins who have taken over the closer role and have more than 4 saves:

K-Rod $15
J. Rincon $15
T. Gordon $12
G. Mota $12
A. Otsuka $10
R. Madson $10
S. Shields $9
B. Ryan $9
D. Marte $8
T. Jones $8
S. Linebrink $7

[Mr. Squidward]

I have Gordon and BJ Ryan in my main money league and am just praying for an injury to Rivera or Julio.....

These were the first two AL names that I thought of and they both appear on Seitzer's list above....

[cardboardbox]

I'd toss Grant Balfour into the discussion for the rest of the year. I dont like to toss stats out, but his season started on 5/16 with a couple really bad outings. If you just look at his stats from 6/1 to present:

1.256 era
19 k in 14.1 ip

[Mith2]

Originally posted by Mr. Squidward
I have Gordon and BJ Ryan in my main money league and am just praying for an injury to Rivera or Julio.....

These were the first two AL names that I thought of and they both appear on Seitzer's list above....

never ever pray for an injury.....

bad bad karma!!

[Trader Mac]

Originally posted by cardboardbox
I'd toss Grant Balfour into the discussion for the rest of the year. I dont like to toss stats out, but his season started on 5/16 with a couple really bad outings. If you just look at his stats from 6/1 to present:

1.256 era
19 k in 14.1 ip

I am so happy I drafted Balfour at $4.

I was going to vote for J Rincon. Nothing is more exciting than getting vulture wins from your MR's. I had Tony Fiore a few years ago when he won around 10 and it really helped my pitching.

[HSaxa]

Originally posted by Kevin Seitzer

K-Rod $15
J. Rincon $15
T. Gordon $12
G. Mota $12
A. Otsuka $10
R. Madson $10
S. Shields $9
B. Ryan $9
D. Marte $8
T. Jones $8
S. Linebrink $7


Who of these guys can keep it up and who will fall on their face. Who is missing from this list (Williamson, Timlin, Farnsworth, ???)

In other words, who do I want on my team in the 2nd half? (5x5 - no holds)

[Sharky]

Originally posted by HSaxa
Who of these guys can keep it up and who will fall on their face. Who is missing from this list (Williamson, Timlin, Farnsworth, ???)

In other words, who do I want on my team in the 2nd half? (5x5 - no holds)

K-Rod, Shields, Gordon for the 2nd half.

Otsuka is overworked, I think.

[ChiSoxFan]

Gordon's been absolutely unbelievable. Everytime I look up, he's putting another scoreless inning in the books. Should have bid higher on him. :(

[Kevin Seitzer]

Originally posted by Sharky
K-Rod, Shields, Gordon for the 2nd half.

Otsuka is overworked, I think.

Gordon's got to be one for the overworked category, too. He's on pace to pitch in 83 games and to throw 95 innings. Both would be career highs for him as a reliever. His current high marks are 73 games and 79 innings, and that was pre-Tommy John surgery in 1998.

[The Dane]

I think AOtsuka is going to fade as he surpasses his IP limit very soon.

My pick for the NL... SLinebrink. Talk about quiet. These are GREAT numbers:

48IP, 45K, 2.22 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 4W

Has no real shot at getting saves, but as a pure MR, he is NL gold. Possibly the next BLidge, maybe?

[Bodhizefa]

Originally posted by The Dane
My pick for the NL... SLinebrink. Talk about quiet. These are GREAT numbers:

48IP, 45K, 2.22 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 4W

Has no real shot at getting saves, but as a pure MR, he is NL gold. Possibly the next BLidge, maybe?

I doubt he's the next Lidge just because his K-rate is around 2 K's lower per nine innings than Lidge's was in his first full year. Couple that with Linebrink's already having been around for a couple years, and I think we can safely say he's not going to ever be in Brad Lidge's dominating territory as a reliever. He's having a good season, but Brad Lidge he is not nor will he become.

[Mr. Squidward]

Originally posted by Mithrandir
never ever pray for an injury.....

bad bad karma!!


I meant pray in the most innocuous terms - I have two other closers as well - just meant that a well timed injury to Rivera would not be the worst thing to happen to my team.....

[Mr. Squidward]

Originally posted by HSaxa
Who of these guys can keep it up and who will fall on their face. Who is missing from this list (Williamson, Timlin, Farnsworth, ???)

In other words, who do I want on my team in the 2nd half? (5x5 - no holds)

Williamson does not belong on the list.

As for best for the 2nd half - grab BJ Ryan - he is young and strong and has been lights out since the all-star break last year. I have been touting him as a young Arthur Rhodes (for the good Seattle years) for quite some time on this board - plus he will fly a little lower on the radar (ie. cost less) than Gordon will....

[Bodhizefa]

I'm gonna throw my hat in the middle of the ring for 25-year-old Mike Adams of the Brewers. I picked him up on June 28th after scouring my wire for whom I thought had a good shot at closing down the line. His minor league stats at AA last year had him hold a 10.09 K/9 with an 83/33 K/BB ratio and at AAA this season had him with a 10.74 K/9 and a 37/4 K/BB (wow on that last one).

If there's anyone who could conceivably help you as a great keeper down the line for cheap prices, I would envision Adams to be the guy. Gammons just did a report on him in his latest Notes column -- the same column I read about Lidge last season after picking him up a few weeks prior. I hope lightning strikes twice. But in the meantime, Adams should only get better.