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Closing Time 9/21: Ranking the Top 30 Closers Every Tuesday

Rick Graham ranks baseball's closers for the 2021 season.

With closer Jake McGee on the IL due to an oblique strain, it was originally believed that Tyler Rogers would slide into the closer role for the time being. Rogers did receive the first save chance but wound up allowing three earned runs and blowing the save. For the team’s next save chance, Dominic Leone picked up his second save of the season, with Rogers working the eighth inning. Leone has been fantastic this year with a 1.72 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. The team may want to keep Rogers in his eighth-inning set-up role so Leone is the preferred add at this time.

 

Notes

 

  • Ian Kennedy has been quite the roller coaster since joining the Phillies, but he’s allowed just one earned run over his past four games and has the easiest remaining schedule left. They get the Orioles and Pirates this week while finishing the season in Miami.
  • Gregory Soto is likely to miss the remainder of the season after fracturing a finger on his pitching hand on a comebacker last week. Michael Fulmer should finish the year as the Tigers’ closer, and there should be some winnable games left with series against the Twins and the Royals.

 

  • Andrew Kittredge was placed on the IL with neck tightness, re-opening the door to the closer role in Tampa. It’s anyone’s guess as to who might emerge, but Pete Fairbanks makes the most sense as of now, with Nick Anderson still working his way back into MLB action. The dark horse candidates would be veteran David Robertson, or J.T. Chargois.
  • Garrett Richards picked up the last Red Sox save this past week, despite Adam Ottavino not pitching the previous day. With Matt Barnes now back with the team and Hansel Robles pitching well, this bullpen is probably worth staying away from at the moment.

 

Rank Pitcher TeamChange
1Josh HaderT1HOU-
2Liam Hendriks-
3Ryan Pressly-
4Raisel IglesiasATL-
5Kenley Jansen
T2
DET-
6Edwin DíazLAD-
7Aroldis ChapmanBOS-
8Emmanuel ClaseCLE-
9Jordan RomanoLAA-
10Will Smith
T3
-
11Giovanny GallegosLAD+2
12Scott BarlowATH+2
13Mychal Givens+3
14Ian Kennedy+8
15Mark Melancon
T4
-3
16Joe BarlowTEX+1
17Drew Steckenrider-2
18Andrew ChafinCIN-
19Michael FulmerSF+UR
20Alex Colomé+4
21Dominic Leone+UR
22Pete FairbanksMIA+UR
23Dylan Floro
T5
-
24Kyle FinneganDET-3
25Rowan WickSF-
26Carlos EstévezKC-
27Chris Stratton+2
28Tyler Clippard-
29Tyler WellsBAL+UR
30Adam Ottavino-3

 

Stash List

 

Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire (Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)

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Rick Graham

Rick resides in the Boston area and has experience as a player and coach at the collegiate level. He has been covering relievers for Pitcher List since 2017.

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