In the final part of an eight-part series, we will take a look at the top five closers in Major League Baseball. The closer is an integral part of a fantasy team, as he is the only player who can pick up saves. Here are the top five fantasy closers in the game today.
5) Taylor Rogers–Minnesota Twins–The native of Denver, Colorado pitched 60 games in 2019 with a record of two wins, four losses, an earned run average of 2.61, a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 1.00, 30 saves, and 90 strikeouts. In 69 innings pitched, Rogers gave up 58 hits, 20 earned runs, and only 11 walks.
4) Ken Giles–Toronto Blue Jays–The native of Albuquerque, New Mexico was outstanding for Toronto in 2019. In 53 games, he had a record of zero wins, two losses, an earned run average of 1.87, a WHIP of 1.00, 23 saves, and 83 strikeouts. In 53 innings pitched, Giles gave up only 36 hits, 11 earned runs, and 17 walks.
3) Liam Hendriks–Oakland Athletics–The native of Perth, Australia was an all-star for the first time in his career in 2019. In 75 games, Hendriks had a record of four wins and four losses, an earned run average of 1.80, a WHIP of 0.97, 124 strikeouts and 25 saves. In 85 innings pitched, Hendriks gave up 61 hits, 17 earned runs, and 21 walks.
2) Roberto Osuna–Houston Astros–The native of Juan Jose Rios, Mexico led the American League with 38 saves and Major League Baseball with 56 games finished in 2019. In 66 games, Osuna had a record of four wins, three losses, an earned run average of 2.63, a WHIP of 0.88, and 73 strikeouts. In 65 innings pitched, he gave up 45 hits, 19 earned runs, and 12 walks. Ironically, Osuna and Giles were traded or each other in a deal between the Blue Jays and Astros on July 30, 2018.
1)Kirby Yates–San Diego Padres–Yates has an opportunity to pitch in Petco Park, a pitcher’s park, and was sensational in 2019. The native of Lihue, Hawaii led Major League Baseball with 41 saves in 2019. Like Hendriks, Yates was an all-star for the first time in his career. He pitched 60 games, had a record of zero wins, and five losses, a spectacular earned run average of 1.19, and a WHIP of 0.89. Yates also had surrendered only eight earned runs, 41 hits, and 13 walks.
