We make the obvious choice today after Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Brandon Morrow mowed down the Tampa Bay Rays yesterday. Morrow has had a nice year for the Jays, finally getting the stability of a firm role on the team’s pitching staff. The results are beginning to show for Morrow, 26, whose second-half improvement was culminated by Sunday’s 17-strikeout performance. Read more »

Baltimore Orioles’ third baseman Miguel Tejada’s job may not be in jeopardy, but hot shot prospect Josh Bell is certainly making his case. He’s impressing in Orioles’ camp, but as the Baltimore Sun’s Peter Schmuck tells us, the plan is for Bell ‘to get more comfortable hitting Triple-A pitching this season.’

Bell is flying under the radar amongst prospects in fantasy, but he’s getting closer and closer to being Major League ready. A highly regarded prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ organization, he was shipped to Baltimore in the deadline deal for reliever George Sherrill last season. Read more »

Fantasy leagues put varying premiums on the contributions of middle relievers, but the right ones can always be helpful to a pitching staff.

Certain guys can help in strikeouts, ERA and WHIP, while also providing hope for a handful of saves down the road. They can valuable in a setup role or seemlessly step into the ninth inning and take care of business there. We take a look at six guys who fit the bill. Read more »

Another look at the state of bullpens across Major League Baseball. About a third of teams in the league are dealing with some sort of upheaval in the late innings, which, of course, opens plenty of doors in fantasy.

The St. Louis Cardinals were quickly scrambling for a ninth-inning solution when rookie Jason Motte blew his first save opportunity. They appear to have found their man, at least for now, with veteran Ryan Franklin. The Toronto Blue Jays enter a two-week stretch with B.J. Ryan on the 15-day disabled list, and Colorado’s Huston Street has been relegated to middle relief in favor of Manny Corpas.

All of those details and more in our Week 3 closer rankings. Previous ranking is in brackets at the end of each player note. Read more »

Rankings are arbitrary and subject to all kinds of different perspective and opinions. At the end of the day, they don’t serve much purpose, except to stir up some controversy and serve as an entertaining read. If we’re lucky, readers will find what they’re about to read controversial, entertaining, informative and/or useful.

These kinds of lists are a little different in fantasy, especially in a publication’s ability to express a thought that’s a little outside the norm. Also, in the case of closer rankings, fantasy owners are able to check out the bottom of our list and see which stoppers may get into early trouble. Read more »

In a typical rotisserie baseball league, there are 10 statistical categories to consider. Most players make big contributions in a handful of categories, which gives them a great deal of value. But, the way fantasy baseball works, one-dimensional, less productive players — relievers and closers — require far more work and maintenance.

Plots thicken, closers get demoted or injured, and managers often make bullpen situations hard to predict. So, while it’s all in pursuit of saves – and to a far lesser extent strikeouts, ERA and WHIP — keeping a stable full of closers requires a great deal of time, anticipation and a little luck. Read more »