I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I hate closers. Of course, I don’t hate any individual that happens to be a closer. It isn’t their fault that the game has gone out of control as closers are concerned. This isn’t a new diatribe on my part, but it does bare repeating for the purposes of commenting on the fantasy condition.

Closers are now routinely paid more than ten million dollars a season once they become eligible for free agency. Like most players, they are paid based on their performance. This is where the similarities stop. The save statistic creates its own demand. Huge money dictates using a player in a specific role so that they accumulate said statistic. A normal player at a normal position gets paid based on performance and the best performers get to play.

Yet, when looking at relief pitchers we often see that the best relievers are not necessarily closers. This becomes a problem when we look at fantasy value. This gets especially muddy when you consider that more and more leagues are including holds as a statistic. So, do you overwhelmingly focus on players that are currently serving in the closer’s role or do you focus on the best reliever available.

Total run index can help. One of the things to consider when making you draft list is to figure out which closers are most likely to perform and which ones are likely to lose their jobs. Those lower on the TRI list are likely living on borrowed time. In the table to follow, we have the ranking in TRI, but we also have the role they are likely to open the season in. You can consider it as much as you want when forming your pre-draft list.