I may have yet to mention my #1 anxiety and the most frustrating part of fantasy baseball: closers.

Despite my advice on the general reasons why you should trust or not trust the players pitching at the end of games, I never explained why. It will sound petty and has no value in the fantasy spectrum.

Closers, more often than not, are failed starting pitchers.

I do not mean failed in high school at starting. I mean drafted with the expectations to start and failed. It sounds harsh because it is. Making it in any sport is cut throat and filled with more downs than ups. I find it odd and frustrating.

I think part of the reason I dislike the transition from failed starter to closer is it comes off as degrading. A job is a job, and I would be lying if I said I would not like to pitch in the majors. But how often does it happen that when a closer is talked about, his player bio gets brought up? It can happen early in a season since statistics have yet to compile or in spring training. Mentioning someone’s draft position is meant to impress or surprise (good and bad) the listener or viewer.

A player that personifies my disdain for closers is Aroldis Chapman. Lightning comes from his arm when he throws a fastball, and his slider is not anything to sneeze at. The problem from the beginning was a lack of a third pitch and paying so much for an unproven starting pitcher.

Large contracts to pitchers are never a good idea, let alone a kid who has promising stuff but with a mediocre track record in his native Cuba. After two attempts to put Chapman in the starting rotation, the Cincinnati Reds decided to leave him as the team’s closer.

To reiterate, I feel bad that I get frustrated with closers over something so petty. It is weird that I think that thought, but I do.

Peaking

Alexei Ramirez, Shortstop, Chicago White Sox: 11 hits this past week have Ramirez’s average up to .280, right at his career average. Year in and year out, the paper thin shortstop is ranked in the top ten at the position in home runs, runs batted in, and average. He is also stealing bases more now then ever. With seven to this point, Alexei is on pace to shatter is career high of 20 from this past season. He is available in way too many leagues and should be a trade target if you want to solidify your middle infield.

Paul Maholm, Starting Pitcher, Atlanta Braves: Can a quality pitcher get some love? A look across all formats and sites showed that the vet is owned in roughly 60% of leagues. Five wins, sub-4.00 ERA, and the occasional outburst of strikeouts is worth an own in all formats. Unspectacular? Yes. Late bloomer? Absolutely. Atlanta has a potent lineup, so even if he barely squeaks out six innings while giving up five runs his teammates can bail him out. Jeremy Hellickson won despite giving up eight runs against Baltimore this weekend!

Jhonny Peralta, Shortstop, Detroit Tigers: I refuse to own him based on his silent ‘H’ in his name, but you should have picked him up by now. I was waiting for his average to plummet, taking his RBI opportunities with him. Still waiting…

Don’t look now, but Adam LaRoche is scorching right now. Time to add him if you were waiting for signs of life. Justin Morneau is not only a great story after his concussion issues, but he should be owned in fantasy.

In the Valley

Brett Lawrie, Third Base, Toronto Blue Jays: I said he earned another week before being dropped. The decision to drop him in my league of record was made easier when I added LaRoche to replace the struggling Lawrie. He cannot be trusted now and for the foreseeable future. I plan on monitoring him going forward, but his bat and sporadic offense were hurting my team and yours if you are still playing him.

Ubaldo Jimenez, Starting Pitcher, Cleveland Indians: I see three wins in four starts and an ERA cut in half to 5.31, but I also see Jimenez struggling to be efficient. Since April 3, he has one start over seven innings and three over six. He also needed at least 100 pitches to get to six innings twice. If you are considering adding him, you may get lucky with wins based on how Cleveland has been hitting, but I cannot see his ERA being close to fantasy-worthy.

Tim Lincecum, Starting Pitcher, San Francisco Giants: Some pitchers tend to get on my nerve, and Lincecum is high up on that list. He is busy either missing the plate or not avoiding opponents’ bats. His fall from Cy Young caliber stud is ugly to see. If you can find an owner trying to swap an equally frustrating player, I would do it. It may help if he opts to not face Colorado anymore this season.

Holy outlier, Batman! Fernando Rodney’s 5.3% walk percentage from 2012 looks great between his 2011 rate of 18.7% and current 20%. Tough to trust him going forward.

Follow me on Twitter @jeffrotull44, and check out my work with The Sports Bank, where I cover the Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals (soon!), Chicago Blackhawks, and entertainment.