If you made it big in the restaurant business, you got a Chef’s Table.
At Fantasy Alarm we have one too. Expect here you don’t need a reservation. Or a fat stack to pay for it.
The best part about the Chef’s Table is that you get to watch the preparation of your food from start to finish. Seeing every intricate detail that goes into your dish while enjoying the company of family and friends. Well, that’s what I’m gonna give you here.
Each week I will profile a player or players based on increased street cred throughout the industry. Whether because of a recent hot streak, increased playing time or a promotion because of an injury. From there I will break down the recipe for that player’s success and determine if he is just a flash in the pan or someone who is gonna bring home the bacon.
Today’s Special: Closers
Now that Opening Day has come and gone, it is already time to start hittin' the waiver wire. Considering every team has played only one game, the sample size is far too small to concentrate on hitters, but that is not the case for some late-inning hurlers. Whether these short-term closers can sustain high enough production to warrant fantasy consideration long-term is anyone's guess. For now, here are a few guys worth adding if saves was an after thought on draft day.
Jason Grilli, RP (ATL)--Trades just one day before Opening day are rare, especially when they include a face of a franchise, which was the case when the Braves moved Craig Kimbrel to the Padres just minutes before the first pitch in Chicago. The void left by Kimbrel is a big one. In fact, no closer recorded more saves than Kimbrel since being anointed the Braves closer as he managed to tally 185 saves from 2011-2014. Now that he is out of the picture the Braves have tipped their hat to Grilli, who himself has had some success in the ninth inning earlier in his career.
It has been a couple seasons since Grilli has been a reliable closer in the league, but now back in the National League playing on a team that will need as much help as they can get form their bullpen, his current situation could be just what he needs at this point in his career. In his first appearance in the closer role Grilli pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning with two strikeouts to snatch his first save with the Braves and unless the wheels fall off in the early going he is going to be the man, although there is another former closer in Jim Johnson lurking in mid-relief. Unless the circumstances change in the up-coming days Grilli is a must-add in all fantasy formats while still owned in only half of leagues throughout the major providers.
Jeurys Familia, RP (NYM)--Unlike Grilli, it took an injury to Jenrry Mejia (elbow) to open the door for Familia to work his way into the ninth inning. At this point the severity of Mejia's injury has yet to be fully released after experiencing tightness in his elbow during warmups, but anytime an elbow is involved it is never a good sign. Although both Buddy Carlyle and Jerry Blevins were used in the ninth inning in the Mets opener, it would have been Familia who would have gotten call had be not already pitched a scoreless eight innings in which he struck out two batters.
Entering just his second big league season, Familia still has plenty of growth potential, especially if he can lock down the closer role for the time being as he tries to build off of his solid rookie campaign in which he finished with a 2.21 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and a 8.50 K/9 through 77.1 innings of relief. Adding saves to last season's mix would have made him a must-own pitcher had he not been used in middle relief. Until the results from Mejia's injury are revealed Familia is someone to target if week in the saves category as the Mets fully expect to used him in the role at least for short-term purposes.
Chris Hatcher, RP (LAD)--With Kenley Jansen sidelined as he recovered from foot surgery, the Dodgers need to rely on their middle relievers for help in the ninth inning. On Opening Day the team turned to Hatcher to fill the void and he did not disappoint as he managed to pitch a 1-2-3 ninth inning to register his first career save. Although Hatcher has never been given the chance to close dating back to his days with the Marlins, he did display the ability to get the job done in non-save situations, registering a 3.38 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and a 9.0 K/9 through 56.0 innings in 2014.
There are other candidates to fill the void left by Jansen in the early going, including Joel Peralta and J.P Howell, who have proven they can get the job done if needed as Dodgers brass has mentioned the use of a closer-by-situation until Jansen returns. Of the three pitchers mentioned, Howell does have the most career saves (21), but he is the team's top left-handed reliever so it is unlikely he will be used outside of extreme situations. Until more save situations arise it is hard to say who will end up being the better pitcher to own in the absence of Jansen. although Hatcher certainly has the leg up after getting the call on Opening Day. For now Hatcher should be added in deep league formats until we see how this all shapes out.