500 Saves and Counting

He has more career saves than any other player in MLB history. His lifetime ERA and WHIP are 2.70 and 1.04 respectively. He's accumulated 982 strikeouts in 908.1 innings pitched. These stats aren't too shabby for a starter or a reliever, to say the least. Hoffman is a sure-fire Hall of Famer. No doubt about it. Because he isn't in a glamorous position with glamorous statistics to be accumulated (think of Bonds with Homers and Johnson with Ks this year,) he doesn't quite receive the publicity that he deserves. 500 saves is nothing to sneeze at. How much have you heard about this monumental milestone though? It is an achievement sans pareil.

Don't Drop Saito

According to mlb.com, Takashi Saito will not go on the DL. He may not be available for the weekend series against the Padres, but he should remain on your roster for now. In the interim, you may want to give serious consideration to Jonathan Broxton, who could pick up a few saves for your fantasy team. Mr. Broxton's ERA and WHIP haven't been spectacular in the past month (5.40 and 1.57 respectivel,) but he has had an impressive strikeouts to innnings pitched ratio (18 Ks in 13.1 innings,) to go along with one save.

Fantasy Baseball Closer Report

The folks over at profantasybaseball.com have a nice 2007 Closer Report. They give a good update on recent activites with respect to closers and their impact on your fantasy baseball team. One of the real nice features is the current listing of top closers, along with a 2006 and 2007 comparison of their stats and who the potential back-up closer is.

The number eleven closer on this report is Takashi Saito who is having an excellent season so far (15 saves, 1.64 ERA through May 26.) However, if you're in a keeper league, take a close look at Jonathan Broxton. He is listed in profantasybaseball.com's report as the potential back-up closer for Takashi Saito. In 2006 he had 97Ks in 76 innings pitched to go along with a 2.59 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. So far this year, Broxton has 27Ks in 25 innings pitched along with a 1.78 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. Take into account the fact that Saito is 37 years old, while Broxton is 22, and you're looking at a strong chance of Broxton taking over the closer duties (and picking up saves for your fantasy team,) in the not too distant future. Fantasy Baseball Central recommends adding Broxton to your roster now.
Fantasy Baseball

Phillies' Closer

With Tom Gordon on the shelf, and Brett Myers just being added to the shelf, Fantasy Baseball Central sees the Phillies in a quandary for a closer. It looks as if they will go to the trifecta of Antonio Alfonseca, Geoff Geary, and Ryan Madson as their closers by committee. The Phillies, who are one game under .500 need these guys to step up now. Which one of them would Fantasy Baseball Central recommend picking up for your fantasy league? Take a look at the previous years' statistics, and the only one we could realistically see providing value for your roster is Geoff Geary.