David Bednar
Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
In this week's closer report, the Pirates made a surprising move, sending David Bednar to the minors amid his struggles on the mound. Mason Miller's strikeouts propel him to the top spot in the rankings. And the Rangers go with Luke Jackson in the ninth-inning role. All that and more as we look at the closer landscape after the first week of baseball.
Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings
Tier 1: At the Top
Mason Miller - Athletics
Emmanuel Clase - Cleveland Guardians
Devin Williams - New York Yankees
Josh Hader - Houston Astros
Miller takes over the top spot with an electric first showing as he struck out the side in his one appearance for his first save against the Mariners. He then got some work in on Wednesday with the Athletics down against the Cubs, striking out two more in a scoreless inning. The 26-year-old right-hander has the best all-around skillset at the closer position. It's only a matter of how many save chances the Athletics can get him.
Clase did nothing to alleviate any concerns following his postseason performance. He gave up a run on three hits to blow a save his first time out. He bounced back his next time out with a scoreless frame, striking out one batter in a non-save situation. Despite the blown save, it's too early to warrant any legitimate concern.
Williams was also shaky in his first outing, giving up a run on two hits and a walk before holding on for his first save with the Yankees. He's absent from the team for a couple days while on the paternity list. Luke Weaver remains next in line to step in for saves.
Hader followed the trend of turbulent first outings as he surrendered a run before holding on for the save on Opening Day against the Mets. He followed up with his second save in a scoreless appearance against the Mets two days later.
Tier 2: The Elite
Ryan Helsley - St. Louis Cardinals
Edwin Díaz - New York Mets
Andrés Muñoz - Seattle Mariners
Raisel Iglesias - Atlanta Braves
Helsley has been impressive over his first few outings. The 30-year-old right-hander has six strikeouts with two hits and no walks allowed over three scoreless innings with one save so far for the Cardinals. In New York, Díaz struck out one batter in a clean outing for his first save against the Astros, then pitched a scoreless eighth in a tie game against the Marlins. Meanwhile, Muñoz has locked down three saves with five strikeouts over three scoreless frames.
Iglesias is still searching for his first save as the Braves have yet to win a game. He fired a scoreless inning with one strikeout in a non-save situation his first time out, then entered in the eighth against the Dodgers on Wednesday with a two-run lead and blew the save on a two-run double by Max Muncy. Iglesias returned in the bottom of the ninth and surrendered the walk-off homer by Shohei Ohtani.
Tier 3: The Solid Options
Jeff Hoffman - Toronto Blue Jays
Robert Suarez - San Diego Padres
Ryan Walker - San Francisco Giants
Jhoan Duran - Minnesota Twins
Tanner Scott - Los Angeles Dodgers
Félix Bautista - Baltimore Orioles
Hoffman looks sharp in the early going after some off-season concerns. The 32-year-old right-hander has been busy, recording three saves with one run allowed and five strikeouts to no walks over four innings of work.
Suarez ...
