Relief pitching in fantasy baseball can be a polarizing subject. Most leagues feature saves as a category in head-to-head or roto formats, while the minority of leagues include niche categories like holds (or “solds”). Let’s focus solely on the concept of saves in our 2023 fantasy closer rankings and projected RP dollar values. Oh, what a tangled web the closer position has become.
Last season, the MLB saw 1,232 total saves — the most since 2018 — and a whopping 222 different pitchers logged at least one save throughout the season. These numbers are the product of a few different factors:
- Not many everyday closers exist anymore
- Many teams have closer “committees”
- Some teams employ “high-leverage” closers and “low-leverage” closers
- Relief pitching is about as deep as it’s ever been
Looking over the closer charts, we can say with confidence that 10 different teams have one true closer you can rely upon to get the vast majority of that team’s save opportunities. The Guardians’ Emmanuel Clase and the Padres’ Josh Hader easily lead the list, but everyone in the top 10 is solid. Five other teams have above-average options who we would bank on being that guy or becoming that guy in short order.
2023 FANTASY RANKINGS & DOLLAR VALUES:
Cs | 1Bs | 2Bs | 3Bs | SSs | OFs | SPs | Top 300
If you can’t lock down one of the top eight closers — or two of the top 15 — you might want to consider punting saves altogether. As we discussed in our starting pitcher rankings, drafting RP-eligible starters can pay off handsomely in punt-save builds (but you don’t want to just blindly grab any SP that also has an “RP” next to their name).
Personally, we go for saves, but that doesn’t mean we target closers to the detriment of our offense. Look back at your league’s past draft results and take a look at how many owners who grabbed closers in the first 50 draft picks ended up hoisting fantasy trophies (hint: It’s going to be close to zero).
Typically, we will draft one stud closer by the eighth or ninth round — we’re looking at guys like Cardinals’ Ryan Helsley, the Orioles’ Felix Bautista, or the Red Sox’s Kenley Jansen — and then target a second closer around the ADP range of 150-180 (Daniel Bard, Pete Fairbanks, and if he rightly gets the nod as the Twins closer, Jhoan Duran).
From there, you can grab a sleeper third closer and just dump him for someone who emerges early in the season if your sleeper fails to pan out. The Rangers’ Jose Leclerc has plenty of upside if he can stay healthy, and we would also feel pretty confident about the Dodgers’ Evan Phillips until Daniel Hudson returns from rehabbing his torn ACL.
We also like the idea of drafting both White Sox closers, Kendall Graveman and Liam Hendricks. Hendricks notched 37 saves last season but dealt with a forearm injury and announced in January that he has non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He’s a set-it-and-forget-it closer when active, and Graveman could ably fill his shoes if he misses the start of the season (we might not grab one without the other). Leclerc, Phillips, Hudson, Graveman, and Hendricks all have early ADPs of 209 or later, so make sure to clean up the values late.
Fantasy Baseball RP Rankings 2023: Top players, sleepers at closer
Position eligibility based on Yahoo’s default settings
| Rank | Player | Other Pos. Elig. |
| 1 | Emmanuel Clase, Guardians | |
| 2 | Josh Hader, Padres | |
| 3 | Edwin Diaz, Mets | |
| 4 | Raisel Iglesias, Braves | |
| 5 | Ryan Helsley, Cardinals | |
| 6 | Ryan Pressly, Astros | |
| 7 | Jordan Romano, Blue Jays | |
| 8 | Felix Bautista, Orioles | |
| 9 | Devin Williams, Brewers | |
| 10 | Camilo Doval, Giants | |
| 11 | Kenley Jansen, Red Sox | |
| 12 | David Bednar, Pirates | |
| 13 | Clay Holmes, Yankees | |
| 14 | Daniel Bard, Rockies | |
| 15 | Jhoan Duran, Twins | |
| 16 | Andres Munoz, Mariners | |
| 17 | Alexis Diaz, Reds | |
| 18 | Pete Fairbanks, Rays | |
| 19 | Paul Sewald, Mariners | |
| 20 | Scott Barlow, Royals | |
| 21 | Jose Leclerc, Rangers | |
| 22 | Spencer Strider, Braves | SP |
| 23 | Evan Phillips, Dodgers | |
| 24 | Jorge Lopez, Twins | |
| 25 | Seranthony Dominguez, Phillies | |
| 26 | Kyle Finnegan, Nationals | |
| 27 | Cristian Javier, Astros | SP |
| 28 | Giovanny Gallegos, Cardinals | |
| 29 | Dylan Floro, Marlins | |
| 30 | Daniel Hudson, Dodgers | |
| 31 | Jeffrey Springs, Rays | SP |
| 32 | Taylor Rogers, Giants | |
| 33 | Kendall Graveman, White Sox | |
| 34 | Alex Lange, Tigers | |
| 35 | Hunter Brown, Astros | SP |
| 36 | Garrett Whitlock, Red Sox | SP |
| 37 | Liam Hendriks, White Sox | |
| 38 | Gregory Soto, Phillies | |
| 39 | Craig Kimbrel, Phillies | |
| 40 | Aroldis Chapman, Royals |
Fantasy Baseball RP Projected Dollar Values
Dollar values courtesy of Fantasy Pros and based on a 12-team mixed league with a $260 budget (70 percent allocated for hitting)
| Player | Dollar Values |
| Edwin Diaz (NYM – RP) | $15 |
| Emmanuel Clase (CLE – RP) | $14 |
| Cristian Javier (HOU – SP,RP) | $13 |
| Josh Hader (SD – RP) | $11 |
| Raisel Iglesias (ATL – RP) | $10 |
| Ryan Pressly (HOU – RP) | $10 |
| Ryan Helsley (STL – RP) | $9 |
| Devin Williams (MIL – RP) | $9 |
| Jordan Romano (TOR – RP) | $8 |
| Felix Bautista (BAL – RP) | $7 |
| Jeffrey Springs (TB – SP,RP) | $6 |
| Andres Munoz (SEA – RP) | $6 |
| David Bednar (PIT – RP) | $6 |
| Pete Fairbanks (TB – RP) | $6 |
| Paul Sewald (SEA – RP) | $5 |
| Camilo Doval (SF – RP) | $5 |
| Kenley Jansen (BOS – RP) | $5 |
| Jhoan Duran (MIN – RP) | $5 |
| Clay Holmes (NYY – RP) | $5 |
| Zach Eflin (TB – SP,RP) | $4 |
| Garrett Whitlock (BOS – SP,RP) | $4 |
| Alexis Diaz (CIN – RP) | $4 |
| Scott Barlow (KC – RP) | $4 |
| Giovanny Gallegos (STL – RP) | $4 |
| Evan Phillips (LAD – RP) | $3 |
| A.J. Minter (ATL – RP) | $3 |
| Jason Adam (TB – RP) | $3 |
| Steven Matz (STL – SP,RP) | $2 |
| Daniel Bard (COL – RP) | $2 |
| Taylor Rogers (SF – RP) | $2 |
| Daniel Hudson (LAD – RP) | $2 |
| Craig Kimbrel (PHI – RP) | $2 |
| Alex Vesia (LAD – RP) | $2 |
| Michael King (NYY – RP) | $2 |
| Alex Lange (DET – RP) | $2 |
| Robert Suarez (SD – RP) | $2 |
| Ross Stripling (SF – SP,RP) | $1 |
| Matthew Boyd (DET – RP) | $1 |
| Seranthony Dominguez (PHI – RP) | $1 |
| Hector Neris (HOU – RP) | $1 |
| Hunter Brown (HOU – RP) | $1 |
| James Karinchak (CLE – RP) | $1 |
| Jose Leclerc (TEX – RP) | $1 |
All other players valued at $0
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