For a number of years, the Dodgers have had a “Designated Closer.” Most recently, it was Kenley Jansen, followed by Craig Kimbrel. A while before that, it was Game Over Gagne… and others. Many Dodgers fans wanted the Dodgers to sign a closer this Winter. Of course, the usual names came up: Liam Hendriks of the White Sox and David Bednar of the Pirates. I am going to suggest that Fantasy Baseball skews your thinking process. CBS Fantasy recently released its list of the Top 20 relief pitchers for 2023 (mostly closers). Here it is:
- Edwin Diaz
- Emmanuel Clase
- Josh Hader
- Devin Williams
- Liam Hendriks
- Spencer Strider
- Raisel Iglesias
- Felix Bautista
- Jordon Romano
- Ryan Pressly
- Kenley Jansen
- Ryan Helsley
- Camilo Doval
- Paul Sewald
- Peter Fairbanks
- David Bednar
- Daniel Bard
- Scott Barlow
- Alexis Diaz
- Gregory Soto
However, if you look at MLB’s Top 10 Relief Pitchers, here is what it looks like:
1.