Welcome to everyone’s favorite yearly exercise in futility: Closer rankings. Heading into the 2022 season, RP remains as confusing as ever. Whether it’s because of injury, poor performance, or a manager’s preference for committees, about two-thirds of the league will wind up changing its closer at some point in the season. That means about 100 percent of your fantasy baseball league will be looking for productive relievers at all points in the season.

That starts during the draft, and based on ADPs, that includes relatively early in drafts. In the past, using an early-round pick on a closer was considered a cardinal sin, but with so few reliable closers, that mentality is somewhat changing.

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But should it? Sure, Josh Hader and Liam Hendriks, among others, seem like sure things, but doesn’t every player who’s high in the preseason rankings? At this time last year, no one expected Emmanuel Clase, Jordan Romano, and Giovanny Gallegos to all be top-10 closers heading into 2021, but here we are. There are always major breakouts. Disappointments at this position.

Moreover, as much as you want a high-strikeout, low-ERA/WHIP reliever, saves are the most important stat they provide. There’s a relatively small amount of players at any given time who can provide that stat, so if that’s still a category in your league (as opposed to save + holds), then you gotta have them. That means signing up for some ugly ERAs and WHIPs.

That’s why this position is so tough to navigate. Some of the best relievers don’t get saves, which only gives them so much value in standard leagues. It doesn’t hurt to have one of those guys - especially those who are only one injury away from landing a ninth-inning role - but ultimately, you’re going to have to play the guessing game and reach for unproven or uninspiring guys who might get you one save a week. That’s why trying to get at least one “stable” closer is smart, even if it’s not one of the very top guys.

2022 FANTASY BASEBALL RANKINGS:
Catcher | First | Second | Third | Short | Outfield | Starter | Overall

Fantasy Baseball RP Rankings 2022: Top players at closer

These rankings are a composite of three of Fantasy Alarm's experts. Players might be eligible at SP, thus giving them more overall value.

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