Fantasy Baseball: Closing Arguments – Derek Law

Derek Law is the perfect player to present this week’s Closing Arguments in Fantasy Baseball. This is my weekly column helping you send your opponents to solitary confinement! Well, maybe that is taking the analogy too far. I apologize I just finished streaming Better Call Saul.

It has been a crazy short week in the pitching world with injuries and demotions. So let’s deal with that first. Mark Melancon, Shawn Kelley and Zach Britton. Francisco Rodriguez was taken out of the closer role, despite the numbers this one surprised me. This leaves new-ish closers, Justin Wilson, Blake Treinen, and Derek Law. These three are worth adding where you can grab them.

In terms of priority Justin Wilson is the clear #1 add, he has the closer title with shot to hold onto it for the rest of the year. He is best short and long term add for that reason. Fantasy baseball owners know this; he is only available in 39% of Yahoo leagues.

Of the two injury replacement options, Derek Law is superior for a few reasons. Law should hold the closer role for the entire 10 day DL stint by Melancon. Law also has a superior record of performance when compared to Treinen, who also has the disadvantage that he may not even be the interim closer once Koda Glover comes off the DL. This difference is also demonstrated in ownership percentages as Treinen is owned in 9% of leagues compared to 30% for Law.

Sam Dyson isn’t demoted but is struggling to work his way back up the Rangers bullpen pecking order while coming back from his DL trip. Matt Bush has been the closer for a while but now seems to have some breathing room. Owners should keep an eye on the Phillies situation. Hector Neris struggled in his last outing and has been inconsistent over the past couple weeks.

So this Derek Law fellow, let’s find out some more about him. According to www.mlb.com He has 64 strikeouts and only 15 walks over the past two MLB seasons. Hey, that is pretty good. His fastball is currently averaging around 94mph which is also encouraging. Keep in mind I am suggesting Law as a short-term add. Melancon is expected back after his DL trip. However he is older and there’s always the chance he breaks down again. He is only 30% owned, so you should be able to grab him. We are keeping things brief this week as we aim for a mid-week closing argument post. Always remember don’t fight the Law, because the Law wins… (I had too, sorry not sorry.)

Current Closer	Next in line	Team	League	Notes
Brad Brach	Darren O'Day	Baltimore	American League	Zach Britton DL
Craig Kimbrel	Joe Kelly	Boston	American League
Aroldis Chapman	Dellin Betances	New York Yankees	American League
Alex Colome	Brad Boxberger	Tampa Bay	American League
Roberto Osuna	Jason Grilli	Toronto	American League
David Robertson	Tommy Kahnle	Chicago White Sox	American League	Nate Jones DL
Cody Allen	Andrew Miller	Cleveland	American League
Justin Wilson	Francisco Rodriguez	Detroit	American League
Kelvin Herrera	Joakim Soria	Kansas City	American League
Brandon Kintzler	Ryan Pressly	Minnesota	American League
Ken Giles	Luke Gregerson	Houston	American League
Bud Norris	Jose Alvarez	Los Angeles Angeles	American League
Santiago Casilla	Ryan Madson	Oakland	American League
Edwin Diaz	Steve Cishek	Seattle	American League
Matt Bush	Jeremy Jeffress	Texas	American League
Jim Johnson	Mauricio Cabrera	Atlanta	National League
A.J. Ramos	Kyle Barraclough	Miami	National League
Addison Reed	Fernando Salas	New York Mets	National League	Jeurys Familia - Blood clot issue
Hector Neris	Joaquin Benoit	Philadelphia	National League
Blake Treinen	Enny Romero	Washington	National League	Shawn Kelly and Koda Glover DL
Wade Davis	Carl Edwards	Chicago Cubs	National League
Raisel Iglesias	Drew Storen	Cincinnati	National League
Neftali Feliz	Corey Knebel	Milwaukee	National League
Tony Watson	Daniel Hudson	Pittsburgh	National League
Seung Hwan Oh	Trevor Rosenthal	St. Louis	National League
Fernando Rodney	Randall Delgado	Arizona	National League
Greg Holland	Adam Ottavino	Colorado	National League
Kenley Jansen	Sergio Romo	Los Angeles Dodgers	National League
Brandon Maurer	Ryan Buchter	San Diego	National League
Derek Law	Hunter Strickland	San Francisco	National League	Mark Melancon (10-Day DL)

Speaking of the Rangers, where is last week’s Closing Argument player, Keone Kela? He is no longer in the cellar. He moved all the way up to 3rd from the bottom. He is still four names below Dyson on the list. I will now scream “LOL” out the window. Also the REAL Closing Arguments bump took effect as Kela’s ownership has dropped down to 1% in Yahoo leagues after the posting of my column. Beer me.

 

 

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