Did anyone expect Taylor Buchholz to be the good Buchholz this year?

This past week has been a busy one in major league bullpens; so let’s just jump right in:

• In his first save opportunity for the Braves, Mike Gonzalez notched the save for Atlanta and appears to be the clear frontrunner for closing duties. The news concerning injured closer Rafael Soriano has been hazy at best in recent days. As we’ve gone over in this space throughout this season, Soriano represents a significant injury risk and while Gonzalez is no sure thing to be in top form this season (he is one year removed from Tommy John surgery), he is by far the best reliever in the Atlanta pen and is likely to receive most if not all of the chances. Soriano does represent somewhat of a threat to Gonzalez’ value but the bet here is that Gonzalez has this job for the duration.


• The shakiest situation currently appears to be that of the Texas Rangers. For the second time in less than a month, manager Ron Washington gave C.J. Wilson something less than a vote of confidence following a blown save. While there were comments to the effect that Wilson would remain the closer this past Friday, it is clear that Wilson is on shaky ground with his manager. As for a replacement for Wilson it would likely be none other than former Twins closer, Eddie Guardado. While he has not been spectacular, Guardado has pitched reasonably well this season and has picked up the slack for last year’s primary setup man, Joaquin Benoit (who has battled injury and subpar performance). It goes without saying that Wilson owners need Guardado as a handcuff and those in need of saves should look to the possibility that Guardado may find himself in that role before long. Expectations for Guardado should lukewarm; he likely wouldn’t be awful in the role but would be firmly entrenched in the lowest tier of closers.


• The surprisingly competitive Cardinals also have a situation that bears watching. After imploding and eventually landing on the disabled list in May, Jason Isringhausen has returned from the DL this past week and has pitched 3^1/3 scoreless frames in a non-closing role. Since his return, there have been two save opportunities for the Cards and both have gone to interim stopper, Ryan Franklin (who notched a tough 2 inning save against the Red Sox on Friday). Given Isringhausen’s history, it isn’t likely that Franklin can hold him off if Isringhausen shows that his early season struggles are behind him. While Franklin hasn’t been spectacular, he has shown some guile in this role and looks to be a lot better pitcher than many have given him credit for. If Izzy does indeed reclaim the closer’s role, it isn’t recommended that a Franklin owner immediately part with him, as Isringhausen figures to be on a shorter leash than in years past.


• After an impressive first go-round as closer in Seattle (seven strikeouts and two saves in three innings), it is a tough break for Brandon Morrow owners and Seattle fans to know that Miguel Batista while assume closer’s duty over the weekend while Morrow recovers from back spasms. The injury is not expected to linger or result in any sort of disabled list trip but it would be a shame if this derails Morrow in any way. The similarities between Morrow and Joba Chamberlain are many: both highly regarded college pitchers, high velocity, and a quick trip through the minors. There is no doubt that Morrow (like Chamberlain) has the ability to thrive in a one or two inning stint at the end of games. Here is hoping that the new regime in Seattle reverses course with Morrow and we see him in the rotation mix next spring.


• Things appear to be looking up in Detroit as the offense has woken up and the team has been markedly better recently than they were during their early season slump. The same can said about the Tigers bullpen. Although he was torched in his return from a season long disabled list stint, Fernando Rodney has returned to the late inning mix as well as the ever-intriguing Joel Zumaya. Of course the same caveats still apply in 2008 that applied in 2006: Todd Jones, barring an act of God or complete loss of fine motor skills, will be this team’s closer. It may take some time but it will a surprise to no one if Zumaya eventually finds himself creeping into this article’s middle relief rankings before long.


• The hottest closer in baseball recently has been without question Colorado’s Brian Fuentes. With seven saves and a win in the month of June, Fuentes has knocked a full run off of his ERA in a month’s time (currently 2.05 as of this writing). All of this success is more likely to get Fuentes traded than not as the Rockies continue to sport the National League’s second worst record. As one of the better pending free agent relievers, there is motivation there for the Rockies to accumulate value for Fuentes at the deadline (though Fuentes would likely command draft pick compensation should leave via free agency). Any number of contenders would love to get their hands on Fuentes, namely the Yankees who have been starved for lefty relievers and could insert Fuentes immediately into a primary setup role The issue of course is cost and they are unlikely to pay the freight that it will require to extract Fuentes from the Rockies especially with multiple teams bidding. Should Fuentes get traded it is nearly a foregone conclusion (based on performance) that Taylor Buchholz would assume the closer’s role (who would have thought Taylor would be the more valuable Buchholz by far for fantasy at the midseason turn?). After a magical late season run last year as Fuentes’ replacement, Manny Corpas is so low on the Rockies’ closing depth chart you have to dig for him. What a difference a year makes!

Tier One: The Elite Closers

Mariano Rivera – New York Yankees

Jonathan Papelbon – Boston Red Sox

Francisco Rodriguez – LA Angels of Anaheim

Kerry Wood – Chicago Cubs

Brad Lidge – Philadelphia Phillies

Joe Nathan – Minnesota Twins

Joakim Soria – Kansas City Royals

Billy Wagner – New York Mets

Tier Two: Your Average Joes

Bobby Jenks – Chicago White Sox

George Sherrill – Baltimore Orioles

Jose Valverde – Houston Astros

Takashi Saito – LA Dodgers

Francisco Cordero – Cincinnati Reds

Brandon Lyon – Arizona Diamondbacks

Jon Rauch – Washington Nationals

Troy Percival – Tampa Bay Rays

Matt Capps – Pittsburgh Pirates

B.J. Ryan – Toronto Blue Jays

Kevin Gregg – Florida Marlins

Huston Street – Oakland Athletics

Tier Three: Looking Over Their Shoulders

Brian Fuentes – Colorado Rockies

Trevor Hoffman – San Diego Padres

Brandon Morrow – Seattle Mariners

Todd Jones – Detroit Tigers

Brian Wilson – San Francisco Giants

Salomon Torres – Milwaukee Brewers

Ryan Franklin – St. Louis Cardinals

Mike Gonzalez – Atlanta Braves

C.J. Wilson – Texas Rangers

Joe Borowski –Cleveland Indians

Top 5 Middle Relievers

Carlos Marmol – Chicago Cubs

Hong-Chih Kuo – Los Angeles Dodgers

Taylor Buchholz – Colorado Rockies

Heath Bell – San Diego Padres

Santiago Casilla – Oakland Athletics