The second of our two tiers, these five relievers offer tons of strikeouts while keeping their ERAs and WHIPs down around the level typically associated with most elite closers. These guys are also an injury or two away from save chances, and it’s always good to know the bullpen pecking orders heading into the season.

Zach Sanders’ end of season values have been included for reference, but that’s all they’re here for. The rankings were not based on then exclusively.

Tier One (link)
Tyler Clippard
Mike Adams
Jonny Venters
Sean Marshall
Daniel Bard

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First base is pretty much the only position where you can get into the third tier and still find three players (and maybe a fourth) legitimately capable of giving your team 30 homers and 100 RBI next season. Of course most of those guys are likely to drag down your overall batting average, but sometimes that’s a trade-off you have to make because power is becoming harder to find. Major injury is another common theme in this tier.

Zach Sanders’ end of season player values were included for reference, though they were not the sole criteria used to create these rankings.

Tier One (link)
Miguel Cabrera
Joey Votto
Albert Pujols
Prince Fielder
Adrian Gonzalez

Tier Two (link)
Mark Teixeira
Paul Konerko
Eric Hosmer
Michael Morse
Freddie Freeman

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As we dive deeper into the rankings, we start to come across some youngster lacking track records and a veteran with some injury concerns. Saves are saves though; it’s amazing what we’ll put up with to make sure we get as many of them as possible.

I’ve included Zach Sanders’ end of season player rankings for reference.

Tier One (link)
Craig Kimbrel
John Axford
Jonathan Papelbon
Mariano Rivera

Tier Two (link)
Ryan Madson
Brian Wilson
J.J. Putz
Jose Valverde
Heath Bell

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In addition to our closer keeper rankings (Tier One, Tier Two), I’ve decided to put together a list of top keeper candidates for the holds category. Obviously not many of these guys are worth keeping given the nature of the job, but many times a top flight setup guy is more valuable to your team than a second or third tier closer.

We’re not going to go too crazy covering the non-closer relievers, but we’ll have two tiers with a total of ten names worthy of consideration for your available keeper spots. I included Zach Sanders’ end of season rankings just for reference.

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Now that we’ve moved on from fantasy’s super-elite producers, it’s time to look at the guys who are a little closer to human. The five players that make up Tier Two of the first base rankings all had incredibly productive seasons in 2011, but they’re all somewhat flawed. That’s okay though, most players are, and these five are still very solid bets for top shelf production in 2012 and are worth one of your keeper spots.

Zach Sanders’ end of season player rankings were included for reference, though they were not the sole criteria used to create these rankings.

Tier One (link)
Miguel Cabrera
Joey Votto
Albert Pujols
Prince Fielder
Adrian Gonzalez

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There aren’t many closers worth keeping in traditional fantasy leagues, where keeper spots may be limited and are saved for the best of the best. Once you move beyond the game’s elite closers, you start to run into guys that carry greater risk, perhaps more risk than you’d be willing to assume with a keeper spot. Those are the guys you’ll find in Tier Two of our keeper rankings, including the two pitchers who started last year as the top fantasy closers in baseball.

I’ve included Zach Sanders’ end of season value rankings for reference, but they’re weren’t the only criteria used to put together the rankings/tiers.

Tier One (link)
Craig Kimbrel
John Axford
Jonathan Papelbon
Mariano Rivera

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First base is fantasy’s deepest position, with enough established stars and up-and-comers that no team should ever be without above-average production in that lineup spot. Tier One is a who’s who of fantasy, consisting of five players that figure to be off the board within the first 8-10 picks in a typical draft. Using one of your keeper slots on these guys is a no-brainer, even if you have to overpay a bit to keep them around.

I included Zach Sanders’ end of season player rankings for reference. They were hardly the only criteria used to compile the rankings and the individual tiers though.

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My colleagues here have been ranking the top keepers by position for the last month or so, and now it’s time to get caught up on the guys pitching at the end of the game, the closers. There aren’t many relievers out there worth a keeper spot, especially in leagues that limit you to four or five keepers, but these four guys are the very best of the best. They offer top-of-the-line production and job security, but they also play on what are expected to be strong teams. Theoretically, they’re in line for more save chances.

I’ve included Zach Sanders’ end of season value rankings for reference, but they were not the sole criteria used to create the keeper rankings or delineate the tiers.

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It’s the last full week of the regular season, so here’s some middle infield and pitching help for those of you needing to make up some ground in your leagues (or pad your lead, either works)…

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Let’s take a look at a pair of two young AL East players that can provide a quick boost for your team down the stretch…

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