Quick Closer Updates
Notes on three closer spots from around the league…
Manny Corpas | Rockies
Huston Street continues to work his way back from a shoulder issue, though now replacement closer Franklin Morales has landed on the disabled list with a shoulder problem of his own. Manager Jim Tracy indicated that the save opportunities will fall into Corpas’ lap for the time being. He’s not going to give you much in terms of strikeouts (6.75 K/9 in 2010, 6.43 career), but he won’t kill you in the ERA and WHIP categories. Corpas did cough up four runs in his latest outing, when he entered the 9th inning of a tied game against the Phillies yesterday.
Saves are saves, and the Rockies have series against the Cubs, Astros, and Royals coming up, so Corpas should see a few opportunities before one of the higher ups returns from the DL. He’s available in all but 13% of Yahoo! leagues.
Bobby Jenks | White Sox
Jenks has gotten shakier and shakier through the years, but it wasn’t until now that Ozzie Guillen went ahead and did something about it. The ChiSox manager told reporters that his closer will now depend on the 9th inning matchups. That means Jenks gets the righties, and Matt Thornton gets the lefties. Thornton is one of those rare setup men that is worth owning in a standard 12 team, 5×5 league anyway, but he becomes even more valuable with some save opps coming his way.
The strikeouts are extraordinarily high (14.67 K/9), the ERA (2.35) and WHIP (0.72) extraordinarily low, so go out and grab him before Ozzie gives the job back to Jenks outright. Thornton is owned in 65% of Yahoo! leagues.
Kerry Wood | Indians
After a month long stint on the DL, Wood made a pair of warm up appearances over the weekend and Manny Acta is ready to stick him back in the 9th inning. Chris Perez is takes a step back into a setup role. We know what Kerry Wood is by now, a double-digit K/9 guy that won’t kill your ERA or WHIP. I’ll put this as nicely as possible … the Indians aren’t going to give Wood too many 9th inning leads to protect, but there should be a few every now and then. There, that works. Their upcoming schedule includes six games with the Royals and Orioles, so there’s some hope for this week.
Wood is owned in 33% of Yahoo! leagues.
Mike writes about the Yankees at River Ave. Blues and baseball in general at CBS Sports.
Would Wood be show cased for a deal and therefore given opportunities as a result?
I think Jarrod below me was replying to you, but yeah, it’s a possiblity that Wood is being showcased for a summer trade.
Also of note is that lefthander Tony Sipp has looked good and now, with Perez bumped from the closer’s role, both of them will share the set-up role–kind of a lefty/righty combo, much like the Jenks/Thornton time share at closer in Chicago.
So, if Wood does get traded, I’m thinking it’s not an automatic in for Perez as closer. It may just be Sipp that gets the gig.