Living proof why you shouldn't break the bank for saves. To steal part of a line from the hit HBO series, Entourage, if I told you at the beginning of the season that the closers for the San Francisco Giants, Kansas City Royals, and Baltimore Orioles would all save 40-plus games, is that something you would've been interested in? My guess is that you probably would've mocked me for making such a brazen claim, especially because three of those four closers probably weren't even drafted in most leagues. But with Joakim Soria and George Sherrill combining to save 18 games in the last month, including seven saves in the last week alone, there's a good chance that some of those projections might actually be realized (or even surpassed if Sherrill can keep up his current pace of 56 saves). You see, when I mentioned back in April, "it's quite fun to rack up saves with a guy like George Sherrill while someone is drowning in misery because they wasted...um...I mean, spent a high draft pick on a guy like J.J. Putz", I received a flurry of e-mails from friends questioning my "expertise". Now, I'm not about to gloat over the fact that I was right. After all, I've been plenty wrong this year as well (see Brandon Lyon). I'm only bringing this up because it reinforces the overall point of my intro and, as Ben Ice once told me, an occasional "I told you so" is always good for the soul. Ah, I feel much, much better now. Let's be honest, saves aren't exactly a rare thing. If anything, history has shown us that saves are available either for free or at a discount during the course of a season (see Kevin Gregg and Jeremy Accardo in 2007). Sure, some will argue that K-Rod, Papelbon, and Mariano are worth the early pick (or major coin out of one's budget in auction leagues), but I'd counter that players like Sherrill, Soria, Wilson, and even Salomon Torres (and his Major League-leading 11 saves over the last month) have provided more bang for the buck. As for this week's Pecking Order, Mike Gonzalez enters and -- surprise, surprise -- Rafael Soriano exits. Other than that, things are holding steady. Stay tuned though. With Jason Isringhausen back and Eric Gagne due to return shortly, it could get very interesting over the next week or two. Stats as of June 24, 2008 “On Board” Mariano Rivera, NYY
Trevor Hoffman and Rivera entered last week's Padres/Yanks series with exactly 1,000 saves combined.
21-for-21, 35.1 IP, 40 Ks, 0.76 ERA, 0.57 WHIP.
Next in line: Kyle Farnsworth
Third in line: Jose Veras (courtesy of reader Robert Oleksa from Bayonne, NJ) Jonathan Papelbon, BOS
Pap blew a save this past week but don’t blame him. Blame it on the rain.
22-for-26, 34.1 IP, 45 Ks, 2.10 ERA, 0.90 WHIP
Next in line: Hideki Okajima
Third in line: Manny Delcarmen  | | After blowing a save on June 14, Joe Nathan converted his next three opportunities. Photo Credit: zrod09 |
Joe Nathan, MIN
Nathan is well on his way to breaking the Twins all-time saves record.
20-for-22, 31.2 IP, 34 Ks, 1.42 ERA, 0.95 WHIP
Next in line: Matt Guerrier
Third in line: Jesse Crain Billy Wagner, NYM
Since blowing his third consecutive save on June 12, Wagner has converted four straight without allowing an earned run.
17-for-22, 31 IP, 37 Ks, 2.03 ERA, 0.94 WHIP
Next in line: Duaner Sanchez
Third in line: Aaron Heilman Brad Lidge, PHI
With Philadelphia struggling, Lidge hasn’t had a save opportunity in two weeks.
18-for-18, 31 IP, 40 Ks, 0.87 ERA, 1.03 WHIP
Next in line: Tom Gordon
Third in line: J.C. Romero Francisco Rodriguez, LAA
On June 18, K-Rod blew his first save in over two months. Currently on pace for 64 saves.
31-for-33, 35 IP, 33 Ks, 2.06 ERA, 1.17 WHIP
Next in line: Scot Shields
Third in line: Jose Arredondo Matt Capps, PIT
Fear not, his job is secure.
17-for-20, 36.1 IP, 26 Ks, 2.72 ERA, 1.02 WHIP
Next in line: Damaso Marte
Third in line: John Grabow George Sherrill, BAL
By George, Sherrill will make you nervous. But more times than not he will get the job done. Case in point: After loading the bases against the Cubs on Tuesday night, Sherrill struck out the side to nail down save number 26.
26-for-29, 35 IP, 35 Ks, 3.09 ERA, 1.23 WHIP
Next in line: Jim Johnson
Third in line: Chad Bradford Bobby Jenks, CHI (AL)
Jenks is one reason that White Sox fans are optimistic about 2008.
16-for-19, 29.1 IP, 19 Ks, 2.15 ERA, 1.13 WHIP
Next in line: Octavio Dotel
Third in line: Scott Linebrink Todd Jones, DET
June: 6-for-6 with a 2.89 ERA
14-for-14, 28.1 IP, 10 Ks, 3.81 ERA, 1.38 WHIP
Next in line: Joel Zumaya
Third in line: Fernando Rodney Francisco Cordero, CIN
Retired Bobby Abreu, Alex Rodriguez, and Jason Giambi to pick up his 14th save of the season last Friday.
14-for-17, 32.2 IP, 35 Ks, 2.76 ERA, 1.19 WHIP
Next in line: Jeremy Affeldt
Third in line: David Weathers Joakim Soria, KC
Since blowing his first save of the season on June 7, Soria has converted seven straight. During that span, he’s only allowed two hits, while striking out seven.
20-for-21, 34 IP, 35 Ks, 1.32 ERA. 0.79 WHIP
Next in line: Ron Mahay
Third in line: Yasuhiko Yabuta Takashi Saito, LAD
Not only are the Dodgers struggling, but Saito is too. June swoon: Two losses, 4.50 ERA, 1.63 WHIP.
11-for-14, 31.2 IP, 42 Ks, 2.56 ERA, 1.23 WHIP
Next in line: Jonathan Broxton
Third in line: Joe Beimel Huston Street, OAK
Ugly week for Street: 3 IP, 5 ER, 1 BS, 1 L
14-for-17, 34.1 IP, 37 Ks, 4.19 ERA, 1.08 WHIP
Next in line: Keith Foulke
Third in line: Santiago Casilla Kerry Wood, CHI (NL)
Wood is one save behind Brian Wilson for the National League lead.
19-for-23, 38.2 IP, 46 Ks, 2.56 ERA, 0.85 WHIP
Next in line: Carlos Marmol
Third in line: Bob Howry Trevor Hoffman, SD
Hoffman entered Tuesday night’s game in a non-save situation, gave up back-to-back homers, and took the loss. More concerning, Hoffman hasn’t had a save opportunity in over two weeks.
15-for-18, 26 IP, 30 Ks, 4.85 ERA, 1.19 WHIP
Next in line: Heath Bell
Third in line: Cla Meredith Brandon Lyon, ARI
Lyon picked up his 16th save against his former team, the Red Sox, on Monday night.
16-for-18, 30.2 IP, 21Ks, 2.35 ERA, 1.14 WHIP
Next in line: Chad Qualls
Third in line: Tony Pena Jon Rauch, WAS
Courtesy of Yahoo Sports: Of the 35.2 innings Rauch has pitched, only 17.2 have been in save situations. In other words, Rauch is closing for a very bad team.
15-for-18, 37.2 IP, 34 Ks, 2.39 ERA, 0.93 WHIP
Next in line: Saul Rivera
Third in line: Joel Hanrahan BJ Ryan, TOR
Ryan had a rough start to the month of June, but other than a single walk, he’s been perfect over his last 4.0 IP.
15-for-17, 25 IP, 27 Ks, 2.52 ERA, 1.28 WHIP
Next in line: Scott Downs
Third in line: Jesse Carlson Brian Wilson, SF
Remarkably, Wilson hasn’t blown a save since May 2. He’s hardly been dominant though, sporting a 4.26 ERA in six June appearances.
20-for-22, 29.2 IP, 35 Ks, 4.55 ERA, 1.45 WHIP
Next in line: Tyler Walker
Third in line: Keiichi Yabu Joe Borowski, CLE
Borowski has only had two save chances in the month of June. Even though he blew one of them, he’s still got a firm grip on the role.
5-for-8, 13 IP, 8 Ks, 8.31 ERA, 2.00 WHIP
Next in line: Masa Kobayashi
Third in line: Rafael Betancourt “On the Fence” Jose Valverde, HOU
Something’s not right with Valverde, that's for sure. Unfortunately, I have no idea what that something is.
19-for-23, 37.1 IP, 47 Ks, 4.34 ERA, 1.42 WHIP
Next in line: Doug Brocail
Third in line: Oscar Villarreal Salomon Torres, MIL
Gagne could be back within a week. I’m almost sure he’ll return as a setup man, but let’s see what Yost does first before jumping on board.
13-for-15, 44.2 IP, 30 Ks, 2.62 ERA, 1.28 WHIP
Next in line: Guillermo Mota
Third in line: Brian Shouse Kevin Gregg, FLA
Walked two, gave up one hit, and yielded one earned run, but he still converted the save on Saturday.
13-for-17, 35.2 IP, 28 Ks, 2.52 ERA, 1.29 WHIP
Next in line: Matt Lindstrom
Third in line: Joe Nelson/Justin Miller Troy Percival, TB
Breaking news: Percival’s hammies are acting up again.
18-for-20, 26.1 IP, 27 Ks, 3.08 ERA, 0.87 WHIP
Next in line: Dan Wheeler
Third in line: J.P. Howell Brandon Morrow, SEA
Morrow has been dealing with back issues of late and hasn’t pitched in a week. Back problems, especially for a young pitcher, raise a red flag for me.
2 for 2, 20 IP, 30 Ks, 0.90 ERA, 0.95 WHIP
Next in line: Mark Lowe
Third in line: Sean Green Mike Gonzalez, ATL
Gonzalez has looked great in two of three outings since returning from the DL (Tommy John surgery). With Rafael Soriano’s elbow acting up again, Gonzo could keep this job the rest of the year. The only thing holding me back from a full-fledged recommendation is his own injury history. Let’s see him go a few weeks without any setbacks.
2-for-2, 3 IP, 4 Ks, 6.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP
Next in line: Manny Acosta
Third in line: Blaine Boyer Brian Fuentes, COL
I probably shouldn’t have had him “On the Ledge” last week, since he’s still performing quite well as Colorado’s closer. The odds of him getting shipped out of town are still pretty good, so my advice from last week stands – start shopping him around.
13-for-16, 31.1 IP, 28 Ks, 2.01 ERA, 1.15 WHIP
Next in line: Taylor Bucholz
Third in line: Manny Corpas “On the Ledge” C.J. Wilson, TEX
I think I’ve made it clear how I feel about this guy. Unfortunately, so has Ron Washington.
15-for-17, 31.1 IP, 24 Ks, 4.88 ERA, 1.31 WHIP
Next in line: Eddie Guardado
Third in line: Joaquin Benoit Ryan Franklin, STL
It appears that Izzy has pitched well enough to get his job back.
10-for-13, 35.2 IP, 22 Ks, 2.78 ERA, 1.46 WHIP
Next in line: Jason Isringhausen
Third in line: Chris Perez “On the Shelf” J.J. Putz, SEA
New Seattle skipper Jim Riggleman doesn’t think Putz will be back until after the All-Star break. Are you surprised?
7-for-10, 19 IP, 23 Ks, 5.21 ERA, 2.00 WHIP Rafael Soriano, ATL Here’s all you need to know: Mike Gonzalez looks good and there’s no timetable for Soriano’s return.
3-for-4, 9 IP, 11 Ks, 2.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP Eric Gagne, MIL
Gagne is set to make one more appearance in the minors before the team calls him up. Once he returns, he’ll probably be a setup man, but there’s no telling what happens the minute Torres blows one.
10-for-15, 19.1 IP, 18 Ks, 6.98 ERA, 2.02 WHIP Disagree with Paul’s analysis? He loves to argue. Indulge him at
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