10 Spring Training Position Battles With Major Fantasy Baseball Implications
Los Angeles Angels' Closer
Between the summer of 2017 and now, the Los Angeles Angels have made some sickly additions to their roster. It's not just Shohei Otani here; their offense is looking spicy, too. That makes their closer role a mighty valuable one should someone be able to lock it down.
Realistically, there are four players jockeying for the spot, and it's no guarantee that manager Mike Scioscia decides on one before the season. But if we're going back to the "bet on talent" mantra, where should we gravitate?
| In 2017 | NFBC ADP | Strikeout Rate | Walk Rate | SIERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blake Parker | 218.77 | 33.9% | 6.3% | 2.51 |
| Cam Bedrosian | 332.41 | 27.9% | 9.0% | 3.45 |
| Jim Johnson | 539.26 | 23.8% | 9.8% | 3.87 |
| Keynan Middleton | 629.36 | 25.6% | 7.3% | 3.53 |
As you can see, Blake Parker is easily the most expensive guy on this list; it's for good reason.
Parker finished 2017 as the team's closer, earning the role by just torching his opponents. He had a 13.8% swinging-strike rate to at least partially validate the hefty strikeout rate. Add in the low walk rate, and the dude seems pretty reliable.
Just as with the discussion around Green, this means you can invest in Parker as things stand now. If he doesn't wind up closing, you can always either cut bait with very little lost, or you can hold him to get some punchouts and help your rate stats. If he does wind up closing for this team, he could do so with extreme effectiveness.
Because of this, we'll need to check chatter throughout the spring around this role. If Parker gets named to the job, his ADP will inflate in a hurry. That doesn't mean he won't be worth it. This is a high-leverage spot to hold, and he has proven to be worthy of it in the past. Target Parker where he's going now, and we should be willing to pay the cost as it inflates if he definitively nails down the job.
