Here we are three weeks into the season and the Major League leader in saves is Mariano… I mean Matt Capps.
Wait, what?
That’s right. The closer for the Washington Nationals is leading the league with seven saves right now.
Now that I’ve brought that to your attention, let’s take a look at what has transpired at the closer position over the past week. After some uninspiring performances and less than stellar votes of confidence from their managers, a couple of closers are barely holding onto their jobs. I’m looking at you Chad Qualls and Brian Fuentes.
Week three also brings us closer to the return of some of the big-name closers (Brad Lidge, Huston Street, and Kerry Wood). That means you’re running out of time to squeeze saves out of fill-in closers such as Chris Perez.
Remember, there’s a lot of turnover at the closer position so you need to constantly be monitoring the latest developments. With that in mind, here are my top 50 rankings to help you navigate through the mine field that is the closer position. 
Surging
Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers
It’s going to be awfully tough for Ron Washington to hand back the closers job to Frank Francisco since Feliz has been spectacular since taking over. He’s two-for-two in save opportunities and pitched two scoreless innings against the Red Sox in a tie game, striking out three batters. Feliz has struck out at least one batter in every appearance this year and is holding opponents to an unbelievably low average of .091. Washington hasn’t said anything about Feliz taking over the closing job permanently but if Francisco continues to struggle, it may be only a matter of time. Stay tuned.
Matt Lindstrom, Houston Astros
Lindstrom is four-for-four in save opportunities and striking out over a batter per inning. What’s really impressed me with him, however, is his control. In previous season, walks were the death of him. But this year Lindstrom has yet to walk a batter which has contributed to a tidy WHIP of 1.14. I am optimistic that this trend will continue because he is gripping the ball tighter, which should help him better locate his fastball and cut down on the walks and blown saves.
Carlos Marmol, Chicago Cubs
Although not necessarily surging in my rankings since I’ve had him rated fairly high all year, Marmol is quickly starting to endear himself to fantasy owners once again. Last year, Marmol and his 1.46 WHIP really turned people off but he’s lowered that WHIP to 0.91 so far this year. And it’s not like this is unheard of either since his WHIP was 0.93 in 2008 and 1.10 in 2007. Marmol has also been a strikeout king, fanning a stupid 14 batters in 7.2 innings. If he can continue to keep the walks in check, Marmol could have a monster fantasy year.
Falling
Chad Qualls, Arizona Diamondbacks
Just when I thought Qualls was settling into the closers role he lets up three runs against St. Louis while taking the loss. To be fair, it was his third game pitching in a row but still not enough to give him a free pass. The loss, combined with two blown saves already, leaves Qualls on shaky ground. Luckily for his owners, Arizona’s next in line, Juan Gutierrez, has been nearly as bad compiling an ERA of 6.43. For now, Qualls is still the closer but he’s treading water at best.
Brian Fuentes, Los Angeles Angels
Fresh off the DL, Fuentes blew his first save opportunity, suffering a loss at the claws of the Tigers. Sure, it’s only his first blown save of the season but the warning signs are there. Fuentes had a 1.40 WHIP last year and is dealing with a bad back this year. Combine this with that fact that the Angels have a capable closer in Fernando Rodney, who converted all five of his save chances with Fuentes on the DL, and you have a closer situation to watch.
Octavio Dotel, Pittsburgh Pirates
Although Dotel has three saves on the season and has let up at least one earned run in each of his last three outings, we’ve been down this road before. Dotel is put in the closers role for his electric stuff but eventually loses the job due to control issues. While his job is safe for now, I don’t have a lot of confidence in him, especially since Evan Meek is pitching so well with a 0.90 ERA.
On The Mend
Brad Lidge, Philadelphia Phillies
Lidge is progressing well, touching between 88 and 92 MPH with his fastball. According to Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, Lidge needs to continue building his velocity and fine tune his slider before returning to the mound. He’s set for another rehab assignment on Thursday and if all goes well, he could return on May 1.
Huston Street, Colorado Rockies
Street should begin pitching from flat ground in the coming days and hopefully from the mound by the end of the weekend. The Rockies have not set a target date for his return but expect him back around mid-May if all goes well.
Kerry Wood, Cleveland Indians
Wood, who is nursing a strained back, is expected to throw a simulated game on Friday. If Wood does not suffer a setback, he could be back closing for the Indians within the week.
Mike Gonzalez, Baltimore Orioles
Uh oh. Gonzalez is set to visit orthopedic surgeon James Andrews, which usually spells doom for an athlete’s season. Team president Andy MacPhail insists that Gonzalez is just seeking an extra opinion from Dr. Andrews. For now, expect Gonzalez to be out a minimum of three weeks but keep close tabs on the results of that visit.
I hate Tim Tebow more than ever!