by 2012 Rankings: C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | SP | RP | 
Cheatsheet
2012 Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings Outlook:Relief Pitchers seems to be the most volatile position to draft. Year to year studs come and go and year to year closers come out of nowhere to be a huge asset to a team. One guy that has been at the top for what seems like forever is Mariano Rivera. The old man is still doing it and it seems that no one will ever figure out how to hit his cut fastball but Rivera is not our number one guy. Craig Kimbrel had an amazing season in 2011. His 127 strikes in 77 innings was simply amazing.
There is however, never a sure thing when it comes to closers look at K-Rod, he was breaking records a few years ago and now is setting up for John Axford who is our number three closer and sitting at the top of tier two. The rest of that tier has guys with high save and K totals. One to touch on is Jordan Walden, he have this kid higher than most but for good reason. Not only should the save chances be there but he has an arm that could yield a ton of strikeouts along the way.
If you are in a roto league or a league that counts holds look to our last tier. A great set-up man can do wonders for a fantasy team.
Draft-Day Advice: There is always the strategy of getting quantity over quality when it comes to closers but be careful and pay close attention to your settings. Be sure to note if a bad closer will hurt more than help your team if you go with that quantity strategy.
The following are our 2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings, which are based on standard 5×5 scoring and take into account projected stats as well as upside and risk. Offensive categories include BA, HRs, Runs, RBIs, and SBs. Pitching categories are Wins, ERA, WHIP, Ks, and Saves. Although several players are eligible at multiple positions, they are listed at the position that they will most likely play the most in 2012. All leagues have different position eligibility requirements so be sure to check your settings before draft day.
| Rank | Tier | Player | Tm | IP | W | SV | K | BB | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Craig Kimbrel | ATL | 77 | 4 | 46 | 127 | 32 | 2.1 | 1.04 |
| 2 | 1 | Mariano Rivera | NYY | 61.1 | 1 | 44 | 60 | 8 | 1.91 | 0.9 |
| 3 | 2 | John Axford | MLW | 73.2 | 2 | 46 | 86 | 25 | 1.95 | 1.14 |
| 4 | 2 | Jonathan Papelbon | PHI | 64.1 | 4 | 31 | 87 | 10 | 2.94 | 0.93 |
| 5 | 2 | Heath Bell | FLA | 62.2 | 3 | 43 | 51 | 21 | 2.44 | 1.15 |
| 6 | 2 | Jordan Walden | ANA | 60.1 | 5 | 32 | 67 | 26 | 2.98 | 1.24 |
| 7 | 3 | Joel Hanrahan | PIT | 68.2 | 1 | 40 | 61 | 16 | 1.83 | 1.05 |
| 8 | 3 | Drew Storen | WAS | 75.1 | 6 | 43 | 74 | 20 | 2.75 | 1.02 |
| 9 | 3 | Jose Valverde | DET | 72.1 | 2 | 49 | 69 | 34 | 2.24 | 1.19 |
| 10 | 4 | J.J. Putz | ARZ | 58 | 2 | 45 | 61 | 12 | 2.17 | 0.91 |
| 11 | 4 | Kenley Jansen | LA | 53.2 | 2 | 5 | 96 | 26 | 2.85 | 1.04 |
| 12 | 4 | Carlos Marmol | CHC | 74 | 2 | 34 | 99 | 48 | 4.01 | 1.38 |
| 13 | 4 | Joakim Soria | KC | 60.1 | 5 | 28 | 60 | 17 | 4.03 | 1.28 |
| 14 | 4 | Jason Motte | STL | 68 | 5 | 9 | 63 | 16 | 2.25 | 0.96 |
| 15 | 4 | Ryan Madson | CIN | 60.2 | 4 | 32 | 62 | 16 | 2.37 | 1.15 |
| 16 | 5 | Sergio Santos | TOR | 63.1 | 4 | 30 | 92 | 29 | 3.55 | 1.11 |
| 17 | 5 | Andrew Bailey | BOS | 41.2 | 0 | 24 | 41 | 12 | 3.24 | 1.1 |
| 18 | 5 | Brian Wilson | SF | 55 | 6 | 36 | 54 | 31 | 3.11 | 1.47 |
| 19 | 5 | Brandon League | SEA | 61.1 | 1 | 37 | 45 | 10 | 2.79 | 1.08 |
| 20 | 5 | Joe Nathan | TEX | 44.2 | 2 | 14 | 43 | 14 | 4.84 | 1.16 |
| 21 | 6 | Addison Reed | CWS | 7.1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 3.68 | 1.5 |
| 22 | 6 | Kyle Farnsworth | TB | 57.2 | 5 | 25 | 51 | 12 | 2.18 | 0.99 |
| 23 | 6 | Grant Balfour | OAK | 62 | 5 | 2 | 59 | 20 | 2.47 | 1.03 |
| 24 | 6 | Jim Johnson | BAL | 91 | 6 | 9 | 58 | 21 | 2.67 | 1.11 |
| 25 | 6 | Frank Francisco | NYM | 50.2 | 1 | 17 | 53 | 18 | 3.55 | 1.32 |
| 26 | 6 | Rafael Betancourt | COL | 62.1 | 2 | 8 | 73 | 8 | 2.89 | 0.87 |
| 27 | 7 | Matt Capps | MIN | 65.2 | 4 | 15 | 34 | 13 | 4.25 | 1.2 |
| 28 | 7 | Huston Street | SD | 58.1 | 1 | 29 | 55 | 9 | 3.86 | 1.22 |
| 29 | 7 | Chris Perez | CLE | 59.2 | 4 | 36 | 39 | 26 | 3.32 | 1.21 |
| 30 | 7 | David Carpenter | HOU | 27.2 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 13 | 2.93 | 1.48 |
| 31 | 8 | Jonny Venters | ATL | 88 | 6 | 5 | 96 | 43 | 1.84 | 1.09 |
| 32 | 8 | Javy Guerra | LA | 46.2 | 2 | 21 | 38 | 18 | 2.31 | 1.18 |
| 33 | 8 | David Robertson | NYY | 66.2 | 4 | 1 | 100 | 35 | 1.08 | 1.13 |
| 34 | 8 | Tyler Clippard | WAS | 88.1 | 3 | 0 | 104 | 26 | 1.83 | 0.84 |
| 35 | 8 | Matt Thornton | CWS | 59.2 | 2 | 3 | 63 | 21 | 3.32 | 1.36 |
| 36 | 8 | Mike Adams | TEX | 73.2 | 5 | 2 | 74 | 14 | 1.47 | 0.79 |
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