2012 Fantasy Baseball: MLB Relief Pitcher (RP) Rankings

2012 Rankings: C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF | SP | RP | Cheatsheet

With 44 saves and a 1.91 ERA last season, the 42 year-old Mariano Rivera has shown very little signs of slowing down. (photo by Keith Allison)

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