A career-worst 24 walks last year is startling, but his pedigree deserves fantasy respect.  He’s never saved less than 35 games in his 4-year career and his K/9 ratio has always been above 9.0.  Toss in a career 1.84 ERA with the possibility to save 40+ games and you have the number one fantasy closer.

Father Time just keeps on ticking.   Over the past two years, he’s posted WHIP totals of 0.67 and 0.90 WHIP along with 1.40 ERA and 1.76 ERA.  Some decrease in velocity has been noted, so at age 40, there will always be some concern.  But, a “ bad” season for Rivera has the chance to be better than the other less-proven options.  He still enters 2010 as one of the most dominant closers in baseball. 

Last year, Broxton was the only reliever to strikeout 100+ batters and save 30+ games (Rafael Soriano came close - 27 saves & 102 Ks).  Granted, he's only had one year of experience with 9th inning duties, but the gaudy 13.5 K/9 ratio and his sub-1.00 WHIP make him among the elite fantasy closers.

Rodriguez’s first season in New York didn’t exactly go as planned.  It started off well, with Rodriguez locked down 23 saves before the All Star Break.  But, he fell apart in the second half saving only 12 more games while finishing at a career-worst 3.71 ERA.  He doesn't appear to be dominant anymore, but he still has value - just don't draft him as high as he's gone in previous years.

Soria overcame an early DL stint to nail down 30 saves along with a 2.71 ERA and 1.12 WHIP.  It's true that he plays for a poor team and there's a little bit of injury concern, but he has presented plenty of redeemable qualities over the past 2 seasons averaging 36 saves in addition to a 10.1 K/9 ratio and a 0.98 WHIP.  Don't let the poor KC squad scare you; there will be plenty of opportunities. 

Bell's first season as the Padres closer couldn't have gone any better.  He totaled 42 saves, most in the NL, while striking out 79 batters in 69 innings.  What’s the downside?  He’s a talented member of a poor team so he'll always be the subject of trade rumors.  But, unless you're in a strict NL-only league, there's not much reason to pass over him on draft day.

Wilson showed quite a bit of improvement last year lowering his ERA from 4.62 to 2.74 while shaving his WHIP from 1.44 to 1.20.  The Giants are apparently convinced, inking Wilson to a new 2-year deal worth 15 million dollars.  Wilson has a lively 95+ mph fastball and tons of room in case he slips up, so feel confident selecting him to anchor your bullpen.

The A's had their closer situation all figured out - at least they thought they did.  After Joey Devine went down for the year at the beginning of the season Oakland seemed content to turn back to 2008 star Brad Ziegler.  But, after Ziegler struggled in May, Bailey got the nod and went on to save 26 games while posting a 1.84 ERA and 0.88 WHIP.  Bailey has experienced some minor elbow problems this spring, but he should remain a top 10 closer if he's fully healthy.

He definitely has the pitching repertoire to close, but does he have the control?  He sported an ugly 1.46 WHIP last year mainly due to 65 walks in 74 innings, but managed to land at a respectable 3.41 ERA and strikeout 93 batters.  He really doesn't appear to be Lou Piniella's favorite (he picked Kevin Gregg for closer duties last year), but Sweet Lou doesn't have too much in the way of alternatives.  If Marmol can keep the walk totals reasonable, he'll make the issue moot - but, that's one big 'if."

Wagner missed most of 2009 after undergoing Tommy John surgery and even hinted at possible retirement.  The Mets traded him to Boston and he proved there was plenty left in the tank.  Wagner didn’t notch a single save, but he struck out 26 batters in 17 games along with a 1.72 ERA and 1.02 WHIP.  He can definitely be a valuable fantasy asset as the unquestioned closer in Atlanta.  But, considering his age and injury history, NL-only owners may be wise to acquire Takashi Saito as insurance.