B.J. Ryan

Falling in line with the offensive members of the 2009 All-Early Disappointment Team, we must not forget about the pitchers. The pitchers who have destroyed our ratios, neglected to notch us Wins or Saves, and have a K/9 that makes Jamie Moyer chuckle. We drafted them early and often, and in return they've slapped us in the face and kicked us in the groin. Who are these sumanumbatches? Let's take a look...

• Carlos Villanueva got the save in the Brewers win over the Giants. He tossed a perfect ninth inning and struck out two.
• Grant Balfour earned the save against the Boston Red Sox Wednesday.
• Cito Gaston would prefer not to use closer B.J. Ryan on consecutive days. Scott Downs and Brandon League would see closing opportunities if Ryan is bypassed.
• Brian Fuentes blew his first save allowing four hits, a walk, and three earned runs in a loss to the Athletics.
• Trevor Hoffman plans to intensify the distance and intensity of his throwing sessions starting Thursday.
• Dr. James Andrews, who is treating A's Joey Devine, wants Devine to get a bone scan and a CT scan to help determine the next course of action.

Okay, so when I said that my Last Minute Shuffle would be the last Spot * On blog before the start of the MLB Season, I was lying. So sue me. I've been fascinated with closers for some time now (no, I don't mean Kyra Sedgwick), how people obsess over them, when to draft them, their role both in baseball and in fantasy, and how to utilize them most effectively in general. The polar opposing opinions that exist are stifling, if not fun to read. I want to take a look at a good number of 9th inning men today, as well as who I'm avoiding and targeting for Saves this season; and my picks may surprise you...

Closers may be the most intriguing breed of baseball players. They are highly debated, analyzed, ridiculed, and speculated on. Their biggest contribution to a fantasy lineup (Saves), they have little control over. They warm up, get ready to pitch, and when their offense scores a run to put their team up 4, they sit down and go back to spitting seeds while a guy, possibly just as capable, making a fraction of what the closer makes, trots out for the 9th inning. If you tried to describe fully, the modern MLB closer to somebody who had never heard of the concept, they'd look at you like you were crazy.

Okay, so it's April 3rd.  It's the 4th day of full MLB Regular Season action.  So why, why are so many of my (and probably your) players on the Disabled List?

I think everybody that drafted BJ Ryan pretty much expected this, right? Hopefully you were able to handcuff Ryan with Jeremy Accardo.

BJ Ryan will have his ups and downs all season, you can count on it. If you find you are shopping Ryan, shop him on what he was before surgery. But if you are shopping for Ryan, just know that he probably won't be producing anything like his 2004-2006 run, this year or the next. Heck he is 32.

Maybe never.

As many of our Fantasy Baseball '08 Drafts fast approach (or have already approached), it seems like a good time to go over a few of the Dos and Do Nots that could mean the difference between participating in next year's Master's League or next year's Pond Scum League...

He will be 32 years old next season, and hopefully B.J. Ryan has not lost too much to the knife. This has to be great news north of the border.