Forget drafting closers - middle relievers are where it's at
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Every year, the chorus chimes in screeching, "don't overpay for closers!" Closers are chastised as the most useless of positions in baseball, that no single person should arbitrarily be counted on to finish a game regardless of the situation. Legends like Mariano Rivera are then pointed to as a rebuke.
No doubt that one of the best pitchers of all time is a solid parry to that anti-closer thrust, but there is evidence to the contrary. Jim Johnson led the MLB in saves for two consecutive seasons (2013 and 2014) and was presumably one of the best. He fell off a (figurative) cliff. The elite will rise, and situational dependence will benefit the others in the short term. But targeting a closer above a top-shelf middle reliever is foolish.
Draft Order
By virtue of having likelier access to the coveted saves statistic, the player labeled as the 'closer' is going to be targeted ahead of his peers. While this is defensible in the situation where you land a Kenley Jansen, it's a tougher pill to swallow when you're picking whoever is anchoring San Diego's bullpen just because of the label.
Even reaching for the likes of Jansen is only providing an edge in a single category in standard 5x5. To get an elite closer, warts and all, you have to pick them earlier than you'd like. Jansen, Aroldis Chapman, Wade Davis, Craig Kimbrel, and Mark Melancon will all go within the top 80 picks. Even with expected high K totals, it's hard to justify.
Instead, wait. Even if you miss out on Cleveland Indians RP Andrew Miller or New York Yankees fireballer Dellin Betances, there are plenty of relievers who will be left over in the last few rounds. Your peers will likely bow to pressure, so you must show resolve. Don't chase saves on draft day.
Greater Volume of Innings
This isn't the 1980s; closers are rarely pitching more than an inning per game unless it's the playoffs, and those don't count in fantasy. Because their role is mostly limited to save situations, they aren't always seeing game action on a regular basis.
Of the 33 relievers who threw at least 70 bullpen innings in 2016, only eight tallied double digit saves totals and only four saved more than 20 games. More innings pitched typically allows for more strikeout opportunities. Many of these pitchers would have been waiver wire fodder from day one, and would help buoy Ks, ERA, and WHIP.
Boosting Starting Pitcher Stats
Twenty-two relievers tallied six or more wins when pitching exclusively out of the bullpen. Two won 10 games - the aforementioned Miller and Baltimore Orioles RP Brad Brach who, like many of his peers, excelled with a high K/9 (10.48) while also pitching more innings than his team's closer.
This is common. Loading up on high-volume relievers will boost strikeout totals and enhance overall wins (a stat more dubious than saves). While some will balk at the notion of punting an entire category, you're enhancing cursory statistics in the process.
Usurping Roles
The closer position is incredibly volatile. While the cream of the crop will get a longer leash, others won't be so lucky. As soon as a closer loses his job, his fantasy value is shot. Typically, this only happens because of ineffectiveness and overall poor play. Losing out on the only stat category he was a benefit in is only going to damage your team.
Many pitchers from Texas' Sam Dyson to St. Louis' Seung Hwan Oh earned their position as closer by midseason. And there is no lock heading into 2017. The Phillies' Jeanmar Gomez may have saved 37 games, but he piled up a 4.85 ERA on his way there. Closers lose their jobs.
Things get a little trickier in leagues that count "holds" as a stat, as it automatically increases middle reliever value, but in standard leagues they should not be roundly ignored like they usually are. Just be sure to look at high-volume, high strikeout arms who don't tend to get knocked around.