Pat Neshek

In most fantasy leagues, about the only reason to care about a reliever is if they are closing or have a chance to close down the line. For those in leagues that count holds, it’s generally the same pitcher pool. The two major factors that determine if a pitcher will close is talent and opportunity. Here is a quick rundown on where some recently signed relievers fit into those two categories.Fernando Rodney signs with the TwinsAfter struggling to find a closer last season after trading away Brandon Kintzler, the…

Things to do when you reach 40: rewatch M.A.S.H, enjoy the fact that all of your favorite movies are now re-released in color, recite "Hi hungry, I'm Dad" joke, despise all modern day music, suddenly claim that Sprite is "too spicy."Yeah, so turns out Fernando Rodney ain't about that boring life. The 40-year-old righty has had one hell of a week, and if you wrote him off during the offseason, sucks to be you, because this old tom cat has plenty of purrrrr left in him.In the span of three days, Rodney notched three…

With the MLB non-waiver trade deadline slowly creeping up on July 31 at 4pm Eastern Time, teams are beginning the annual flurry of last minute trades. Some deals have already been made a few days before the deadline that could affect player values in fantasy leagues. Here are a few of the traded players with fantasy stocks rising or falling.(Note: Stats and numbers are as of July 28)Jaime Garcia  Garcia was shipped from Atlanta to Minnesota a few days ago as the Twins added an arm to their rotation in an attempt…

After watching the first week of Major League Baseball, I have a few observations that I have made.  Here they are:Philadelphia Phillies' closer -  The Philadelphia Phillies need to make a change at closer, pronto!  Righty Jeanmar Gomez blew a three-run lead in the 9th inning yesterday, but he got the win when the Phillies got a walk-off win in the bottom of the 9th inning.  He has pitched in 3 games (0 starts) so far this year and he is 1-0 with 1 save, a 15.00 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP.  This comes on the heels of his…

Middle relievers are generally looked over in fantasy baseball, but they can have value, especially in AL or NL-only leagues.  That is because they can offer help in ERA and WHIP and are often better picks than a back-end starting pitcher.  Here is a look at 10 guys you should target when thinking of adding a middle reliever to your pitching staff:Mychal Givens, Baltimore Orioles - 26-year old righty Mychal Givens is a hard thrower with a sidearm delivery.  He has been death to righty batters so far in his career, as…