My May 8th relief rankings will be the relief equivalent of my Hitter Ranks and Pitcher Ranks. This list is a combination of my current perception of these bull pen arms and my preseason rankings which can be found at the bottom of my Draft Day Manifesto. Like my two previous articles, you need to have one question in mind: If I was drafting today do these rankings make sense? Like always, I will try to back my rankings with some statistics that better explain my picks. If you think I missed out on someone or have your favorite closer ranked too low, hit me on twitter @Awies28

May 9th Relief Ranks
1. Craig Kimbrel ATL
2. Jonathan Papelbon PHI
3. John Axford MIL

Kimbrel, Papelbon and Axford are about as elite as they come and this year have combined for only one blown save (Kimbrel on May 2nd vs. PHI). Kimbrel has 19 K's in 11 innings this year. I always preach, don't pay for saves but these guys are worth it. Axford currently has a career high swinging strike rate of 12.2% which is nearly 3% higher than last season when he totaled 46 saves for the Brew Crew.

4. Jason Motte STL
5. Joel Hanrahan PIT
6. Rafeal Betancourt COL

Rafeal Betancourt was in my 50 Crazy Predictions list to reach 45 saves for the Rockies this year. That may not happen but it looks like he has cemented himself as an elite closer moving forward. Joel Hanrahan has continued last season's success (40 for 44 in save opportunities in 2010) by staying perfect in 2012 (5 for 5 this year). I have some concerns with Joel as he already has 8 walks in 9 innings so far this season (16 walks in 68.2 innings last year).

7. Henry Rodriguez WAS
8. Kenley Jansen LAD
9. Jim Johnson BAL

Jim Johnson is my biggest surprise this season, as are the Orioles currently sitting in first place in the AL East. Johnson has yet to allow a run this season and is 8 for 8 in save chances. Kenley Jansen has recently been named the new closer in LA replacing Javy Guerra. Jansen offers high upside with his great strikeout rate (14.58 K/9) and his low 90's electric fastball. Henry Rodriguez is filling in for the injured Drew Storen and has been lights out for the Nationals. Rodriguez is 6 for 7 in save chances as he possesses a high 90's heater that he can blow by hitters. I'm high on Jansen and Rodriguez moving forward this season.

10. Joe Nathan TEX
11. Sean Marshall CIN

Sean Marshall just missed out of my top 10. If any of my current top 10 guys falter then look for Marshall to take their spot. This season Marshall has 12.19 K/9 rate and is getting 70.4% ground balls this season. He has a 4.35 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP but to his credit, he is getting unlucky (BABIP of .385). Sean is another closer that has a solid offense in front of him that should give him a lot of save opportunities as the season progresses.

12. Fernando Rodney TB
13. Chris Perez CLE
14. J.J. Putz ARI
15. Santiago Casilla SF
16. Brett Myers HOU

Myers may be dealt at some point this season but for now he is putting up stellar numbers at the back end of the Astros pen. Myers has converted all 7 of his chances this season and has a 0.58 WHIP and a 1.04 ERA. Santiago Casilla appears to have the Giants closer role on lock down after the Brian Wilson injury. Casilla isn't a high strikeout guy but he gets the job done for the Gigantes. Fernando Rodney, like Jim Johnson, has been another pleasant surprise this season in the AL East. Rodney took over for the injured Kyle Farnsworth and to this point has a 0.66 ERA, 0.66 WHIP and 9 saves in 9 chances.

17. Brandon League SEA
18. Frank Francisco NYM
19. Grant Balfour OAK
20. Aroldis Chapman CIN

There has been a lot of talk about moving Chapman to the rotation and rightfully so. Aroldis has 11 appearances this year and has totaled 25 strikeouts to only 4 walks. He has yet to allow a run and although Chapman's eventual move to the rotation is imminent he still offers solid value as a late reliever. I'm down on Brandon League right now and with 2 blown saves in his last 4 chances he falls pretty far down on my board. League has his lowest strikeout rate since his sophomore season (5.14 K/9 this year) and a high walk rate of 3.86/9 (his highest since 2008).

21. Chris Sale CHW
22. Jonathan Broxton KC

Chris Sale has been moved back into the closer's role after a short stint in the rotation. Last season as a closer Sale had 8 saves in 10 chances. He has "closer stuff" and is more than capable of holding the job for the rest of the season.

23. David Robertson NYY
24. Rafael Soriano NYY
25. Steve Cishek MIA

Pitchers 23-25 are all potential candidates to replace their teams injured (Rivera) or slumping (Bell) closers.

26. Alfredo Aceves BOS
27. Matt Capps MIN
28. Scott Downs LAA
29. Mike Adams TEX
30. Andrew Cashner SD

It gets ugly here at the end. Andrew Cashner has been named the replacement closer for the recently DL'd Huston Street in San Diego. Matt Capps is this year's poster boy for the "Dirty Fuentes" (06010 listeners know what I'm talking about)



There it is, my current top 30 relief pitchers at this point in the season. Come back in two weeks to see my updated relief rankings. Like always, feel free to hit me on twitter @Awies28 

Alex Wiesner