Could it really be that we finally had a week with no major shakeup in the closers role?  Could things finally be settling down among the 30 teams?  Yes, there are still a few committee situations, like with the Angels and Twins, but for the most part things are relatively stagnant.  With that said, let’s take a look at how the current closers performance impacted their rankings:

1. Craig Kimbrel – Atlanta Braves (1)
2. Joe Nathan – Texas Rangers (2)
3. Kenley Jansen – Los Angeles Dodgers (4)
4. Joel Hanrahan – Pittsburgh Pirates (5)
5. Jim Johnson – Baltimore Orioles (6)
6. Jonathon Papelbon – Philadelphia Phillies (3)
7. Aroldis Chapman – Cincinnati Reds (9)
8. Chris Perez – Cleveland Indians (7)
9. Tyler Clippard – Washington Nationals (8)
10. Fernando Rodney – Tampa Bay Rays (11)
11. Tom Wilhelmsen – Seattle Mariners (16)
12. Rafael Soriano – New York Yankees (12)
13. Jason Motte – St. Louis Cardinals (17)
14. Ryan Cook – Oakland Athletics (19)
15. Huston Street – San Diego Padres (20)
16. Jonathon Broxton – Kansas City Royals (13)
17. Santiago Casilla – San Francisco Giants (14)
18. Rafael Betancourt – Colorado Rockies (15)
19. J.J. Putz – Arizona Diamondbacks (21)
20. Ernesto Frieri – Los Angeles Angels (10)
21. John Axford – Milwaukee Brewers (23)
22. Brett Myers – Houston Astros (18)
23. Casey Janssen – Toronto Blue Jays (25)
24. Jose Valverde – Detroit Tigers (27)
25. Alfredo Aceves – Boston Red Sox (22)
26. Heath Bell – Miami Marlins (26)
27. Addison Reed – Chicago White Sox (24)
28. Bobby Parnell – New York Mets (28)
29. Glen Perkins/Jared Burton – Minnesota Twins (29)
30. Carlos Marmol – Chicago Cubs (30)

Closers currently on the DL: Sergio Santos, Drew Storen, Kyle Farnsworth, Andrew Bailey, Frank Francisco, Matt Capps
Closers out for the year: Brian Wilson, Ryan Madson, Joakim Soria, Mariano Rivera
Closers Removed Over The Past Week: N/A

Thoughts:

• It’s hard to move Jonathan Papelbon down too far based on how he’s pitched overall this season, but he’s allowed runs in three straight appearances (4 ER on 6 H and 2 BB over 3.0 IP), so he has to be dropped a little bit.  Don’t be surprised to see him move right back up, however, as he remains one of the elite in the league.
• Aroldis Chapman appears to have righted the ship, with 7 K in his last three outings.  He did get a lengthy rest (went from 6/26 to 7/2 between appearances), but it doesn’t appear to be anything to worry about.  With Chapman showing dominant stuff again he gets bumped back up a few spots.
• Is the Angels’ closers job not all Ernesto Frieri’s?  Scott Downs went 2.0 innings on Monday to close the door for Jered Weaver and the Angels.  If he’s going to share the job, he has to be knocked down the list.  This remains a frustrating situation for fantasy owners.
• Tom Wilhelmsen just continues to thrive as the Mariners closer.  He has picked up 7 saves since replacing Brandon League and has not allowed a run since May 23 (16 consecutive outings).  Over that stretch he’s allowed 10 H and 4 BB with 22 K in 19.2 IP.  Clearly he has entrenched himself in the role and is one of the better options in the league right now.
• Ryan Cook has recovered tremendously since his poor outing on July 22, allowing just 1 H and 1 BB with 4 K over 3.2 IP.  He’s clearly the man in Oakland right now and has the stuff to excel.