St. Louis Cardinals’ Best Fantasy Draft Targets

Oct 10, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter (13) celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning in game two of the NLDS at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 10, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter (13) celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning in game two of the NLDS at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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October 13, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Trevor Rosenthal (44) pitches the eighth inning against Chicago Cubs in game four of the NLDS at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
October 13, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Trevor Rosenthal (44) pitches the eighth inning against Chicago Cubs in game four of the NLDS at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /

Trevor Rosenthal

I’m not a big fan of drafting high ranked closers early on in fantasy baseball, but there’s probably not too many more safer bets at the closer position than Trevor Rosenthal.

Rosenthal comes in at 8th overall on Yahoo’s relievers list and 7th on EPSPN’s list. Guys like Craig Kimbrel, Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen get their fair due, and are probably flashier and more well known closers. But in terms of racking up saves for your fantasy team — Rosenthal is the guy you want.

Since 2014, Rosenthal ranks first in all of baseball with 93 saves. The next closest is Kimbrel with 86. Rosy will provide plenty of strikeouts as well — 83 in 68.2 IP last season.

What’s more, the 25-year old cut down his walks per nine from 5.37 in 2014 to 3.28 in 2015. Rosenthal has also done exceptionally well at pitching out of jams and leaving runners on base. Last season, the righty had a career high 85.9 left on base percentage, which ranked third among National League closers.

He may get a bit more rest this season with guys like Jordan Walden and Seung Hwan Oh joining the bullpen, but Rosenthal should still be good for 45 plus saves in 2016. I wouldn’t go too far to reach for Rosenthal, but if you are looking to take a closer earlier on in your draft then he’s the guy to snag.

Next: The young studs