May is right around the corner, which means we will soon stop waving away unusual early season happenings with the comforting refrain of “hey, it’s only April!” Roughly 17% of the MLB regular season is in the books, and teams are starting to settle into their identities.
One of the more defining characteristics of any ballclub is its closer, the pitcher whom the manager trusts the most to record the last three outs when victory is within reach. This week’s power rankings take a look at the closer landscape across the league, assessing which teams are feeling confident with a narrow lead in the ninth inning and which teams have been struggling to secure the final frame.
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (18-10)
Tanner Scott is having a bizarre start to his first season in Dodger blue. The control issues that have plagued the hard-throwing southpaw for years have seemingly evaporated, as Scott has yet to issue a walk in 14 appearances and has recorded eight saves with a 2.70 ERA, but he’s allowing far more hard contact without garnering nearly as many whiffs as usual, and his velocity is noticeably down a tick from a year ago. These are troubling, if somewhat confounding, early signs for the talented lefty fresh off signing a $72 million deal in free agency.
2. New York Mets (19-9)
Even by his effectively wild standards, Edwin Díaz has been a bit shakier than what Mets fans would probably like (seven walks, two hit-by-pitches, four wild pitches in 12 innings), but why complain when Díaz is 7-for-7 in save opportunities? He’s still racking up the strikeouts as well as any reliever in the league, and the Mets have the best record in baseball. Things are going just fine in Queens.
3. San Francisco Giants (19-10)
Is Camilo Doval in the process of seizing the closer job back from Ryan Walker? Doval recorded three saves and a win over the past week, with all four appearances coming in the ninth inning, while Walker has endured some uncharacteristic struggles recently. Regardless of the exact closer arrangement, Doval and Walker are two of several Giants relievers — Randy Rodriguez, Tyler Rogers, Erik Miller — who have played a massive role in the team’s hot start. This bullpen is legit.
4. Detroit Tigers (18-10)
Manager AJ Hinch has continued to mix and match in the late innings just as he did so masterfully down the stretch last season, with Will Vest and veteran righty Tommy Kahnle handling the bulk of the save opportunities. Vest’s glow-up into a…