How to Replace Mariano Rivera in 2012 Fantasy Baseball

Mariano Rivera
Mariano Rivera (Photo credit: Keith Allison)

Superman is mortal, after all and that applies to our sports stars. New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera suffered a torn ACL, and a torn meniscus, while shagging flies in the outfield before a Yankees-Royals game. Mariano Rivera is out for the season, and given that he is 42 years old, this could be the end of his career.

Since Mariano Rivera is considered the greatest closer of all time, a Superman of baseball, it is going to be very hard to replace him. So what are the implications of Mariano Rivera’s fantasy baseball injury when it comes to your team? Well, you might want to claim either Rafael Soriano or (more likely) David Robertson – one of those two will be closing for the Yankees, or perhaps the Yanks may have them share the role, depending upon how things shake out. At press time, it was not clear who would be the closer, and even then, if one of them falters in the role, the other might get the spot.

In fantasy baseball 2012, if you have Mariano Rivera on your team, you might have to scramble for a replacement. Needless to say, closers like Jonathan Papelbon are probably already snatched up in your fantasy league. So you might want to consider lesser-known names like Alfredo Aceves of Boston, who got the closing role for the Red Sox when Andrew Bailey was injured. Other possible relief pitchers include J.J. Putz, Jonathan Broxton and Frank Francisco. When looking for possible closers for your team, take a look at who is up and coming, and who has yet to be snatched up in your league. You probably want to be conscious of making sure you don’t pick a closer who could be susceptible to a fantasy baseball injury.

The big question from many baseball fans is: Will Mariano return for another season? Rivera is confident that he will come back. Despite his age and current physical condition, Mariano Rivera refuses to give up. “I’m coming back. Write it down here in big capital letters. I’m not going out like this,” Rivera explained at the end of recent press conference. His stick-to-itiveness is undeniable and serves as inspiration to current players. His talents and perseverance have made him one of the greatest closing pitchers of all time.

Replacing Mariano Rivera is going to be hard, not just in real life, but also in fantasy baseball. However, you will have to let go of him in your fantasy league – so you should be sure to act quickly.

Citations:
  • Mariano Rivera quote

FantasyGuru is a fantasy sports blogger for DraftStreet, a premiere site for both free fantasy leagues and fantasy leagues for money.

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