Welcome to Rates and barrels. It is Thursday, February 24th.

Derek Van Riper, Inoceris, here with you.

Rapping up what has become a fortnight about pitching with closers.

This is our 2022 closer episode, and by that, I mean, this is our 22 reliever episode,

because closers are increasingly difficult to find.

The game continues to change,

and we're seeing as much helium as I think I've ever seen on the top end closers in the pool,

because having elite skills and a very firm hold on a clear ninth inning role, hard to find.

And I think people are increasingly willing to pass up on a very good player early

to secure a large share of their saves in the early rounds and kind of say,

hey, I'll just figure out the rest later.

I'll figure out how to backfill on bats.

I think it leads us to an opening conversation, though, you know, about what you do in

leagues where you have control over the rules.

Like, we're talking a lot this time of year about NFBC style leagues, draft and hold formats where you can't make in season moves.

That's a very small percentage of leagues that people play in in the community at large.

So if I give you commissioner tools, not going to make you actually be the commissioner of the league.

I'm just going to give you the authority to change the rules of a league.

Are you changing the categories that we use to value relievers?

And if so, how are you changing them?

I am having a negative visceral reaction to where closers are going in current NFBC

drafts. I

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