Ventura’d, again: Matt Lindstrom, not Nate Jones, will close for White Sox
Yup, Robin Ventura got us again. Shoulda seen this one coming. My bad.
*points to self*
On Monday afternoon, Ventura officially named veteran Matt Lindstrom his closer. He did this because he dislikes me, personally. Nate Jones will pitch in a setup role for now. Because we all needed to be reminded of the Hector Santiago debacle of 2012.
[Baseball 2014 from Yahoo! Fantasy Sports: Join a league today!]
Lindstrom is a 34-year-old with a career WHIP of 1.42 (1.43 last season), so let's not assume he'll hold the job all year. He has it at the moment, however, and that makes him a must-add reliever in most formats. He's still available in 87 percent Yahoo leagues as of this writing. You know what to do, saves chasers.
If you play in a deep, competitive league, try to hold Jones on your roster. He's a terrific pitcher with a closer's skill set, plus he's had an impressive spring. Jones is the sort of reliever who can assist fantasy owners even in a non-closing role. Lindstrom is the sort of reliever who will fill you with dread, always. When he's pitching, look away.
Sorry it went down this way, Jones owners. I'm right there with you, in the Robin Ventura theater of pain.
