No qualms with Qualls

Bob Melvin says he has no problem naming Chad Qualls his closer, even if the longtime setup man owns just 15 career saves.

"He pitched well down the stretch and closed out the games he had to close out, and therefore he earned the spot to be our closer going into the season," Melvin said.

Qualls finished the season strong, going 2-0 with seven saves in September, which included a streak of 13 scoreless innings.

Melvin should feel good about naming Qualls his closer. After watching Brandon Lyon and Jon Rauch struggle to keep the job, Qualls did well down the stretch. His career WHIP of 1.20 is good for the role. He held opponents to a .224 average last year with a .249 clip for his career. He also struck out nearly a batter an inning in 2008, which makes him capable of getting out of jams.

Fantasy Impact: I expected Qualls to earn the closer job early last season. Now he's getting the opportunity to take the reigns in spring training and run with it. Expect him to succeed. He's done nothing but improve over the last two years.