While holds are even tougher to predict than saves, the players we’ll highlight today include some elite setup men to target off the waiver wire for Week 22 of the fantasy baseball season.

The more likely an MLB team is to win, the more likely these pitchers will be eligible to earn the holds that could be the difference between winning or losing in your fantasy league.

Editor’s Note: to read about even more waiver wire options for relief pitchers, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily.

 

Joakim Soria, Pittsburgh Pirates

5 holds, 2.75 ERA, 52.1 innings, 46 strikeouts, 1.09 WHIP

The Pittsburgh Pirates are in a good spot to make the Wild Card but trying to surpass the Cardinals as NL Central champions is still a goal. Adding Joakim Soria to the bullpen is a strong upgrade to an already strong bullpen. The 31-year-old Soria was once a closer so he does have experience in high leverage situations. Since joining the Pirates, Joakim Soria has found himself regularly in the seventh inning, and usually entering with a lead. Soria uses a fastball in the low 90s that is complimented with a slow slider around 78 MPH. He generates a good ground ball rate and doesn't strike out more than a batter per inning but he is a reliable reliever that will find himself in more situations for holds because the Pirates are a successful team that will win and possibly threaten the Cardinals for the division crown.

 

Marc Rzepczynski, San Diego Padres

16 holds, 3.95 ERA, 27.1 innings, 32 strikeouts, 1.46 WHIP

I think it is safe to say that the San Diego Padres are not in contention of postseason baseball but it will not stop them from trying and you'll have a hard time convincing their general manager that they are finished in regards to this year. With that said, lefty reliever Marc Rzepczynski is having a good season with his new team. The former Cleveland Indian lefty has improved in his new home in San Diego (.267 opponent batting average vs. .217). Lefties are hitting .250 against Rzepczynski and right-handed batters are hitting .303 so the substantial innings-to-games total of 27.1 innings in 59 games clearly identifies him as a specialist. While his splits are not eye-popping, check out his batted ball rates. While he uses a sinker 59.4% of the time, this explains the great 68.9% ground ball rate. Rzepczynski uses this sinker to great success as he generates just 9.5% fly balls. Batted ball rates such as these will find a lot of success in the pitcher-friendly Petco Park in San Diego.

 

Andrew Chafin, Arizona Diamondbacks

9 holds, 2.33 ERA, 65.2 innings, 49 strikeouts, 1.05 WHIP

The Arizona Diamondbacks are on the outside looking in on the hopes of postseason baseball but reliever Andrew Chafin is having a good season. Despite being a lefty with evident splits that call for use in specialist ways, Chafin is used in full inning or even multiple inning roles. He is keeping opponents to a .203 batting average with effective pitching against both left (.179) and right-handed (.220) batters. While he has just one hold this month, he had three in the previous month. He doesn't overpower batters with his fastball, his primary pitch, that goes around 92 MPH. He adds in a slider and this combination of pitches helps him keep the ball low against his opponents. The 25-year-old Chafin generated 57.7% ground balls. While he does not strike out a lot of batters, Chafin has an ERA under 2.40 for a good team that will fall short of postseason baseball.

 

Will Harris, Houston Astros

7 holds, 1.45 ERA, 56.0 innings, 55 strikeouts, 0.86 WHIP

The Houston Astros have a decent lead in their division and a strong bullpen, especially reliever Will Harris. The 30-year-old Harris is holding opponents to a .230 batting average. A staple of the Astros pitching staff is keeping the ball down, a must in the hitter-friendly confines of Minute Maid Park. Fly balls occur 26.6% of the time while ground balls occur 52.5% of the time. He has an ERA under 2.00 and a WHIP under 1.00 and almost averages a strikeout per inning pitched. His fastball just shy of 92 MPH is his primary pitch and his secondary pitch is a curveball. The Astros do not look like they will be going away this year so expect Harris to have opportunities at holds as the last month of the season comes close.

 

Luke Hochevar, Kansas City Royals

4 holds, 3.22 ERA, 36.1 innings, 39 strikeouts, 1.21 WHIP

The Kansas City Royals have a big three in the back of their bullpen but Luke Hochevar is finding success on the American League's best team. The 31-year-old Hochevar was once projected to be a part of the starting rotation but as of last year, he is a reliever and a good one. Relying on three pitchers, between mixing up his fastball and cutter, he adds in a curveball. He keeps opponents to a .245 batting average and generates more fly balls than ground balls. The Royals usually bring in Hochevar for the sixth inning or later so he is the first step before entering likely defeat to the Royals.

 

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