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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 27, the final days 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.
Keone Kela, Texas Rangers
21 holds, 2.40 ERA, 60.0 innings, 68 strikeouts, 1.15 WHIP
The Texas Rangers have nearly achieved the race to the top and everyone needed to contribute. Reliever Keone Kela is having a great rookie season. The 22-year-old Kela is holding opponents to a .230 batting average and generates a great 50.0% ground ball rate. Keone Kela has a fastball that approaches 96.0 MPH and a curve around 84.0 MPH. He is primarily used in the back third of the game and the Texas Rangers have yet to clinch the division. The games they have remaining are as important so expect Kela to be used if the Rangers have a lead to hold onto.
Erik Goeddel, New York Mets
2 holds, 2.51 ERA, 32.1 innings, 31 strikeouts, 1.02 WHIP
The New York Mets look to have homefield locked up for the first round with the Los Angeles Dodgers but to ensure it, a pair of wins in their final home series will help. The Mets have their established relievers for the backend of the game but they are trying to get their rotation in order without burning them out. A reliever like Erik Goeddel could see more relief work with the final three games of the season. The 26-year-old has a very respectable ERA and WHIP in his limited work this year. He has held opponents to a .209 batting average and generates a good amount of ground balls even though he will have the advantage of pitching the remainder of this year in the pitcher-friendly Citi Field.
Steve Cishek, St. Louis Cardinals
3.54 ERA, 53.1 innings, 45 strikeouts, 1.44 WHIP
The St. Louis Cardinals acquired former Marlins closer Steve Cishek in hopes of fortifying their bullpen as they sit atop the league with the best record. While Cishek struggled in Miami; he has flourished as a Cardinal. In his 21.1 innings with the Cardinals, Cishek pitched to a 2.11 ERA. Overall, opponents are hitting .251 against the 29-year-old Cishek but with the Cardinals, opponents are only hitting .184. The Cardinals figured out what made Cishek successful in the past. In addition to the low batting average, opponents are generally hitting his fastball-slider combination for ground balls. The Cardinals are poised to finish the season strong and look to have another great showing in October.
Brett Cecil, Toronto Blue Jays
8 holds, 2.55 ERA, 53.0 innings, 67 strikeouts, 0.98 WHIP
The Toronto Blue Jays have put together a great campaign in the 2015 season. While they added arms to their bullpen, reliever Brett Cecil started with the Jays and he is having a good year. While he holds opponents as a whole to a .201 batting average and appears to be used in a situational role, the splits between right- and left-handed batters is not tremendous. Right-handed batters are hitting .203 while left-handed batters have a .197 batting average. The 29-year-old Cecil relies primarily on a curveball that averages 84.0 MPH with a fastball around 92 MPH to complement it. He generates a great 52.0% ground ball rate. He is averaging more than a strikeout per inning as a good part of the American League East champions bullpen.
Luke Hochevar, Kansas City Royals
6 holds, 3.49 ERA, 49.0 innings, 48 strikeouts, 1.27 WHIP
The Kansas City Royals are Central division champions but homefield advantage remains at stake. With the raucous crowd they generated last October, playing games at home will give them a strong source of energy so they will play the remainder of this year's games with the intention of winning. Closer Greg Holland is sidelined for this year (and then some) so relievers like Luke Hochevar will step up into a bigger role. The 32-year-old Hochevar uses a fastball, cutter and curveball to generate his outs. With a very strong defensive outfield, Hochevar can live with a 47.1% fly ball rate. Opponents hit to a .246 batting average but he does average nearly a strikeout per inning. The Royals need to recover from the loss of their closer and Hochevar will be one of a few relievers that they can count on for that final series of the regular season.
