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The two headed American League monsters in New York and Kansas City have been dominating hitters late in ball games. There hasn't been much closer shuffling over the past few weeks making it tough to grab saves off of the waiver wire, but there are guys to keep an eye on. We'll have Kenley Jansen, Jake Mcgee, and Tyler Clippard returning from injury in the near future so there could be some jockeying in the LA, TB and OAK bullpens.
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Closer Updates for Week 6
Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances (NYY)
I’ll start with the most dominant closer so far this season in Miller, who appeared in 3.1 innings this past week picking up four saves and five strikeouts without allowing a hit. He still is yet to give up a run in 15.2 innings on the season and has been absolutely dominant. Somehow he is still available in about 10% of Yahoo leagues so please pick him up if this is the case.
According to FanGraphs, batters are only making contact with the ball on 53.7% of their swings, way down from Miller’s career average of 78.5%. He’s also upped his first pitch strike percentage to 68.9% (league average is 60%) from his career average at 54.4%. If Miller can stay consistent and ride this early season momentum, he’ll surely be one of the top fantasy closers when its all said and done in 2015.
Dellin Betances has also not allowed an earned run all season creating an unreal one-two punch on the back end. Still available in 10% of all Yahoo leagues, you can't get more value from a set up man than many back-of-the-rotation starters. Striking out 30 batters in 19.1 innings is phenomenal and worth owning. He already has four wins and a save so far this season which is just icing on the cake.
Greg Holland and Wade Davis (KC)
Holland was just brought back from the disabled list this week, made two appearances, and was able to get through two innings without a blemish. Having been out for about three weeks, Wade Davis was able to pick up the slack with six saves. If Davis has been recently dropped in your league, I would keep a close eye on Hollands health. Any injury relapse to Holland would make Davis one of the top closing options in the league.
At this point Holland is almost fully owned in Yahoo leagues and for good reason. Davis is at 78% owned and is still a solid option even with Holland back if you are in a deep league struggling for relief options. Both pitchers are dominant in their respective roles so this is a situation worth monitoring moving forward.
Kenley Jansen and Yimi Garcia (LAD)
Garcia has been incredible this season and I would keep an eye on him moving forward. Incumbent closer Kenley Jansen has still not returned from injury, and recently had a rehab appearance where he got knocked around a bit.
Garcia has gone the last 12.1 innings without giving up a run and has had 21 strikeouts in that same span. The problem is that he’s been in a committee role with Joel Peralta and Chris Hatcher, splitting the save chances between them. Additionally, Jansen will be coming at some point soon, dramatically reducing the fantasy value of all three relievers. At only 43% owned in Yahoo leagues, I would still keep an eye on Garcia, since there is no denying his ability so far in his young career.
Jake McGee (TB)
McGee, the Rays projected closer coming into the season, should be returning to the team from injury in the next week or so. He had an incredible 2014 season but coming back from an elbow injury can be difficult and I don't expect to see him closing full time right away. That said, Brad Boxberger owners will want to keep an eye on the situation as his save chances could start to decrease. At only 64% owned in Yahoo! leagues, McGee is worth a pickup based on his potential if he's back fully healthy.
Sean Doolittle (OAK)
Similarly in Oakland, Doolittle should return in 2-3 weeks according to Athleticsnation.com, so Tyler Clippard owners should monitor his status. At 62% owned Doolittle is certainly a waiver wire option moving forward. Clippard hasn't been quite as dominant as Boxberger so it's possible that Doolittle could be thrown into the fire a little quicker once he makes the return. Both McGee and Doolittle average more than a strikeout per inning in their careers and make for great pickups before the rest of your league catches on.
Jason Grilli (ATL)
Grilli has now given up runs in three of his last seven appearances after a blistering start. He appears to be dealing with back spasms that have held him out of a couple games recently. While this doesn't seem like a huge deal at the moment, owners should be aware in case it leads to a more damaging injury down the road. If anything happens to Grilli, veteran Jim Johnson who is widely available in most leagues, could be next in line for closing duty.
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