Nick Mariano's Top 150 Saves+Holds Rankings for Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitchers

March 18, 2023

Nick Mariano's fantasy baseball saves+holds (SV+HLD) rankings for closers and relief pitchers. His top 150 tiered rankings and analysis for the 2023 MLB season.

We continue our push into the future beyond traditional 5x5 rotisserie ranks that focus on closers alone. And this won't be it! Saves+Holds reliever ranks can be overlooked or left stale from an early offseason article, but I'll be here at least once a month to bring my leaderboard for the season. Allow me, Nick Mariano, to do my namesake proud (my middle name isn't Rivera, sorry) and bring you the breakdown about fantasy baseball bullpens.

While the closer's role is important, an increasing number of managers are moving their best arm into a flexible role while shuffling who gets the ninth. Saves+Holds (or Solds, or SV+HLD) leagues help fantasy leagues reward the best arms regardless of the inning, though it still favors closers in a vacuum. Be sure to also check out our constantly updated fantasy baseball closers and saves depth charts.

Reminder: A hold is recorded when a relief pitcher enters with a lead of three runs or less, or with the tying run on deck, at the plate, or on base, and maintains that lead while recording at least one out. Read on and you'll see where I rank each player, what tier they're in, as well as a smattering of analysis for each of the 10 tiers. And here is the top 150 table in an exportable, able-to-be-copied Google sheet if you like. While I look for pitchers used in high-leverage situations, this is also about how good the arm is and how efficient their K/9 works for many of you.

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2023 Saves+Holds Rankings - Mixed Leagues

Be sure to also bookmark our main 2023 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. It's loaded up with tons of other great rankings including roto mixed leagues, H2H points leagues, AL/NL only leagues, prospect rankings and more.

Rankings as of March 17th

Saves+Holds Rankings Analysis

While closers aren't everything with holds in the mix, they are still a more reliable source of end-game usage. In 2022, we had 10 relievers notch 30 or more saves while only one man eclipsed 30 holds. But this is a top-heavy resource, because only one save comes per game while multiple holds are possible. Only 18 relievers had 20 or more saves and 35 notched double-digits. There were 21 RPs with 20-plus holds, 53 with 15 or more, and 91 with at least 10. With all of this in mind, let's dig into some names!

-Edwin O. Diaz was the No. 1 option but is now out for the season. It's a crushing blow and we wish him the best in his recovery. It's terrible for the Mets and for those who drafted him already as an anchor. This format means you don't need to worry as much about choosing between David Robertson and Adam Ottavino and just target them both. I'd favor DRob. Brooks Raley moves up the chain as well.

-Andres Munoz and Jhoan Duran are the two most obvious risers in the Save+Hold format, but we still have to shout them out! Both of them boasted sub-1.00 WHIPs with highlight-reel pitches, but Munoz has the strikeout edge. In fact, the Mariner’s 38.7% strikeout rate ranked fourth among 152 qualified RPs, trailing only Diaz (50.2%), Devin Williams (40%), and Ryan Helsley (39.3%). Duran was “only” at 33.5%, and both had respectable 6% walk rates. Invest!

-Felix Bautista takes a slight ding due to beginning the season with some knee rehab question marks. For now, he seems alright, but you can’t sit there and click draft with 100% confidence.

-Pete Fairbanks is very relevant to the injury-risk conversation. The 29-year-old has only pitched 114 ⅓ IP over four MLB seasons, typically flashing incredible strikeout upside alongside high walks. He had a right rotator cuff injury early in the ‘21 season and then missed most of August with a right shoulder injury. Then he missed over three months in ‘22 with a hurt right lat muscle. He quietly left the brief Tampa postseason with finger numbness as well.

But we (generally) try not to be mystics when it comes to predicting injuries. And Fairbanks is worth considerable risk after 2022 when his usual 10-12% walk rate fell to 3.4%. His 0.86 FIP in 24 innings was the best in the majors (min. 20 IP), besting Diaz by a slim margin. If we get anywhere near a full season of in-control Fairbanks then we have a top-3 reliever. Jason Adam shouldn’t go far behind.

-A.J. Minter (and Joe Jimenez) benefit from playing for Atlanta, who generated 169 Sold opportunities in ‘22. That’s 14 more than anyone else. Expand that to the last two seasons and their lead grows to 29. Minter is in the top-15 conversation and I wouldn’t begrudge anyone for slotting him into their top 10. Most haven’t fully internalized Jimenez as a Brave, but he’s likely the seventh-inning bridge to Minter. Enjoy!

-Michael King is buried in most ADP and/or rank columns due to his recovery from an elbow fracture suffered in late July. The Yanks had been using him for multi-inning, high-leverage spots, especially with Aroldis Chapman struggling.

He wound up with a 66/16 K/BB ratio over 51 frames, posting a 2.29 ERA (2.23 FIP) with 16 holds and a save. I’d expect a healthy avenue to 25-30+ Solds with excellent ratios, a stellar K/9, and a good chance at wins given the close spots he’s entrusted with.

-James Karinchak missed around the first three months of the 2022 campaign due to a shoulder strain but made up for lost time with volume. From July 4 on, Karinchak appeared in 38 games (Emmanuel Clase led with 41) and led all relievers with 62 strikeouts in that window. He also surrendered just two home runs, posting a 0.46 HR/9 after 2021’s frightful 1.46 mark. His teammate Trevor Stephan should not be far behind on Sold draft boards.

-Erik Swanson is another surging player in this format after being dealt to Toronto for eighth-inning duties. The right-hander didn’t get going as a starter but served Seattle well out of the ‘pen over the last two seasons. He truly hit another gear in ‘22, posting a 1.84 FIP that trailed only Diaz out of 152 qualified relievers. And that came with a top-12 strikeout rate as well. Don’t pigeonhole the 29-year-old either, as he held both left- and right-handed hitters down with a slugging percentage under .300 in ‘22.

-Bryan Abreu may not get as much love in the lobby after logging 10 Solds compared to 37 for Rafael Montero and 28 for Hector Neris, but don’t overlook him. He found another 1.6 mph on his four-seamer and threw more sliders in ‘22, leading to a top-10 finish in K% among qualified RPs.

The 25-year-old only allowed five barrels all year and tossed 11 ⅓ IP of scoreless ball with a 19/4 K/BB in the postseason. He’s a force even if stuck at fourth on the totem pole, but an injury or two could vault him toward the top.

-Garrett Cleavinger may not be a Swanson-level southpaw but he stepped up for Tampa Bay down the stretch. His quiet 18 ⅔ IP in the final month-plus of the season yielded a 2.41 ERA (1.77 FIP!) and 25/4 K/BB with just one home run allowed. He also struck out 6-of-8 batters faced in the playoffs, despite facing a Cleveland squad known for working counts.

Is a strong six-week run enough to vault him over Colin Poche as the go-to southpaw? Poche had four wins, seven saves, and 23 holds on the year despite a 1.69 HR/9 and a mediocre 17.1% K-BB rate. He hadn’t pitched since 2019 but consistently worked later in games that Tampa was winning. Will the roles flip in ‘23? I’d target Cleavinger first but don’t lose sight of Poche and Jalen Beeks.

**Other notable southpaws: Wandy Peralta (NYY), Alex Vesia (LAD), Aaron Bummer (CHW), Sam Hentges (CLE), Aroldis Chapman (KC), Caleb Thielbar (MIN), Matt Moore (LAA), Brock Burke (TEX), Hoby Milner (MIL), Taylor Rogers (SF)

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