3 Bullpen Arms To Target In Fantasy Baseball Drafts - NL Edition (2024)

Which bullpen arms should you target in 2024 fantasy baseball drafts in the National League? Joey Pollizze analyzes three relief pitchers in the National League that you need to draft this season.

The hardest thing to decide in a fantasy baseball draft is when to grab relief pitchers. Saves are super important in roto leagues, so choosing a closer early could be a nice strategy. Some of the top ones, like Devin Williams of the Milwaukee Brewers, are going super early. Williams is usually off the board in the fifth round. 

Locking down the best relief pitcher in baseball could pay off in the long run, but is it worth paying a premium for? Williams is currently getting selected higher than Tarik Skubal, Max Fried, and Mike Trout this year. 

However, if you don’t want to pay that high for a relief pitcher, here are three closers in the National League that you could turn to in the middle to late rounds.

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Raisel Iglesias, Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Raisel Iglesias has always been a reliable closer over his career. He has 190 saves in nine years and has at least 28 saves in five of the past six full seasons. Iglesias has also managed to keep his ERA relatively low in recent years, finishing under 2.80 in four straight seasons. On top of that, he's the starting closer on a Braves team projected to win over 100 games.

All that makes him a great selection in the middle rounds of 2024 fantasy drafts. Iglesias isn't going as high as some of the other closers like Williams or Edwin Diaz -- who is going in the sixth round. However, the Braves closer is going somewhere in the eighth round, so you'll still need to spend a semi-early pick on him.

Braves Country: Meet Raisel Iglesias 😎🔥#ForTheA pic.twitter.com/0b9FVMiDY2

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 6, 2022

His selection, though, might make more sense for fantasy managers. Last year, Iglesias finished with a 2.75 ERA and 33 saves across 55.2 innings pitched. His 33 saves were tied for the sixth most in the National League, and that was with him missing the first 33 games of the season with a shoulder injury. Now, the veteran closer will be fully healthy heading into 2024, which makes 37-plus saves a real possibility.

Adbert Alzolay, Chicago Cubs

If you don't want to spend a high draft pick on a relief pitcher, a player like Adbert Alzolay could be the perfect fit. Alzolay did not start as the Chicago Cubs closer last season, but he earned it throughout the year. In April, he had a 2.57 ERA and five holds in 11 appearances. Then, the right-hander got his first shot to close out a game on May 6 against the Miami Marlins. He did just that to earn his second career save.

However, it wasn't until the beginning of June that Alzolay started to become the Cubs' permanent closer. He finished the year with a 2.67 ERA and 22 saves across 64 IP. That certainly has the 29-year-old trending up in fantasy heading into this season.

Adbert Alzolay's first strikeout of the Spring is against Elly De La Cruz🔥

(📸: @WatchMarquee) pic.twitter.com/ru6LGf38wi

— Cubs Zone (@CubsZone) February 27, 2024

Alzolay was really only Chicago's full-time closer for three months (from June 9 to September 1). The right-hander spent most of September on the injured list with a forearm injury and only appeared in three games after September 1. However, in that three-month sample size, the Cubs closer had the third-most saves (20) during that span, only behind Williams (21) and Alexis Diaz of the Cincinnati Reds (21). 

With Alzolay now expected to be the team's full-time closer in 2024, he should be a nice value pick in the later rounds. He is currently the 21st relief pitcher off the board in drafts and going around the 15th or 16th round. 

Jose Alvarado, Philadelphia Phillies

The last bullpen arm you should target in the National League is Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jose Alvarado. The flame-throwing left-hander should enter the year as the Phillies closer after Craig Kimbrel left in free agency to join the Baltimore Orioles. That certainly has me intrigued to draft Alvarado in the later rounds.

We have briefly seen Alvarado in the closer role in Philadelphia over the past few years, but he hasn't gotten many chances. The southpaw has saved 17 games for the Phillies since 2021, including 10 times last year. If he can win the starting closer job and maintain it for the season, he should be a great value pick in the 19th round.

Alvarado is going so late in fantasy drafts this year that he's worth taking a chance on. The left-hander could easily wind up as the Phillies closer and save over 25 games in 2024. He will also give fantasy managers solid strikeout numbers and a low ERA. Last year, he finished with a 1.74 ERA and 64 strikeouts across 41.1 IP.

Jose Alvarado is the most electric pitcher in baseball pic.twitter.com/g7AsAwqdao

— Phillies Muse (@Phillies_Muse) April 27, 2023

This closer situation in Philadelphia is messy at the moment because Alvarado and Orion Kerkering could wind up splitting duties. However, the veteran should have the advantage to win the job.

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