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Nick Mariano's updated fantasy baseball saves+holds (SV+HLD) rankings for the 2021 MLB season, including tiers and analysis for his top 140 closers and relief pitchers.
To any reader who thinks they don't have a voice here at RotoBaller, let it be known that this article came from a simple Reddit comment about how those seeking Saves+Holds reliever ranks were often overlooked. Poof, and here we are. Allow me, Nick Mariano, 2018's most accurate draft expert (top-three for RPs in '18 and '20) and sharer of names with the best reliever of all-time, to supercharge your bullpen.
While the closer's role is important, some 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.
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, their projected "Team Rank" (spot in their team's bullpen hierarchy via me, but committees can muddy those), alongside brief notes for each of the 140 arms. Cheers!
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Top 140 Saves+Holds Relief Pitcher Ranks - Mixed Leagues
In case you missed it, our very own "Big Pick Nick" Mariano was named the #1 overall most accurate industry expert ranker for the 2018 season.
| Rank | Tier | Player | Team | Team Rank | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | Josh Hader | MIL | 1 | Dominant ceiling still worthy of #1 spot |
| 2 | 1 | Liam Hendriks | CWS | 1 | A safer No. 1 pick on a strong team |
| 3 | 1 | James Karinchak | CLE | 1 | Hader-like K's, format protects from role |
| 4 | 1 | Ryan Pressly | HOU | 1 | Locked in as closer, has been SV/HLD stud |
| 5 | 1 | Raisel Iglesias | LAA | 1 | Should be even better here versus GABP |
| 6 | 1 | Aroldis Chapman | NYY | 1 | Adapting with slider helps his top status |
| 7 | 1 | Edwin Diaz | NYM | 1 | More volatile but has No. 1 upside with K's |
| 8 | 1 | Devin Williams | MIL | 2 | Too good in small sample to ignore |
| 9 | 1 | Drew Pomeranz | SD | 1 | Format elevates his potential in crowded SD 'pen |
| 10 | 2 | Nick Anderson | TB | 1 | Format elevates his potential in crowded TB 'pen |
| 11 | 2 | Trevor Rosenthal | OAK | 1 | Will hope slight groin strain provides discount |
| 12 | 2 | Kirby Yates | TOR | 1 | Health question but talent is worthy of top-10 |
| 13 | 2 | Kenley Jansen | LAD | 1 | Walks rising but still closer for LAD, wins on wins |
| 14 | 2 | Amir Garrett | CIN | 1 | Higher WHIP w/ walks but big K's and share of 9th |
| 15 | 3 | Giovanny Gallegos | STL | 2 | Format elevates his potential in crowded STL 'pen |
| 16 | 3 | William Smith | ATL | 1 | Late-inning lefty shouldn't get pushed in SV/HLD |
| 17 | 3 | Brad Hand | WAS | 1 | Was electric after rusty start in '20, I trust the K's |
| 18 | 3 | Chris Martin | ATL | 2 | Showed elite control, underrated next to Smith |
| 19 | 3 | Craig Kimbrel | CHC | 1 | More volatile than Diaz but very little competition |
| 20 | 3 | Hector Neris | PHI | 1 | If that splitter is working then you're profiting |
| 21 | 3 | Trevor May | NYM | 2 | One of the best non-closing RPs, great park |
| 22 | 3 | Jordan Hicks | STL | 1 | Workload mgmt is a worry, they view him as closer |
| 23 | 3 | Jose Leclerc | TEX | 1 | Hernandez injury cements Leclerc's late role |
| 24 | 3 | Tyler Duffey | MIN | 3 | Fewer opps w/ Colome, Rogers but still fantastic |
| 25 | 3 | Taylor Rogers | MIN | 2 | Late-inning lefty shouldn't get pushed in SV/HLD |
| 26 | 3 | Diego Castillo | TB | 3 | Solid K's and ratios, TB not afraid to deploy him |
| 27 | 4 | Aaron Bummer | CWS | 2 | Less than a K per 9 caps upside but strong ratios |
| 28 | 4 | Alex Colome | MIN | 1 | Less than a K per 9 caps upside but strong ratios |
| 29 | 4 | Greg Holland | KC | 1 | Should be reliable for late frames |
| 30 | 4 | Joakim Soria | ARI | 1 | Suppressed ADP due to late signing, reap rewards |
| 31 | 4 | Adam Ottavino | BOS | 2 | Will command be reliable enough to hold late role? |
| 32 | 4 | Mark Melancon | SD | 2 | Less than a K per 9 caps upside but strong ratios |
| 33 | 4 | Sergio Romo | OAK | 3 | Oakland no stranger to flexing deep bullpen |
| 34 | 4 | Matt Barnes | BOS | 1 | Command better than Otto but still not great |
| 35 | 4 | Jake Diekman | OAK | 2 | Lefty in OAK 'pen should get plenty of opps |
| 36 | 4 | Daniel Bard | COL | 1 | Late-inning anchor for COL, but it's still Coors |
| 37 | 4 | Rafael Montero | SEA | 1 | Seattle's closer but a clear trade candidate |
| 38 | 4 | Tanner Rainey | WAS | 2 | Big K potential, potential closer of the future |
| 39 | 5 | Blake Treinen | LAD | 2 | Recovered some form but 2018 isn't coming back |
| 40 | 5 | Archie Bradley | PHI | 2 | Girardi likes to have a "guy"; 8th or 9th? |
| 41 | 5 | Scott Barlow | KC | 2 | Overlooked with Holland and Staumont |
| 42 | 5 | Richard Rodriguez | PIT | 1 | Not cemented as closer, PIT opps may be scarce |
| 43 | 5 | Pete Fairbanks | TB | 2 | Big K's but walks likely limit WHIP upside |
| 44 | 5 | Jordan Romano | TOR | 2 | Elite slider, shouldn't slip beyond "back 3" innings |
| 45 | 5 | Garrett Crochet | CWS | 3 | Southpaw hitting 100 MPH with solid control, yes |
| 46 | 5 | Freddy Peralta | MIL | 5 | K's spiked (37.6%) out of 'pen, ~100 IP possible |
| 47 | 5 | Yimi Garcia | MIA | 1 | Most talented MIA RP, can't trust role yet though |
| 48 | 5 | Lucas Sims | CIN | 2 | Righty to Garrett's lefty for those late frames |
| 49 | 5 | Pedro Baez | HOU | 2 | Less than a K per 9 caps upside but strong ratios |
| 50 | 5 | Emmanuel Clase | CLE | 3 | Capable of elite ratios with plus K's, year off rust? |
| 51 | 5 | Ryan Brasier | BOS | 3 | Should have the 7th ahead of Otto and Barnes |
| 52 | 5 | Chad Green | NYY | 3 | He's been opener but no Britton may force late role |
| 53 | 5 | Mike Mayers | LAA | 2 | Introducing cutter unlocked talent |
| 54 | 5 | Josh Staumont | KC | 3 | Incredible stuff but inconsistent command hurts |
| 55 | 5 | Scott Oberg | COL | 2 | Believe COL wants him as stopper if 100% |
| 56 | 5 | Daniel Hudson | WAS | 3 | Reliable veteran but may not always work 7th+ |
| 57 | 6 | Andrew Miller | STL | 3 | Being the lefty will help keep late opps coming |
| 58 | 6 | Stefan Crichton | ARI | 2 | Lacks big putaway pitch but heavy grounders |
| 59 | 6 | Hunter Harvey | BAL | 1 | Can he stay healthy and run away with BAL 9th? |
| 60 | 6 | Mychal Givens | COL | 3 | May be 2nd in line for 9th if Oberg isn't ready |
| 61 | 6 | Emilio Pagan | SD | 4 | Slow spring but should get plenty of Holds |
| 62 | 6 | Tanner Scott | BAL | 2 | Sneaky late arm for BAL but expect BB% >10% |
| 63 | 6 | Anthony Bass | MIA | 2 | Apparent frontrunner for MIA 9th, unsure that holds |
| 64 | 6 | Jake McGee | SF | 1 | Rebounded in LA after horrid Coors tenure, SF's 1? |
| 65 | 6 | Joely Rodriguez | TEX | 3 | Hernandez injury opens door for J-Rod's arm |
| 66 | 6 | Nick Wittgren | CLE | 2 | Middling ratios & K's but reliable vet in young 'pen |
| 67 | 6 | Enoli Paredes | HOU | 3 | Behind Pressly and Baez but is still worth targeting |
| 68 | 6 | Reyes Moronta | SF | 2 | Return from inj, shallow 'pen, conditioning concern? |
| 69 | 6 | Rafael Dolis | TOR | 3 | Overshadowed, both Yates/Romano have health ?s |
| 70 | 6 | Rowan Wick | CHC | 4 | Cubs showed faith in Wick when Kimbrel stumbled |
| 71 | 7 | Tyler Matzek | ATL | 3 | Post-Coors sleeper, though fewer late-inning opps |
| 72 | 7 | Austin Adams | SD | 7 | Could be top 5 K/9 but SD bullpen is so deep |
| 73 | 7 | Brusdar Graterol | LAD | 3 | Spot in LAD bullpen vaults him on opps alone |
| 74 | 7 | Jose Alvarado | PHI | 3 | Should be stellar lefty setup arm for PHI (and you) |
| 75 | 7 | Victor Gonzalez | LAD | 4 | Looked untouchable in short 2020, mid-inning arm |
| 76 | 7 | Kyle Crick | PIT | 4 | May emerge as PIT closer, health is never certain |
| 77 | 7 | Gregory Soto | DET | 2 | Likely DET's best RP, which isn't saying much |
| 78 | 7 | Bryan Garcia | DET | 1 | Should work late innings alongside Soto |
| 79 | 7 | Darren O'Day | NYY | 4 | Gets a boost with Britton's injury, plus control |
| 80 | 7 | Yusmeiro Petit | OAK | 4 | Stalwart long man who should bank ratios |
| 81 | 7 | Sean Doolittle | CIN | 3 | CIN 'pen thin behind Garrett & Sims, room to grow |
| 82 | 8 | Evan Marshall | CWS | 4 | CWS 'pen is stacked, buy in where you can |
| 83 | 8 | Justin Wilson | NYY | 5 | Gets a boost with Britton's injury, watch the walks |
| 84 | 8 | Keone Kela | SD | 3 | If health holds then he could be a steal |
| 85 | 8 | A.J. Minter | ATL | 4 | Plus K's but ATL has many arms |
| 86 | 8 | Brent Suter | MIL | 3 | Strong position as 6th/7th-inning man |
| 87 | 8 | Alex Reyes | STL | 4 | Push for 100 IP? Durability woes, will he work late? |
| 88 | 8 | Miguel Castro | NYM | 3 | Castro should hold 7th unless Betances rebounds |
| 89 | 8 | Felix Pena | LAA | 3 | Strong as reliever in 2020, worth a late look |
| 90 | 8 | Matt Wisler | SF | 3 | 35/14 K/BB in 25 frames for MIN last year, intriguing |
| 91 | 8 | Hirokazu Sawamura | BOS | 4 | Throws hard, could vault Brasier/Otto for top-3 spot |
| 92 | 8 | Kevin Ginkel | ARI | 3 | Has a spot in ARZ late innings, some K's here |
| 93 | 8 | Anthony Misiewicz | SEA | 2 | Seattle's late lefty, discount Andrew Miller? |
| 94 | 8 | Kendall Graveman | SEA | 3 | Missed '19, 18.2 IP in '20; can he stay healthy? |
| 95 | 9 | Phil Maton | CLE | 4 | Could work high-leverage if young arms flounder |
| 96 | 9 | Will Harris | WAS | 4 | Mid-range RP similar to Hudson; ratios won't burn |
| 97 | 9 | Ty Buttrey | LAA | 4 | Has slipped in each year since 2018, can he stabilize? |
| 98 | 9 | Craig Stammen | SD | 8 | 35 SVHLDs in 2019 but SD 'pen suddenly crowded |
| 99 | 9 | Jonathan Hernandez | TEX | 2 | Injury stings, but you can stash for stretch run |
| 100 | 9 | Zack Britton | NYY | 2 | Injury stings, but you can stash for stretch run |
| 101 | 9 | Joe Kelly | LAD | 5 | Iffy command but stacking RPs on LAD works |
| 102 | 9 | Chris Stratton | PIT | 2 | SwStr% up to 15.2% from 10.5% in PIT, interesting |
| 103 | 9 | Tyler Rogers | SF | 4 | Great control, 3.40 SIERA under 4.50 ERA last year |
| 104 | 9 | Ryan Thompson | TB | 5 | Solid 3.75 xFIP/SIERA as a rookie, TB flexes RPs |
| 105 | 9 | Michael Kopech | CWS | 6 | Flexible role but stuff can play up in short relief apps |
| 106 | 9 | Seth Lugo | NYM | 7 | Unsure what long-term plan is post-injury, worth a flier |
| 107 | 10 | Jason Adam | CHC | 2 | K's come with BB's (21/8 in 13.2 IP), 4-pitch mix growth |
| 108 | 10 | Tim Hill | SD | 9 | Likely 15 SVHLD ceiling but lefty w/ control is ++ |
| 109 | 10 | Michael Feliz | PIT | 3 | Hurt most of '20 but 73 K in 56 1/3 IP in '19 |
| 110 | 10 | Dellin Betances | NYM | 5 | Can he regain glory days 1 year removed from injury? |
| 111 | 10 | Hansel Robles | MIN | 4 | Has a long journey to cracking high-leverage innings |
| 112 | 10 | Adam Kolarek | OAK | 8 | Another lefty behind Diekman for OAK to deploy |
| 113 | 10 | Cesar Valdez | BAL | 3 | 1.26 ERA (2.14 FIP) in '20 after success in Mexico |
| 114 | 10 | Dylan Floro | MIA | 3 | MIA says Floro could vie for 9th-inning opps |
| 115 | 11 | Darwinzon Hernandez | BOS | 8 | Inconsistent control, glorious K upside; 80 IP ceiling? |
| 116 | 11 | Robert Stephenson | COL | 4 | Plus whiffs but fly-ball arm at Coors, career 1.73 HR/9 |
| 117 | 11 | Codi Heuer | CWS | 5 | Emerging talent but opps may be limited with deep 'pen |
| 118 | 11 | Corey Knebel | LAD | 6 | Rusty '20 after missing '19, lights out prior to injury |
| 119 | 11 | Justin Topa | MIL | 4 | Debut as 29 y.o. - elite 12/0 K/BB over 7 2/3 IP |
| 120 | 11 | Yency Almonte | COL | 5 | Stopped throwing FB >50%; 2.93 ERA/1.12 WHIP |
| 121 | 11 | Joe Jimenez | DET | 4 | Disappointing arc but weak 'pen leaves door open |
| 122 | 12 | Blake Taylor | HOU | 4 | If control holds up then this lefty is scary |
| 123 | 12 | Dennis Santana | LAD | 7 | Glowing reports this spring after middling 2020 |
| 124 | 12 | Brandon Kintzler | PHI | 4 | Not in closer conversation but could push 20 SVHLD |
| 125 | 12 | Jesse Hahn | KC | 4 | 22 IP since 2017 but could hold 6th inning for KC |
| 126 | 12 | Lou Trivino | OAK | 5 | Roughly 9.0 K/9 with double-digit holds |
| 127 | 12 | Jeurys Familia | NYM | 4 | ~15% BB rate last 2 years but it's a 90-win team |
| 128 | 13 | Joe Smith | HOU | 5 | Opted out in '20; posted sub-3.85 ERA in all 13 years |
| 129 | 13 | Brooks Raley | HOU | 7 | Has the southpaw control that Taylor lacks for HOU |
| 130 | 13 | J.B. Wendelken | OAK | 6 | K% has risen with each year, 29.2% in '20 |
| 131 | 13 | Keynan Middleton | SEA | 5 | SEA provides thin 'pen for him to regain pre-TJS form |
| 132 | 13 | Pierce Johnson | SD | 5 | Another Padre - 33.8% K rate with 3.14 FIP in '20 |
| 133 | 13 | Luke Jackson | ATL | 5 | 2020 stunk but 106 K's in 72.2 IP 2 years ago |
| 134 | 13 | Ryan Borucki | TOR | 4 | Upped K rate to 28.8% as RP in '20; walks remain high |
| 135 | 13 | Matt Foster | CWS | 7 | Stack Padres and White Sox; sub-1 WHIP attainable |
| 136 | 13 | Jose De Leon | CIN | 4 | Live arm limited by injuries; looked great this winter |
| 137 | 13 | Carlos Estevez | COL | 6 | Flashes command but become prone to HRs...Coors |
| 138 | 13 | Wander Suero | WAS | 5 | Quietly mounting SwStr% (10.2%, 13.4%, 15.4%) |
| 139 | 13 | Josh Taylor | BOS | 5 | Forget '20; 3.22 SIERA in '19, 62 K in 47.1 IP |
| 140 | 13 | John Curtiss | TB | 4 | May lack SV+HLD opps as occasional opener |
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