Blake Parker (RP, MIN) - Waiver Wire Pickups Week 2

April 4, 2019

Riley Mrack profiles Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Blake Parker as a waiver wire pickup or add target for Week 2 of the 2019 fantasy baseball season. The opportunity to earn saves amid an unsettled bullpen makes him a must-add in all formats.

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ANALYSIS: When the Minnesota Twins acquired Blake Parker this offseason, it wasn’t evident where the club planned to use his arm. The spring training hype for the Twins closer situation seemed to revolve around Trevor May winning the job, but now that we are nearly a week through the season it’s clear that Parker is the current favorite for saves. Among the relievers in the team’s bullpen, the 33-year-old is the most experienced in the ninth inning as he’s recorded 22 saves over the past two seasons with the Angels. For the time being, it appears that it’s Parker’s job as long as he can hold it.

Parker’s first appearance of the season came in the ninth inning in a tie game which he ultimately gave up the game-winning run. Since then, he’s recorded two saves in two appearances, although the latter was just a one-out job. Parker had a 25.4% K-rate in 2018, a number that ranked outside the top-70 of relievers, so he’s not going to move the needle much in that category. His 3.26 ERA and 1.24 WHIP were also pedestrian for a reliever a year ago, and at his increasing age, it would be a shock if he were to improve on his numbers from last season significantly. Parker isn’t an elite closing option, but he’s worth owning for the standalone value that saves bring to your fantasy team. Roster him with the caution that he may have a short leash and he could lose the full-time job after a bad outing or two.