RADIO
Each week on RotoBaller Radio -- which you can listen to on Sirius XM Fantasy Sundays from 3 to 5 pm ET -- Scott Engel and I talk about relievers you can nab off the waiver wire. One thing that we always preach is that you should not overlook closers on “bad” teams.
Often, the thinking with struggling teams is that they do not win a lot of games so you would rather have a closer on a team that could get more save chances. And sure, if you had your pick of any closer, you would not pick the Nationals' or Tigers' closer. But since you don’t and all saves are useful, pitchers like Alex Lange and Kyle Finnegan could be really strong contributors to your fantasy teams. Those two have picked up multiple saves in the last week and are instrumental contributors to fantasy teams.
The situations you want to avoid are the bad teams that do not have a set closer. It's one thing if the team doesn’t get a lot of chances, but when those chances are split up, that is a situation that will drive you crazy. And there may just be a situation like that this week!
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Changing Bullpens for Fantasy Baseball
The A’s are exactly the type of team that I was talking about in the opening. Not only have they picked up four saves all year, but they are showing to have a short leash and are not afraid to make a change. Just a week ago, I wrote about how Jeurys Familia was the closer despite being incredibly shaky.
A week later, Famila is no longer a member of the A’s -- despite still leading them in saves this season. Instead, Zach Jackson is the current flavor of the week. He has pitched to a 2.25 ERA, 3.61 xERA, and 1.50 WHIP with a 29 percent strikeout rate. He has one save and one blown chance so far this season. Jackson should be picked up, but do not be too aggressive. I would recommend around five percent of your FAAB budget, perhaps upwards to nine percent if you are desperate for saves.
The Braves bullpen is back to looking like its normal self. A.J. Minter did a good job holding down the ninth inning, picking up seven saves, but Raisel Iglesias is back and the ninth inning is once again his. Iglesias picked up a save in one of his first two outings of the season. He is back to being a must-start closer. Minter remains the next in line for Atlanta.
The Rays lost Pete Fairbanks due to injury but have not missed a step. In the last week, Jason Adam has four saves. Chase Anderson also has a save for the Rays in that span. The Rays have a reputation as being tough to trust when it comes to save chances, but Adam is a must-start option right now. Anderson is worthy of a flier for those in need of saves in deep leagues.
The Phillies' bullpen has been frustrating. It looked like Jose Alvarado was the closer to roster, but his last save came on April 28. The day prior was the last save Craig Kimbrel picked up. Since then, the Phillies have picked up just one save and it went to Matt Strahm. It was a multi-inning save where the Phillies extended the lead after the eighth.
While Strahm could see more late-inning work, he does not appear as a threat to take over the closer gig -- at least not at this time. Alvarado is still the pitcher to roster in this bullpen. Kimbrel is a deeper option for those in need of saves. Strahm is just a pitcher to keep an eye on for now.
The Rockies are still giving save chances to Pierce Johnson despite having Daniel Bard back. While Bard is starting to look like his old self, until we see the Rockies make the move back to him, Johnson is the guy. Johnson should be started in all leagues, while Bard is a strong stash candidate. If anything, try to acquire Bard for cheap right now.
Speculative Saves for Fantasy Baseball
Coming into the season, it looked like Clay Holmes was the Yankees' closer. But in the last week, Ian Hamilton and Michael King have picked up a save while Holmes did not. On the year, Holmes has four saves, while King has two and Hamilton has one.
Holmes has pitched to a 3.75 ERA with a 4.01 xERA, 1.42 WHIP, and a 26 percent strikeout rate to go along with two blown saves. King on the other hand has a 1.35 ERA, 2.86 xERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 30 percent strikeout rate. It is too early to drop Holmes just yet, but if we continue to see the saves go elsewhere, that could change. King certainly needs to be rostered at this point. Hamilton is a worthy flier for those in anything deeper than 12-team leagues.
Reynaldo Lopez was day-to-day last week but still ended up picking up a save over the weekend for the White Sox. While he was sidelined, we saw Chicago use Keynan Middleton over Kendall Graveman. He appears next in line behind Lopez. Of course, all of this is just until Liam Hendriks returns and is back as their closer. Get the saves from other pitchers while you still can.
The Cubs' bullpen has been extremely tough to figure out for fantasy purposes. Coming into the season, it appeared like Michael Fulmer and Brad Boxberger would be the top two options for saves. Both have an ERA over four and a WHIP over 1.3, so it has not gone according to plan.
In the last week, we have seen Adbert Alzolay and Mark Leiter Jr. pick up saves for the Cubs. Lieter, who has been featured in this article multiple times, has a 1.13 ERA, 3.28 xERA, and 0.94 WHIP with a 39 percent strikeout rate. He is the top option to roster and is worth 10 percent of your FAAB budget. Behind him, I rank the Cubs' options: Alzolay, Boxberger, and Fulmer.
The Dodgers have been annoying at times this season but in the last week, both of their save chances have gone to Evan Phillips. He is the clear top option to roster in this bullpen. Shelby Miller and Brusdar Graterol are the backup options who will get the occasional save chance for those in deeper formats.
Elite Strikeouts and Ratios
Bryan Abreu is a great stash right now. He has pitched to a 1.56 ERA, 2.61 xERA, and 0.92 WHIP with a 43 percent strikeout rate -- the fourth-highest among relievers. He has picked up two saves already and is next in line for the Astros. Get him while you still can.
Giovanny Gallegos continues to be a name I recommend to stash. He provides strong ratios, pitching to a 2.84 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP and a 24 percent strikeout rate. He is also a proven closer in the past who has picked up a save this season and is next in line to be the Cardinals' closer. If only they won more games, he and Ryan Helsley could get more chances.
Aroldis Chapman is no stranger to this article. He has pitched to a 2.84 ERA, 2.45 xERA, and 1.11 WHIP with a 39 percent strikeout rate -- tied for the seventh-highest among relievers. He only has one save but could get more chances if the Royals win some more games. Plus, he could be traded and see his value increase. He is one of my favorite non-closer relievers that is worth rostering.
Matt Brash has pitched to a 4.26 ERA and 1.26 xFIP with a 1.26 WHIP and a 44 percent strikeout rate in the last two weeks. Not only is that the eighth-highest strikeout rate among relievers in that span, but he also picked up a save for the Mariners in that time period. He is a deeper league streamer.
Erik Swanson has struck out half the batters he faced in the last two weeks. His 50 percent strikeout rate is the highest among relievers in that span. He’s thrown 6.1 innings in that period, pitching to a 1.42 ERA and 0.47 WHIP for the Blue Jays. He is a bullpen streamer for those in deeper leagues.
Make sure to follow Michael on Twitter, @MichaelFFlorio.
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