X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Getting A Grip On Holds: Relief Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups

By Stacie Wheeler [CC-BY-SA-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Ryan Nakada analyzes the best waiver wire pickups for leagues that reward holds. These relief pitchers are amongst the best fantasy baseball sleepers for holds.

While the holds statistic is even harder to predict than saves for closers, the relief pitcher sleepers we highlight today feature some solid setup men and some looking to reclaim glory they once had. The more likely their team is to win, the more likely these following relief pitchers will be eligible to earn the holds that could be the difference between winning or losing in your fantasy league.

This week, most of the relievers featured have had a great season before and are having another one this year. Others are looking to recover what they once had. One thing many of these relievers have in common is they are deep in a postseason race and will need to continue to have their impressive seasons if they want to be on the mound in October.

 

Waiver Wire Options For Holds

Editor’s Note: This piece is part of a weekly series on relief pitcher targets for holds. You can follow the entire series of holds analysis and sleepers to stay ahead of your competition.

Also be sure to check out our famous fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups list, which is broken down by every position with hot/trending players, and is updated every single day.

 

 

Drew Storen, Washington Nationals

15 holds, 1.64 ERA, 38.1 innings, 32 strikeouts, 1.07 WHIP

By MissChatter on Flickr (Original version) UCinternational (Crop) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The NL East-leading Washington Nationals have a great team up and down the roster. The offense is strong, the starting pitching is deep and the bullpen has a number of very effective relievers. The closer in years past, Drew Storen is now a member of the bridge from Nationals starting pitching to closer Rafael Soriano. His 2013 regular season was a difficult season, sporting an ERA over 4.50.

Since adjusting his pitching motion for this season, Drew Storen is returning to a very effective level. He has limited the opposition to just two home runs over 38.1 innings and often finds himself in high-leverage situations. If the Nationals can figure out a way to break away from the rest of the East, Storen and Tyler Clippard will be important after the strong starting pitching exits.

 

Casey Fien, Minnesota Twins

22 holds, 2.84 ERA, 50.2 innings, 41 strikeouts, 1.07 WHIP

Casey Fien will not find himself pitching in games that will push the Minnesota Twins into postseason contention. Normally a 48.7% fly ball rate is bad for a pitcher, but Casey Fien benefits from pitching in the spacious Target Field. His home ERA (1.90) is significantly lower than his road ERA (3.67) in nearly the same amount of innings, so if Fien is on your roster, home games are more ideal for his usage.

He doesn’t bring overpowering stuff to the mound, with a fastball that sits in the low 90s, but his work in the eighth inning setting up for All Star Glen Perkins, has gotten him 22 holds to this point in the season. Casey Fien is being effective with the stuff he has.

 

Yoervis Medina, Seattle Mariners

19 holds, 2.18 ERA, 41.1 innings, 40 strikeouts, 1.11 WHIP

The Seattle Mariners are deep in the race for a possible postseason spot. While Robinson Cano and Felix Hernandez are the faces of the 2014 Seattle Mariners, Yoervis Medina is one of many parts to the backbone of the Mariners' success this season. Medina mixes in a mid-90s fastball with a slider and a curve.

He has nearly a strikeout per inning pitched, but he also manages to generate a ground ball on nearly half of the balls put in play. Opponents are hitting just .192 against Medina. Primarily used in the eighth inning, Medina is a valuable part of the bullpen and will continue to be one for this season and many to follow.

 

Brian Wilson, Los Angeles Dodgers

18 holds, 5.26 ERA, 39.1 innings, 50 strikeouts, 1.70 WHIP

By Stacie Wheeler [CC-BY-SA-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The numbers could deceive you, but Brian Wilson has started to establish himself as a very effective reliever again. After a difficult start to the season, Wilson had a great June. He had a small workload in July but will improve his numbers in the final two months of the season. His reputation as a dominant reliever is always with him, so his early-season struggles were very alarming.

Despite those difficulties, Wilson has pitched in 32 games with the lead, and nearly half of the situations he's appeared in have been high leverage ones. The Dodgers clearly trust that Brian Wilson’s early season was an anomaly and that he will get himself in the right direction as he proceeds to lower his ERA to a respectable level.

 

Wade Davis, Kansas City Royals

25 holds, 0.86 ERA, 52.1 innings, 81 strikeouts, 0.80 WHIP

Traded with James Shields from the Tampa Bay Rays, Wade Davis has established himself as a key cog in Kansas City's dominant bullpen. Primarily pitching in the eighth inning, Wade Davis has found his place in late relief. Along with relievers like Kelvin Herrera and Aaron Crow, Davis is having a great season bridging potential wins to closer Greg Holland.

Like most starter-turned-relievers, Davis has found extra life on all of his pitches. The fastball goes faster and the breaking ball breaks better for a pitcher like Davis. With nearly 14 strikeouts per nine innings, Davis is well established in the Royals bullpen, and he'll be a key factor as they try to push into the postseason for the first time since their 1985 World Series season.

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Travis Hunter

Jaguars List Travis Hunter as Starting Wide Receiver, Backup Cornerback
Kyle Tucker

Leaves With Calf Tightness on Tuesday
Alexandre Sarr

to Miss Rest of EuroBasket
Max Scherzer

Blue Jays Confident Max Scherzer Will Make Sunday Start Despite Back Tightness
Roman Anthony

Leaves Early With Back Injury
Jared McCain

"On Pace" for Training Camp
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Done for the Year With Torn ACL
Luke Hughes

Devils Optimistic About Signing Luke Hughes
Martin Fehérváry

Martin Fehervary on Track to Be Ready for Training Camp
Dylan Holloway

Good to Go for Start of Season
Nick Kurtz

Back in Action on Tuesday
Josh Morrissey

Fully Healthy for Start of Season
Dennis Hildeby

Signs Three-Year Extension With Maple Leafs
Nick Lodolo

Scratched With Illness
Dalton Kincaid

Role Not Expected to Grow?
Quinshon Judkins

Zero Chance Quinshon Judkins Plays Against Bengals?
Najee Harris

Says He's Expecting to Play Against Chiefs
Adolis García

Adolis Garcia Departs Monday with Quad Injury
Franz Wagner

Collects Double-Double in Blowout Win
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Achieves Rare Numbers at EuroBasket
Nikola Vučević

Nikola Vucevic Dominates Against Sweden
Stefon Diggs

Expected to Suit Up in Week 1
Kristaps Porzingis

Finding Form at EuroBasket
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Suffers Minor Injury at EuroBasket
DJ Moore

Bears Experimenting with DJ Moore in Backfield
Rome Odunze

Could Move All Around the Offense
Carolina Panthers

Dave Canales Comfortable With Panthers' Young Receivers
Quinshon Judkins

Not Considering NCAA Return
Dallas Goedert

Healthy for Week 1
Marvin Mims Jr.

Returns to Practice Monday
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Carted Off Monday With Knee Injury
Jason Adam

Diagnosed With Ruptured Left Quadriceps Tendon
Victor Wembanyama

Looking "Quite Stellar"
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Scratched on Monday
Matthew Stafford

Expected to Start in Week 1
Edward Cabrera

Heading to Injured List With Elbow Sprain
Najee Harris

Cleared for Contact, Could Play in Week 1
Denny Hamlin

Ends Eventful Day at Darlington in Seventh Place
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Almost Earns a Top-Five Finish at Darlington
John Hunter Nemechek

has His Best 2025 Performance at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

Has An Underwhelming Performance At Darlington
Josh Berry

Crashes Early and Suffers A Playoff Setback at Darlington
Harry Ford

Called Up for Major-League Debut
Victor Scott II

Activated From Injured List
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Dealing With Hamstring Tightness, Expects to Play Monday
Giannis Antetokounmpo

"Staying in Milwaukee"
Thanasis Antetokounmpo

Agrees to a One-Year Contract with Milwaukee
Kyrie Irving

"Healing Up Great"
Dante Exum

Mavs Agree on a One-Year Deal
Jaylen Warren

Agrees to Two-Year Extension With Steelers
De'Von Achane

Practicing Monday, on Track to Play in Week 1
Quinshon Judkins

Could Report to Browns This Week
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs, Trent McDuffie Not Expected to Finalize Extension
Chase Elliott

Under Playoff Pressure After 17th-Place Darlington Finish
Kyle Larson

Despite Hendrick Mediocrity, Kyle Larson Remains Pretty Safe in Playoffs
Alex Bowman

Opening-Lap Crash and Botched Pit Stop May Have Sunk Alex Bowman's Playoff Hopes
Erik Jones

Darlington Master Erik Jones Comes Up Short but Still Finishes Third
AJ Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger Impresses at Southern 500
Dameon Pierce

Ahead of Schedule, Ready for Season
Jordan Love

May Wear Thumb Brace During Season
Chicago Bears

Bears Head Coach Admits Offense Could Face Learning Curve
Matt Chapman

Leaves Early on Sunday, Expects to Play Monday
A.J. Brown

Says He'll Be Active For Season Opener
Luis Garcia

to Make Season Debut on Monday
Max Scherzer

Exits Due to Back Tightness
Taylor Ward

Exits Early After Collison
Sal Stewart

Reds Promoting Sal Stewart to Majors
Daniel Suarez

is A DFS Risk for Darlington Lineups?
Randy Rodríguez

Randy Rodriguez to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Noah Gragson

Should Fantasy Managers Roster Noah Gragson for Darlington?
Ty Dillon

is an Excellent Punt Option for Darlington DFS Lineups
Bogdan Bogdanović

Bogdan Bogdanovic to Miss the Rest of EuroBasket
Denny Hamlin

Picking Up Where He Left Off At Darlington
Kyle Larson

The Sky Is The Limit for Kyle Larson at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

a Strong DFS Play at Darlington This Weekend
Tyler Reddick

Shouldn't Be Overlooked at Darlington This Weekend
Alex Bowman

An Easy Place-Differential Play in DFS This Weekend
Ty Gibbs

Could Be Strong at Darlington This Weekend
Erik Jones

Has Best Darlington Qualifying Effort Since Last Win
Zane Smith

Hopeful For Another Solid Run At Darlington
Aroldis Chapman

Agrees to Contract Extension
Dallas Mavericks

Olivier-Maxence Prosper Waived by the Mavs
Lauri Markkanen

Dominant in Win Over Great Britain
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Leads Serbia to a Win
Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokic Shines Versus Portugal
Jose Alvarado

"Good" After Recent Fall
Lauri Markkanen

Torches Sweden
Neemias Queta

Dominates in EuroBasket Opener
Kawhi Leonard

Clippers Not Allowing Kawhi Leonard to Play Back-to-Backs

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP