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Analysis of five fantasy baseball relief pitchers to draft in the middle rounds. Potential 2022 fantasy baseball sleepers and undervalued RP to target in drafts.
Welcome officially to the 2022 fantasy baseball season! Now that an MLB deal is in place, a lot more fantasy drafts will be taking place -- and we're here as always to guide you through it. Once you reach the middle rounds of drafts, everyone is looking to draft players with upside that can provide a great return on value. You can afford to start taking a risk or two on a variety of different players, including emerging prospects, overlooked veterans, players returning from injury, or even talented players who may have some playing time concerns. The early rounds are critical and the late rounds are where you can take your chances on dart-throw sleepers, but the middle rounds can absolutely make or break your roster as those picks are going to make up roughly half of your starting lineup.
Today, we're looking at some middle-round relief pitchers for you to consider drafting in your season-long leagues this season. Are their ADPs undervalued? Will they make significant fantasy contributions and become a mid-round draft target that you're going to want to prioritize? Read on to see our take.
Our editors have hand-picked these specific MLB players for your draft prep enjoyment. Normally only available to Premium subscribers, the five outlooks below are meant to give you a taste of the in-depth analysis you receive with our industry-leading 2022 Draft Kit. Be sure to subscribe today and start reading all of our in-depth 2022 player outlooks, and many other premium articles and tools, available exclusively in our 2022 Draft Kit.
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Raisel Iglesias, Los Angeles Angels
Los Angeles Angels reliever Raisel Iglesias continued the brilliance that he showed in 2020, making him a top bullpen arm heading into next year. He ended with a 2.57 ERA, 37.7 K%, and 0.93 WHIP in 70 IP. He also added 34 saves, which ranked fifth in baseball. The closer could've been even better if his 18.3% HR/FB was closer to the league average. Iglesias has now posted a K-rate above 31% the past three seasons, thanks to a 99th-percentile Whiff% and 98th-percentile chase rate, along with a league-best 36.8 CSW%.
His arsenal is led by a slider that produced whiffs just over 50%, a fastball that touches the upper 90s, and a changeup with good movement that got batters to swing and miss 49.7% of the time. After re-signing with the Angels, Iglesias will take over the closer role again, and he should post another season with at least 30 saves and again help in strikeouts and WHIP. Fantasy managers could get a steal of a reliever at his current ADP of 74, about 30 spots behind Josh Hader.
--Spencer Seguin - RotoBaller
Ryan Pressly, Houston Astros
Ryan Pressly is currently the sixth reliever being taken in drafts, but there's a case for him being the third-best reliever in drafts. Last year, Pressly tallied 26 saves from 28 opportunities. Of the 19 pitchers to have achieved 20+ saves, only Josh Hader and Jordan Romano (both one) had fewer blown saves. Of the ten closers who had more than 26 saves, only Hader and Mark Melancon had a better ERA than Pressly's (2.25). And that ERA was supported by his 2.55 xERA, 2.43 xFIP, and 2.42 SIERA. Pressly also put up elite strikeout numbers, with his 32.4% K% ranking in the 94th percentile last year, while putting up a career-low 5.2% BB% (92nd percentile).
Pressly's arsenal suits that of a closer with an average fastball velocity of 95.4 MPH in 2021, which also ranked in the 97th percentile for spin rate. That's backed up by a slider which he threw 35.8% of the time and had a .159 batting average against it and a curveball thrown 24.5% of the time which had a .204 batting average (and also ranked in the 100th percentile for spin-rate). Pressly puts up elite numbers on a team that should give him plenty of save opportunities and is much less volatile than some of the closers going before him in drafts.
-- Jamie Steed - RotoBaller
Edwin Diaz, New York Mets
Coming off an incredible 2020 campaign, New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz finished seventh in saves in MLB with 32, to go with a 3.45 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 89 strikeouts over 62 2/3 innings pitched in 2021. Although Diaz saw his ERA rise to 3.45 from the minuscule 1.75 posted in 2020, his xERA was 2.64 (in the top 5% of MLB) indicating that Diaz was somewhat unlucky. Diaz's numbers were also supported by an elite xwOBA against of .251, which was tied for 12th in MLB, and a 47.9% whiff rate which was in the top 5% of MLB. Diaz continued to struggle with his control at times, exemplified by an 8.9% walk rate (bottom 40% in all of MLB), which led to some epic meltdowns during the season.
Heading into 2022, Diaz nevertheless remains an elite relief option in all formats where he is locked into the Mets closer role. He should continue to provide excellent strikeout numbers supported by elite whiff rates, solid ratios, and a large number of saves on a competitive Mets team. As one of the remaining elite closing options in a league that has largely gone to committees, Diaz's current ADP of 88 correctly reflects his potential as a relief ace in 2022. Managers need only be wary of the surprise meltdown he is sometimes susceptible to thanks to occasional control issues.
-- Nick Ritrivi - RotoBaller
Giovanny Gallegos, St. Louis Cardinals
In 2021, St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Giovanny Gallegos regained his dominant 2019 form after a 2020 campaign that was limited to just 15 innings pitched due to a groin injury and delayed arrival after the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. He was the primary setup man to closer Alex Reyes until Reyes lost the job in late August. Once Gallegos took over as closer, he converted 11 saves in September over 13 2/3 IP with 21 strikeouts, a 3.29 ERA, and a 0.88 WHIP. On the season, Gallegos posted a 3.02 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 95 strikeouts, 14 saves, and 24 holds over 80 1/3 IP. Supporting this solid campaign was a .240 wOBA against which was 11th among all qualified pitchers. His 3.10 xERA, .272 xwOBA against, and .206 xBA against were also all in the top 13% of MLB. Heading into 2022, expect more of the same from Gallegos in terms of solid ratios and a K/9 close to 11, given his consistent underlying metrics.
Gallegos should get the lion's share of save opportunities out of the gate in 2022. As a result, managers who miss out on the top tier closer options in drafts will want to target Gallegos in the middle rounds. With a 105 ADP, Gallegos is correctly being taken as the 10th or 11th closer off of draft boards in mixed league formats. His fantasy value gets a further boost in those formats that reward holds where (should Gallegos share or lose the coveted Cardinals closer role) he will accumulate a good number of holds on a team that will contend for the NL Central title in 2022. Alternatively, if he can maintain the closer role for the duration of the 2022 campaign, he could finish as a top-7 reliever in a league bereft of bona fide closers, far exceeding his current ADP.
-- Nick Ritrivi - RotoBaller
Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland Guardians
Cleveland Guardians reliever Emmanuel Clase spent a chunk of 2021 splitting save situations with James Karinchak but was the lone closer in August after the latter started to struggle. He compiled 24 saves with a 1.29 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 26.5 K% across 69.2 innings. He'll go into next season as the closer once again and will look to keep his momentum going after posting a 0.82 second-half ERA. He uses a cutter that averages 100 MPH and a hard slider with good movement that induces whiffs 40.5% of the time. Clase increased his slider usage throughout the year, reaching 40.9% in September.
His K-rate is a bit shocking, seeing that he placed in the 89th percentile for Whiff% and 99th percentile for chase rate. It won't be hard for the right-hander to raise it to around 30%. His excellent run prevention seems sustainable, given that he was the best in the league at limiting barrels, has gotten ground balls 65.9% of the time during his career, and had a walk rate of 5.7% in 2021, leading to a 2.18 xERA. There's nothing concerning with the 23-year-old, and now that he's solidified himself at the back end of the pen, he'll hit the 30 saves plateau. Taking him at his ADP of 87 would be a good pick.
--Spencer Seguin - RotoBaller
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