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Mike Barner looks at relievers to target for holds in 2024 fantasy baseball drafts.
Holds is a fun alternative stat category to saves. Chasing saves can be difficult, as most teams go with a traditional approach and have just one player serving as their closer. That makes finding them in fantasy baseball leagues potentially difficult, especially for managers who don’t want to spend early draft capital on a closer.
Holds can be acquired by more than just one pitcher in a game. As long as the relief pitcher enters the game in a save situation, records at least one out, and maintains his team’s lead for the next reliever, they will earn a hold.
For those who play in leagues that count holds, here are five pitchers to consider targeting.
Yennier Cano, Baltimore Orioles
There were four pitchers who finished with at least 30 holds last season, one of which was Cano. He tied with Hector Neris to lead all of baseball with 31 holds. It helped that he played for an improved Orioles squad that won 101 games. The Orioles have similar plans for success this season, especially after trading for starting pitcher Corbin Burnes during the winter.
There was a chance that Cano was going to close games for the Orioles this season with Felix Bautista (elbow) out for the year. Cano did rack up eight saves last season. However, the team brought in an established closer in Craig Kimbrel, which will leave Cano in his familiar setup role. Coming off his 2.84 FIP and 1.00 WHIP, he has the makings of one of the more reliable holds options.
Happy birthday to 2023 All-Star pitcher Yennier Cano pic.twitter.com/4qPZecabVh
— 𝙆am Brice (@kambrice1tv) March 9, 2024
Ryan Pressly, Houston Astros
Pressly is coming off back-to-back seasons with at least 31 saves. While his overall numbers weren’t as impressive in 2023, he still finished with a 3.58 ERA and a 3.36 FIP. He also missed plenty of bats with his 27.6 percent strikeout rate.
Despite Pressly being so reliable as a closer, the Astros signed Josh Hader to take over the job. That should move Pressly into their main setup role. He has thrived being the bridge to a closer before, including in 2019 when he had 31 holds over 55 appearances. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Pressly among the leaders in holds this season.
Bryan Abreu, Houston Astros
The Astros had two players ranked inside the top 15 in the league in holds last season. One of them was Neris, who is now a member of the Cubs. The other was Abreu, who registered 24 holds.
Abreu is coming off consecutive seasons with an ERA below 2.00 and a FIP below 3.00. He misses a ton of bats, posting a 32.1 percentage usage rate for his career. He will remain in the same role that he had last season, with Pressly sliding back to fill the void created by the departure of Neris. The Astros have the makings of one of the best teams in the American League again, so Abreu should at least approach 25 holds again.
Bryan Abreu is one of the filthiest relievers in baseball.
Just a reminder that on any given day he is 7th inning shutdown guy or third closer option.
The back end of this Astros bullpen is almost unfair and built for October. pic.twitter.com/IrUwFy5Atv
— jules (@juleshghn) February 23, 2024
Erik Swanson, Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays have one of the more reliable closers in the league in Jordan Romano. Getting the ball to him with a lead hasn’t always been easy, but Swanson thrived with that responsibility last season. After posting 14 holds for the Mariners in 2022, Swanson finished with 29 holds last season.
One of the reasons for Swanson’s success is that he does a great job of keeping hitters off base, generating a 1.09 WHIP for his career. He also has a strikeout rate of at least 28.6 percent in both of the last two seasons. The Blue Jays return with mostly the same starting rotation as last year, and their offense might be compromised a bit with Matt Chapman no longer in town. With the potential for a lot of close games, Swanson should again be among the league leaders in holds.
Tyler Rogers, San Francisco Giants
Rogers was one of the other four players who finished with a least 30 holds last season. He finished with exactly 30, marking the second time that he compiled at least 30 holds over the last two seasons. In 2021, he finished with 30 holds and 13 saves, posting a 2.22 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP over 81 innings.
The good thing about Rogers is that he pitches a lot. He has logged at least 74 innings and made at least 68 appearances in each of the last three seasons. While he doesn’t miss a ton of bat, he does induce a lot of weak contact. For his career, he has allowed a 30.9 percent hard-hit rate and a 2.3 percent barrel rate.
The Giants won 79 games last season and could be better this year after adding Chapman and Jung Hoo Lee to their lineup. Rogers is locked into a top setup role behind Camilo Doval, setting him up with the potential to reach 30 holds again.
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