Fantasy Life App Follow. Written by Matthew Suh Follow. More From Medium. News round-up Villarreal CF. Matt Brooks. Bryan Kitch. Nikolai Razouvaev. How the Super-Rich stole the Beautiful game. Aadarsh Nagarajan. Rex Kaplan. Power Rankings Week Craig Ebinger. The Gift of Cross Country. Although he has been the Phillies' primary closer for the past four seasons, he's hardly been the model of efficiency.
His ERA over those seasons is 3. Neris's splitter is outstanding when it's on, but he has the tendency to get hit hard when it's not. Draft him as a low-end closer, but don't rush to do so.
Pomeranz likely would have, at the very least, factored into the closer's mix for San Diego prior to the Mark Melancon and Keone Kela signings. After finally switching into a full-time reliever role last year, Pomeranz shined, with a 1. Although he may still be in line for save opportunities, the presence of Melancon, Kela, and Emilio Pagan muddy the waters. That's especially true given that Pomeranz is currently the only healthy and reliable left-hander in the bullpen.
Pomeranz is worth a late selection until and unless Jayce Tingler declares that he's not an option for the ninth inning. Gallegos pitched well last year with the Cardinals despite seeing limited innings because of his difficulty in getting to the states in the middle of a pandemic. But he was effective when he pithed, and owns a career 3.
The Cardinals want Jordan Hicks to be their closer, but Gallegos will undoubtedly be in the mix should Hick prove ineffective or suffer a setback in his return from Tommy John surgery. Holland re-signed with the Royals after an outstanding season, during which he put up an ERA under 2. He'll almost certainly begin the year as the closer, but he's unlikely to stay in the role for the entire season.
Even if he's not dealt to a contender by the trade deadline, his walk rate is surely to be closer to the 5. Draft Holland late as someone who can chip in saves early, but be prepared to hit the waiver wire later in the year. Given the Dodgers' depth and their history, it's unlikely that he'll remain in the rotation from start to finish, but if you haven't drafted yet, move him significantly higher on your board.
Bass will likely be in the mix for saves with Yimi Garcia and possibly Dylan Floro after he signed a two-year deal with the Marlins. He lacks the typical strikeout stuff of most closers, but he's totaled 12 saves, a 3.
Bass is an extreme ground ball pitcher But Don Mattingly likely won't name a closer until the end of spring training, so draft Bass late for now, but have plenty of other bullpen options. Soria fixed his home run problem from , which was an outlier for his career anyway, and his numbers looked much more in line with his typical output.
Soria hasn't been named the closer, but given that he has totaled at least 16 saves in eight separate seasons, it's a strong bet that he'll begin the year in the ninth inning.
The Diamondbacks aren't expected to be competitive, so if you do draft him, bank on him being traded to another team, and into another role, by mid-season. Hernandez was excellent in his six starts last season, tallying a 3. But he allowed a lot of hard contact along the way, including a He's fourth in the pecking order of the Marlins starters, but if his changeup can be an effective pitch, he might be the one to provide the most value given his extremely modest ADP.
Bradley joined the Phillies on a one-year deal after a successful season with Arizona and Philadelphia. He performed admirably over the past two seasons as the Diamondbacks' closer, and last year put up a very solid 2. The Phillies were open about their desire to add some velocity to their bullpen and Bradley does just that. But although Joe Girardi has indicated he'd like set roles for the Phillies' bullpen, those roles may not be decided until close to the end of spring training.
Bradley is worth drafting, but only late, as he may go back to his former role as a setup man. Bard comes into as the Rockies' presumptive closer, after he came out of a two-year retirement to pitch in the majors for the first time since Bard's control problems, which derailed his career, were largely solved, and his 3. Mychal Givens remains, and Scott Oberg will try to pitch effectively after undergoing thoracic outlet surgery, but if Bard can maintain his control, he'll likely earn and hold the closer's job.
Melancon had another fine year as the Braves' closer, and now joins the back end of the Padres bullpen.
It's unclear if he'll serve as the closer, a Drew Pomeranz and Emilio Pagan also may have a claim to the role. Melancon is entering his age season and his strikeout rate is mediocre at best. Although he is still performing well, his lack of pure stuff suggests that the wheels could come off at any moment.
That said, he'll have plenty of value if he can earn the ninth-inning role, so monitor the reports out of spring, and draft him late until and unless he's officially ruled out for the role. Yarbrough doesn't get a ton of respect in the fantasy community because he doesn't strike out a ton of batters, but he's quietly put together an excellent career.
He's practically a wizard at limiting hard contact he has allowed an average exit velocity of In other words, it's really difficult to string together big innings against Yarbrough, especially as he's continued to use his excellent changeup more and more. The Rays will probably let him go a little more this year with their rotation, but even if they keep his usage the same, he'll be an excellent addition to the back end of a fantasy staff.
Gonsolin doesn't have a guaranteed spot in the Dodgers' rotation to start the season, and with the team signing Trevor Bauer, it's unclear just how much he'll start this season. His stuff doesn't blow you away, but he's got a 2.
And there were gains last year, as he cut his walk rate down and upped his strikeout rate. Gonsolin is an ideal candidate to have on your bench, because if he does get a spot in the rotation, he'll be a popular waiver wire add, and he can add value as a reliever in the meantime. So draft him late, and likely reap the rewards. Similar to John Means, Eovaldi is another starter who finished the season on a roll.
Eovaldi upped his cutter usage as the expense of his four-seam fastball, and he posted a K:BB ratio over his final four starts while allowing just two earned runs. If you take out his worst start of the season, Eovaldi's ERA drops from 3.
He has never shown any kind of consistency at the major league level, but fantasy managers could do worse when searching for a late-round lottery ticket. Garcia was the favorite for saves in Miami until the team signed Anthony Bass, and now his exact role in the bullpen is unclear. He struck out He's got more prototypical "closer's stuff" than Bass does, and he has a lengthy relationship with Don Mattingly dating back to their Dodgers days.
Draft Garcia late and hope he wins the job, but make sure you have other options. Crichton filled in admirably for Archie Bradley after Bradley was traded last season. His strikeout numbers weren't particularly impressive, but he had a 2. He doesn't have prototypical "closer's stuff," but he's more than capable of getting major league hitters out. The Diamondbacks signed Joakim Soria to a one-year deal and added Tyler Clippard, too , so Crichton seems unlikely to begin the year as the closer, even though it's an open competition at the moment.
He's not worth anything other than an extremely late-round pick as a speculative ninth-inning option. Valdez was shaping up to be a fine sleeper this year, after he had a highly successful stint in the Astros rotation last year. But he fractured his finger early in spring training and the expectation is that he'll miss significant time, though recent reports are far more optimistic than the initial season-ending variety. Antone's role wasn't entirely clear at the outset of spring training, but he now looks destined for a starter's job, if he can stay healthy.
With Sonny Gray and Wade Miley likely to begin the year on the IL, Antone should begin the year in the rotation, assuming he is healthy enough to do so. He's currently battling a groin strain, and his status is uncertain. When healthy, he's got a wipeout slider, enough to pile on the strikeouts, and has enough upside to be worth a late-round dart throw.
Monitor his, Gray's, and Miley's health status closely heading into your drafts. If you want upside with a late-round pitcher, you're looking in the wrong place with Kim.
Although he put up a 1. He also struck out just 5. That said, for a pitcher who is basically free in drafts, he offers some decent stability, and is worth taking late if you have an otherwise strong staff, particularly with strikeouts. Back tightness may put him on the IL to start the year, but there does not appear to be any long-term concerns. Sims had a fine , going with a 2.
He'll be in the mix for the Reds' closer job with Amir Garrett and Sean Doolittle, though his early bout with elbow soreness this spring doesn't help him. Monitor the reports out of spring training, but he's a late-round speculative draft pick at best at the moment. Anderson has a partial tear of his elbow ligament and, although he won't need surgery, he is likely out until after the All-Star Break.
Although he can be dominant when healthy, there's no reason to draft and stash him at this point, given that he won't even be the sole closer for the Rays if and when he returns. Garcia is the favorite for the closer's role in Detroit, but don't be fooled by his 1. His minor league career has been fairly stellar 2. If you're drafting a Tigers reliever, it should be Garcia, but only at a bargain-basement price.
After missing most of with various injuries, Doolittle took a small one-year deal from the Reds in his hope of a bounceback season. He's been trending the wrong way for a couple of seasons now, but he did tally at least 24 saves in each season between and Doolittle is the only one in the Reds bullpen with much closing experience, so if he performs well this spring, he could win the ninth-inning job.
But it's also where the saves are. An entire category is confined to that one position, which means that for all its frustrations, relief pitcher is essential for Fantasy Baseball success.
That's true even in leagues that have redefined the saves category as saves plus holds. I'm not a fan, really.
The scarcity of saves is the most interesting aspect of the position. And sure, there's a possibility saves become too scarce as more teams opt for bullpen committees rather than having defined roles, but on the other hand, if you expand the relief pitcher talent base too much, it becomes as frivolous as the kicker position is to Fantasy Football. Still, counting holds the same as saves will encourage players to pursue relievers for their ability rather than their role, which might strike some as a refreshing change of pace.
Seeing as I mostly stick to leagues that value saves on their own, the role is all that matters to me. The studs are better, contributing more in ERA, WHIP and strikeouts, and their superior talent gives them better odds of retaining the closer role.
But volatility is what most defines this position. Every closer is just a bad week away from losing his job and, with it, virtually all of his Fantasy value. The more the investment, the greater the loss when it happens. And it does happen, every year, to more than half the relievers who begin in the closer role.
Because saves are what matter most at relief pitcher and because a middling closer is as capable of providing them as a high-end one, "don't pay for saves" is an age-old piece of Fantasy Baseball advice that I personally still subscribe to. Of course, knowing which pitchers will supply them is becoming more difficult to predict in the lead up to the season. While I don't need the best of the best closers, I do want my relievers to be closers, which might force me to pay a little more than I'd like.
Still, my top reliever doesn't need to come from this first group. Dominate your Fantasy Baseball draft with our free Draft Kit, which gives you must-have sleepers, breakouts, busts and rankings. Plus see the top players at each position, complete with winning projections. Get the Draft Kit in your inbox completely free here. Maybe not everyone is so convinced he'll be inheriting Brad Hand's role in Cleveland, but to me, there's no doubt.
Trade rumors have surrounded Josh Hader for a couple of years now, but by now, he's so established as a closer that I don't think his role would change even if his team did. Liam Hendriks lived up to his breakthrough last year and might actually be some people's choice to go No.
The riskiest from this group is probably Edwin Diaz given that the Mets have had to remove him from the role for parts of the past two seasons. The stuff is still unbelievable, though, and he finished last season on a high note. I'm tempted to include Brad Hand with The Studs because his track record and production both support it, but a velocity decline has some folks on edge.
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