Five weeks into the 2022 MLB season and we’re starting to see our first glimpses of some relievers being put on the hot seat.
While household names like Chapman, Hader, and Kimbrel continue to impress, lesser known arms are starting to carve out roles with their teams, rewarding fantasy managers who were ahead of the curve with much needed saves.
This week we see not only a handful of risers climb the ranks, but also see some fallers as well. A few relievers have put some distance between themselves and the competition, allowing managers who rostered multiple late inning options from the same team to free up some roster spots with drops.
Here’s how the closer landscape looks across the MLB after 5 weeks.
Locked In
-Aroldis Chapman, NYY (11.1IP, 0W, 8SV, 12Ks, 0.79 ERA, 1.15 WHIP)
-Craig Kimbrel, LAD (7.2IP, 0W, 5SV, 7Ks, 1.17 ERA, 1.17 WHIP)
-Liam Hendriks, CHW (13.2IP, 0W, 9SV, 20Ks, 4.61 ERA, 1.46 WHIP)
-Josh Hader, MIL (11.1IP, 0W, 12SV, 18Ks, 0.00 ERA, 0.62 WHIP)
-Kenley Jansen, ATL (12IP, 1W, 8SV, 17Ks, 3.00 ERA, 0.75 WHIP)
-Raisel Iglesias, LAA (11.2IP, 1W, 7SV, 15Ks, 2.31 ERA, 0.77 WHIP)
-Edwin Diaz, NYM (13IP, 1W, 7SV, 22Ks, 1.38 ERA, 0.85 WHIP)
-Taylor Rogers, SD (12.2 IP, 0W, 12SV, 13Ks, 0.71 ERA, 0.55 WHIP)
-Jordan Romano, TOR (13.2IP, 1W, 12SV, 16Ks, 3.29 ERA, 1.24 WHIP)
Chapman is starting to look like his dominant old self going a perfect 8 for 8 in save opportunities to start the year. He did let his first run of the season get scored against him off a George Springer sacrifice fly in his last outing, but owners have to be thrilled with the returns so far.
Kimbrel may not be recording many saves, owing to the high powered Dodgers offense and their absurd +78 run differential, but he’s as locked in as they come right now. He’s 5 for 5 in save opportunities and hasn’t allowed a run since April 8th.
Over in Chicago, Hendriks was finally starting to turn things around after a bad back caused him to post some crooked numbers to start the year. The righty recorded 6 consecutive scoreless outings to lower his ERA to a respectable 3.38, before serving up a grand slam on May 9th and seeing it balloon back up to 4.61 for the year. Owners love the K’s but he’s trending in the wrong direction for hits, as opponents are currently batting .276 against him. He’s also on track to give up the most base hits since converting to a full time closer. Nothing to panic about, but you’d like to see him miss a few more bats.
Meanwhile, even the most ardent Josh Hader doubter (is there such a thing left at this point?) has to admit that he’s officially earned the mantle of the best closer in baseball. You can essentially pencil him in for 2K’s, a clean inning and a save each time he takes the mound. Yahoo is now actually posting player updates on him when he issues a walk, which should tell you everything you need to know about how dialled in he is at the moment. He’s only given up two hits all season, and they were to Pittsburgh and Baltimore of all teams.
After a rough first outing, Kenley Jansen has turned into one of the most reliable pitchers in the majors, going a perfect 8 for 8 in save opportunities, adding a win over Boston for good measure. Throwing out that April 8th disaster, the 6’5” righty has only allowed 1 run on the year, while avoiding giving up any home runs thus far.
Out west, Raisel Iglesias managed to get his ERA under 1.00 to close out April, only to have his hard work undone his next time out against the White Sox. Nevertheless, the Angels are off to one of their best starts in years, and Iglesias is a huge part of that. While he’s issued 3BB’s and 3 hits in his last 3IP, there’s no reason to think the 8 year veteran won’t right the ship moving forward.
In Edwin Diaz’s last 6 appearances his statline has been: 6 saves, 2 hits, 0 ER, 2BB’s, 10Ks. Fantasy owners will take that everyday of the week. The Mets currently have a 6 game lead in the NL East and don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon (at least until August…). He’s about as close to “game over” as it gets when he enters the 9th inning.
Brace yourself Padres fans, but Taylor Rogers just gave up his first run of the season. While seeing that beautiful 0.00 ERA finally disappear is slightly disappointing, everything else about Rogers’ 2022 season has been spectacular. If we’re REALLY picking nits here, you could argue you’d like to see him rack up a few more strikeouts, but you can’t be upset with the results thus far.
And finally Jordan Romano continues to hum along. Again, there’s not much to complain about here but an interesting early season trend has emerged with 29 year old. He’s been nothing short of dominant at home going 1-0 with 8SV, 9Ks, a 0.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP through 9 innings pitched, holding batters to a .129 BAA. But on the road he’s 0-2, with 2 blown saves, a 9.64 ERA, 2.36 WHIP and batters hitting .381 against him. Does this mean you should bench him for away games? Absolutely not, but it’s something worth monitoring as the season progresses.
Their Job to Lose
-Ryan Pressly, HOU (5.1IP, 1W, 4SV, 3Ks, 5.06 ERA, 1.31 WHIP)
-Gregory Soto, DET (9IP, 1W, 4SV, 8Ks, 4.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP)
-Emmanuel Clase, CLE (12.1IP, 1W, 6SV, 11Ks, 2.92 ERA, 0.97 WHIP)
-David Robertson, CHC (12IP, 1W, 5SV, 17Ks, 1.50 ERA, 0.75 WHIP)
-Corey Knebel, PHI (13.1IP, 0W, 6SV, 14Ks, 2.70 ERA, 0.98 WHIP)
-Camilo Doval, SF (12.2IP, 0W, 5SV, 18Ks, 2.84 ERA, 1.26 WHIP)
-Daniel Bard, COL (11.1IP, 1W, 9SV, 15Ks, 3.18 ERA, 0.88 WHIP)***
Ryan Pressly began the year with 3 straight saves. Since then he’s given up 3 earned runs through 2.1IP with a Win, a loss, and a save in his last three trips to the mound. We’ll chalk this up to some rust after a longer than expected stint on the IL and assume he turns things around as the weather gets warmer. If you believe this is just a blip on the radar, now might be a good time to try to buy low on the Astros closer as managers might be frustrated by his lack of production through the first month and a half. On the flip side, if you think this is as good as it gets for Pressly, now might be his peak value to sell. The two latest 1 for 1 trades Yahoo has made public via their in app tools saw Pressly bring back Sonny Gray and Rowdy Tellez in separate deals. Make of that what you will.
We’ll keep Soto where he is for this week given his entire body of work, but he hasn’t exactly been lights out to end games lately. The undrafted 27-year old has taken 2 losses and given up 3 earned runs in his last 3.1IP. We might be more worried if not for the fact that the other in-house solution for the Tigers, Michael Fulmer, has struggled in his last two outings as well. Chalk it up to a bump in the road, but keep an eye on the Tigers bullpen over the next few weeks in case Soto can’t get things back on track.
Sticking with the AL Central, Emmanuel Clase is inching closer towards being bumped up a rung with his play of late. The 24-year old righty hasn’t allowed a run since April 23rd, earning 4 saves and a win in the process. While his strikeout totals leave something to be desired, owners are likely happy that he’s back to his old self.
David Robertson continues to impress, but has now hit the COVID list. In his absence Rowan Wick picked up the Cubs lone save opportunity, and figures to be ahead of Givens in the Cubs pecking order. Robertson appears to have built up enough good will in the Windy City to regain his 9th inning duties when he’s healthy, but as we’ve seen with some other relievers who’ve hit the COVID-IL, it can sometimes be a rough transition when they’re reactivated. Waiting and seeing how his first outing post-COVID goes isn’t a bad idea.
Corey Knebel continues to put together a solid body of work for the Phillies in the early going. He had a rough outing against the Mets on May 5th but followed that up with back to back saves where he didn’t allow a baserunner. More importantly, his velocity was also up on his fastballs after it had dipped earlier this year which is always encouraging news for owners as well.
Camilo Doval makes his debut as the unquestioned closer for San Francisco. Not only has he posted solid numbers, but his competition in the Bay Area has also faltered allowing the 24 year old to run away with the closer role. Jake McGee has been almost unplayable of late, recording a 9.58 ERA/1.94 WHIP and giving up 11 earned runs through 10.1IP. Not to mention, the Giants just placed him on the 10 day IL with back tightness which could be the beginning of the end for the soon to be 36 year old. Tyler Rogers has pitched well, but hasn’t had so much as a save opportunity handed to him, indicating he’s clearly behind Doval in the pecking order.
And last but not least, a deal is a deal. We said that if Bard didn’t completely implode we’d move him up a rung despite our reservations about him. So of course as we’re putting this piece together, he promptly goes out and is rocked by San Francisco. How to best summarize the Rockies closer… Is he currently useful? Yes. Will it last all season? We’re sceptical. Would we advise you to sell high on him? Absolutely. In recently posted Yahoo trades, 1 for 1 Bard has returned: Taylor Rogers, Kyle Wright, Cody Bellinger, Yordan Alvarez, and Brandon Woodruff. If you can get a similar deal, run, don’t walk to get it completed.
We Want to Trust You
-Tanner Rainey, WAS (8.2IP, 0W, 3SV, 10Ks, 3.12 ERA, 1.27 WHIP)
-Giovanny Gallegos, STL (10IP, 0W, 6SV, 8Ks, 4.50 ERA, 1.30 WHIP)
-Mark Melancon, ARI (10.2IP, 0W, 6SV, 4Ks, 6.75 ERA, 1.97 WHIP)
-Jorge Lopez, BAL (16IP, 3W, 4SV, 16Ks, 1.13 ERA, 1.13 WHIP)
-David Bednar, PIT (15.2IP, 0W, 5SV, 24Ks, 1.15 ERA, 0.70 WHIP)
-Joe Barlow, TEX (10.1IP, 1W, 5SV, 13Ks, 1.74 ERA, 0.68 WHIP)
Don’t look now, but Mark Melancon has been bumped down a rung this week. Since returning from the COVID-IL he’s had two disastrous outings against Colorado and Miami. Last year’s saves leader probably has a longer leash than anyone in the Diamondbacks undermanned bullpen, but Ian Kennedy pitched well in his absence recording 3 saves in the process. Arizona is surprisingly feisty this year at 17-15, but the wheels will come off at some point. Melancon is likely to be shipped to a contender prior to the trade deadline for prospects, so stashing Kennedy in the event Melancon continues to struggle, or is ultimately moved isn’t the worst idea in deeper leagues.
Tanner Rainey owners haven’t had much of anything to review of late as Rainey has been kept under glass for the better part of a month thus far. Washington currently has the 3rd worst record in baseball trailing only the Reds and Tigers for that dubious distinction. Which makes save opportunities tough to come by in DC. Rainey has been tapped to protect leads when they do come around, but if you’re relying on him to bring you to the promised land, you might be in trouble in the saves category this season.
Giovanny Gallegos was hit hard by the Mets (a common theme of late) on April 25th but since then has posted three consecutive scoreless outings for the Cardinals. If Jordan Romano likes home cooking, Gallegos is clearly more of a road guy, as his home/away splits are virtually the inverse of the Blue Jays closer. The undrafted right-hander sports an ugly 9.82 ERA/1.64 WHIP/.313BAA line at home, and a tidy 1.42 ERA/1.11 WHIP/.227BAA line on the road. Again, saves are saves so take them how you can get them. But if Gallegos is on short rest AND at home, would it be shocking to see Helsley or Cabrera vulture a save here or there? Probably not.
Meanwhile, making his debut after being promoted from a coinflip we have Jorge Lopez in Baltimore who’s contributed in multiple categories of late for owners. Unfortunately that momentum will come to a temporary halt as the O’s placed Lopez on the bereavement list following the death of his grandfather. Tate/Bautista figure to be next in line for saves in his absence, but Brandon Hyde seems to trust Lopez the most for late game situations, and will likely resume his closer role upon return.
Also being promoted this week is Pirates closer David Bednar. After going nearly a full month with only 2 save opportunities to speak of, the hard throwing Lafayette alum recorded 3 saves over the last week. The Pittsburgh native currently sports a 24:3 K/BB ratio, and thanks to a couple of rough outings from Chris Stratton, appears to have solidified his hold on the closer role for the time being.
And finally, from the chaos emerges a victor. Chris Woodward told us a while back that Joe Barlow was his closer, but we didn’t quite believe him until we saw him record a couple saves. Well, he’s done just that recording 5 consecutive saves in his last 5 trips to the mound. The 26 year old rewarded managers who were patient with him through the first month with 5 clean outings since April 30th, allowing only 1 baserunner in 5IP.
Coinflips
-Dany Jimenez, OAK (12IP, 1W, 5SV, 14Ks, 0.00 ERA, 1.08 WHIP)
-Anthony Bender, MIA (11IP, 0W, 6SV, 10Ks, 4.91 ERA, 1.36 WHIP)
We may have a changing of the guard in Oakland, and if it isn’t official yet, it should be any day now. After being activated from the COVID list, A’s reliever Lou Trivino got shelled by Tampa in his debut, before being used for situational relief (he faced 1 batter on both May 6th/7th), and then giving up an earned run, 2 hits and a walk in 1IP against the Tigers on the 10th. Meanwhile Jimenez has pitched 3 scoreless innings, recording 1 save during that same time frame. The 28 year old Dominican appears to be the arm to own in Oakland, so for those who were holding onto Trivino in the hopes he’d regain his closer role, you’re likely safe to drop him sooner rather than later.
The Marlins haven’t provided much in the way of clarity when it comes to their late inning roles of late. The team has scuffled to a 2-9 record since Bender recorded his last save on April 30th. Since then, Bender has made 3 appearances giving up 3 hits, 2 earned runs, 1BB, and taking a loss in 2.2IP. You could tell us that he’s the number one closer in Miami, but without the body of work to prove it, it could really be any of Bender/Scott/Sulser/Head. For now, Bender is the arm to own, but he’s far from having a death grip on the role.
Tampa Bay Rays
-Andrew Kittredge, TB (15IP, 2W, 4SV, 12Ks, 3.00 ERA, 0.80 WHIP)
Tampa Bay has officially entered uncharted territory. They’ve developed their own category. Just when Kittredge was starting to put a tiny bit of distance between himself and the competition, he had back to back duds against the Mariners and Angels. Tampa is always going to play the odds when it comes to late inning duties, but they’re now up to 5 different relievers who’ve had save opportunities on the year and we’re not even mid-May yet. Kittredge is the guy to own, but it’s going to be a frustrating experience, buckle up.
Committees
Diekman/Whitlock/Robles/Barnes, BOS
Staumont/Garrett/Barlow, KC
Pagan/Duffey/Duran, MIN
Castillo/Steckenrider/Munoz/Sewald, SEA
Santillan/Sims/Warren, CIN
Remember when Boston was 2 wins away from the World Series last year? Seems so long ago… The Red Sox are a dumpster fire at the moment with an 11-20 record. The front office elected not to get any kind of semblance of starting pitching or bullpen help this offseason, and the team is now paying the price for their inaction. You can basically throw a dart to see who Alex Cora is going to march out in the 9th inning, but they first need to find themselves with a late game lead, something that’s becoming increasingly rare around Fenway these days.
KC has a bizarre late game situation unfolding at the moment. Staumont clearly has the more overpowering arsenal as evidenced by his strikeout totals, but Barlow is currently getting the better results. Staumont has topped out at 101.8MPH this season, compared to Barlow’s 98.6MPH high water mark, and also throws 1.3MPH faster on average than his teammate. But until the Royals are able to provide their relievers with more save opportunities, the two remain deadlocked at 2 saves apiece, with neither holding a particular advantage over the other.
We’ve said it once, and we’ll continue to say it, Jhoan Duran is the closer of the future in Minnesota. When that future arrives though is anyone’s guess. Pagan has earned back to back saves on the 6th and 8th of May, but they were hardly convincing as he allowed 3 baserunners against Oakland the first time out, and 2 on the 8th. While no one ultimately scored, he’s walked AT LEAST one batter in each of his last 6 outings.
Seattle has 4 pitchers with saves, and they’re all listed above. Each reliever except for Castillo also sports a blown save on the year as well. For what it’s worth Sewald recorded the most recent save for the M’s, but he also allowed a solo shot to Jean Segura to make it tighter than it needed to be. We like Munoz here for the long term, but at the moment it’s a mess in the Pacific NorthWest.
Similar to Seattle, the Reds are equally as befuddling, with 3 different relievers with 1 save apiece and no clear hierarchy to be found. If we had to guess, we’d lean towards Lucas Sims, but if you want the truth, we’d just as likely avoid the Cincinnati bullpen altogether this season.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner