I like a good sandwich joint as much as the next guy, but it’s not usually my first choice for the mid-day meal. Something of the same can be said in fantasy baseball terms too. The last few years have seen a surge in sandwich guys, or set-up men, in baseball’s bullpens. The 2014 season really started the trend off as the Royals made it to within one run in Game 7 of winning the World Series on the back of their dominating bullpen. Set-up men can be key cogs to a successful fantasy baseball season as they can contribute across the board and often come cheaper than even the cheapest closers. So who are some of these unsung assets you may be wondering? Well lucky for you, I have put together a list, if you keep reading that is.
Ryan Dull (Athletics) came up briefly in 2015 with the A’s before really showing his wares in the 2016 campaign as the set-up man to Ryan Madson as he posted a 2.42 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, .209 BABIP, 8.84 K/9 rate and a 4.87 K/BB ratio. Madson looked good as the closer, though he had a slightly higher ERA than one would like, 3.62, but he has been an injury waiting to happen most of his career. Dull, even without an injury, could supplant Madson as closer in 2017 making him one to target come the later rounds of your draft(s).
Nate Jones (White Sox) heads into the season coming off another great season in 2016. The set-up man to David Robertson, he ran up an ERA of 2.29 and a WHIP of 0.89 while posting his second straight double-digit K/9 effort. With the White Sox clearly in flux and trade rumors abounding regarding their closer, Jones is too good of an option to pass up as a cheap pitching grab.
Tyler Thornburg (Red Sox) is taking the place of Brad Ziegler pitching in front of Craig Kimbrel in Fenway. The 2016 season was Tyler’s breakout season as the closer for the Brewers posting a 2.15 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 13 saves, and eight wins along with 90 strikeouts in just 67 innings of work. While his save rate wasn’t great (13 out of 21) he won’t have to worry about that as the eighth inning guy for the Red Sox, and neither will you.
Cam Bedrosian (Angels) is a former first-round selection from the 2010 draft who dominated in the minors but couldn’t find his footing in the bigs. That all changed in 2016 when he posted an outstanding 1.12 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP with an 11.38 K/9 rate (51 Ks in 40 1/3 IP). With Huston Street struggling mightily in 2016, the door could be open for Bedrosian and his fastball-slider combination to take over the closer role if Street can’t get it together again in 2017.
Brad Hand (Padres) changed teams for the first time in 2016 when he came to San Diego, and the change of scenery was great for him. He pitched in 82 games, putting up a 2.92 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP and a blistering 111 Ks in 89 1/3 innings. His 11.18 K/9 rate is half again as much as his previous career-high of 7.36 back in 2012. Those types of numbers are a big boost to a fantasy roster if they are added at the right price.
Will Harris (Astros) has spent the last two years in Houston putting up very good numbers in the late innings of games with a combined 2.06 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over 135 innings while striking out 137 batters and walking just 37. Harris has also managed to snare six wins and 14 saves out of his role in that span as well and will undoubtedly vulture both again in 2017.
Brad Ziegler (Marlins) was the set-up man in Boston and the closer in Arizona last year, but now has moved south to Miami this offseason. He will pitch in front of A.J. Ramos for the most part and potentially vulture some saves on Ramos’ off days. Over his nine year MLB-career he has posted a 2.44 ERA while managing a nearly 2:1 K/BB ratio and securing 85 saves, 52 of which came in the last two years.
Tyler Clippard (Yankees) is likely to be the forgotten man in the Yankees bullpen this year, at least at fantasy draft time. Over the last three years he has pitched to a 2.86 ERA combined between five teams and a 1.12 WHIP with 218 strikeouts in 204 1/3 innings. Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Betances are sure to get the attention on draft day but Clippard can come cheap and be helpful to fantasy squads.
Koda Glover (Nationals) moved very quickly last season, as he rose from High-A Potomac all the way to major league roster before a hip injury caused an early end to his year. He struggled in the majors a bit with a 5.03 ERA in 19 2/3 innings, though the Nationals believe the injury played a role in that. He is viewed as the closer of the future in Washington as his minor-league numbers prove he can be that, so getting him in a keeper or dynasty draft wouldn’t be a bad idea with the potential for ’17 success as well.
Drew Storen (Reds) is probably the riskiest acquisition on this list. However, if he can find his form from 2013-2015 then he’s definitely worth it. The Reds are hoping for the upside too having signed him to a one-year, $3 million deal after getting slightly back on track with Seattle. He pitched to a 3.44 ERA in 19 appearances with the Mariners to cap off a down and up 2016 that started in Toronto. Raisel Iglesias is likely slated to be the closer, with Michael Lorenzen in the mix, but Storen should function just fine as the set-up man with occasional save chances.