2017 Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report: Colome Nosedive

Alex Colome’s struggles continued this week, after a rough time last week. His recent run has been a complete meltdown, and is covered more in depth down below in “Who’s Cold.” He isn’t the only one struggling…

Closers in flux

The Nationals still don’t have a closer, and it’s anyone’s guess who will get save chances at this point. Matt Albers, Blake Treinen, Enny Romero, Oliver Perez, and Joe Blanton are all options that could be called upon, none of which have much value in fantasy right now. The team is sure to make a trade for at least one reliever, if not more, as the trade deadline begins to approach. Koda Glover and Shawn Kelley remain on the DL, but neither has done well while operating as the teams closer this year. When the Nats make a trade, that player will likely be handed the job right away, so be ready to pounce if the player is a free agent in your league. 

Blown Saves

*Top 10

*Note: I track blown saves that happened by guys who were brought into finish the game. Such as guys in the closer role, or other pitchers who were brought in late in the game. A guy who picks up a “blown save,” for example, in the 6^th inning is very irrelevant in my opinion, when tracking fantasy assets.

Who’s Hot?

Greg Holland (94% owned) pitched three times this week and converted all three of his save chances. He had four strikeouts across three shutout innings and continues to be a huge offseason pickup for the Rockies. Holland has a league-high 28 saves which is 5 ahead of the second most. He is also sporting a 11.97 K/9 and has worked his way into the top-3 of the closing ranks. He has been dominant from the very beginning and there is nothing to suggest that will change any time soon. YTD stats: 32.1 innings, 28 saves, 43 K, 1.39 ERA.

Addison Reed (78% owned) had a nice week, as he converted all three of his save chances. In total Reed pitched 3.1 shutout innings across three appearances and had three strikeouts. He has done a fantastic job of filling in for Jeurys Familia as the Mets closer, and hasn’t blown a save since May. Since the start of June, Reed has given up just two earned runs across 14 innings, picked up seven saves, and has ten strikeouts. With Familia out at least another month minimal, Reed makes for a nice own, and is an above average closer. YTD stats: 41.2 innings, 14 saves, 42 K, 2.59 ERA.

Who’s Cold?

Aroldis Chapman (97% owned) made just two appearances this week and blew his only save chance. Chapman pitched just 1.1 innings and gave up two earned runs with two strikeouts. His season ERA now sits at an ugly 3.86 and he has simply not delivered on an expensive draft price. Things should start to pickup for the flame throwing lefty and owners can expect much better performances going forward. His BAA against currently sits at .253, which is an oddity as his BAA has never been above .200 in his eight year career. He is still striking hitters out at an outstanding rate (14.46 K/9) and worrisome owners do not need to panic. He is still an elite closer. YTD stats: 18.2 innings, 8 saves, 30 K, 3.86 ERA.

Alex Colome (91% owned) pitched two times this week and converted both of his save chances. Not so bad right? Factor in that he gave up three earned runs and let five runners reach base against him in just two innings and the tone changes. Colome has now given up runs in five straight appearances and has seen his ERA rise from 1.95 to 4.10 during that span. He has given up ten hits and six walks in his last five innings, which has also seen his WHIP rise from 1.05 to 1.34. He is still locked in as the Rays closer but he will need to turn it around quickly to keep it that way. He is still tied for third in the league in saves, despite the recent struggles. YTD stats: 37.1 innings, 22 saves, 34 K, 4.10 ERA.

Who’s hot, Who’s Cold season Leader board

This table shows who has made the most appearances in these sections.

Middle Relievers of note

David Phelps (10% owned) hasn’t quite been the dominant pitcher he was in 2016, but he is still putting together a solid season. He won’t challenge A.J. Ramos for the closing gig in Miami, but he has been linked to trade rumors, which could possibly give Phelps a big boost in fantasy value. Phelps has a nice K/9 of 9.64 and is fifth in the league in holds with 16, making him already worth owning in Holds leagues. He has had shutout appearances in six of his last seven outings, and would likely be the closer if traded to a team like the Nationals. YTD stats: 42 innings, 16 holds, 45 K, 3.64 ERA.

Jacob Barnes (6% owned) is right behind Phelps in holds with 15. He is posting a strong K/9 of 10.27. Corey Knebel is locked in as the Brewers closer, so there isn’t upside for saves for Barnes, but he would likely get a chance at the job if Knebel went down with an injury. He hasn’t given up a run in his last four outings and has eight strikeouts across those four innings of work. For now, Barnes should only be owned in Holds leagues, and in deep leagues, but he is worth keeping an eye on. YTD stats: 37.2 innings, 15 holds, 43 K, 3.82 ERA.

Anthony Swarzak (8% owned) is having an impressive season, after a rough year for the Yankees last year. He has been dominating as of late, with 0 runs against him in his last seven innings and adding eleven strikeouts. His ratios now sit at a low 2.52 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 9.38 K/9. Swarzak is still pretty low on the White Sox’s bullpen totem but he has picked up five of his nine holds over the last 30 days showing he is slowly being used more in higher leverage situations. He is worth keeping an eye on and can be owned in deep leagues. YTD stats: 39.1 innings, 9 holds, 41 K, 2.52 ERA.

The full 2016 breakdown for these 3 guys can be found in the chart below.

Holds

*Top 10

*Ownership percentages are based off Yahoo