Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report: June 7

Each week I will breakdown closers and middle relievers in many different ways to provide you with all the information you need to have a successful fantasy bullpen. Let’s dive in!

Closers in Flux

Jose Alvarado (19% owned) – Alvarado was the presumed new closer for the Rays after the team traded away Álex Colomé and that presumption appeared to be correct after Alvarado was given the first save chance for the Rays post-Colome. The problem is that he blew that save chance. Blowing your first save chance in a new role does not bode well for a guy with no closing experience. It probably is not enough to bump him out of the role, but the Rays do have Sergio Romo and Jonny Venters , both have closing experience in their history and should Alvarado struggle again, the Rays may want to move him back to the setup role that he looked comfortable in. Who is used and how that person does in the next save opportunity will add some clarity to the situation.

Quick Hits

• 5/31 Seranthony Dominguez converted a two-inning save, his second save of the year.
• 6/2 Joe Jimenez picked up his first save of the year in an off-day for Shane Greene .
• 6/3 Brian Duensing notched a save in an off-day for Brandon Morrow .... Wade Davis was tagged for three runs after being brought into a 7-7 game in the ninth..... Justin Anderson nailed down a save.... Kirby Yates converted his first save of the year; Brad Hand pitched the eighth inning.
• 6/5 Kyle Barraclough finished off the Cardinals to earn his second save of the year; Brad Ziegler pitched the eighth inning.
• 6/6 Héctor Rondón locked down a save chance.

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?

Shane Greene (72% owned) – Greene pitched three times this week and picked up two saves. He struck out six across three shutout innings and now has 15 saves for the year. The 15 saves are good enough to put him in a tie for fifth most in MLB and for a guy with that many saves, it is a bit surprising to see his ownership percentage so low in comparison with other closers. Greene is not an elite pitcher, but he is racking up the saves and his 10.80 K/9 plays just fine. His ERA (3.49) and WHIP (1.27) leave a little to be desired for a closer, but overall he is providing great value to those who have him on their roster. He has given up just one run in his last seven outings and has five saves in the last two weeks. Lower-half. YTD stats: 28.1 innings, 15 saves, 34 Ks, 3.49 ERA.

Keone Kela (72% owned) – Kela, much like Green, should be owned in more leagues than he is. Kela pitched two times this week and converted on both of his save chances. He struck out four across two shutout innings and is now a perfect 14-for-14 in save opportunities. He has a solid 10.88 K/9 for the year and the only downside to owning Kela has been a high ERA (4.03), but his 2.80 FIP is an indication that he has had some bad luck and that his ERA should come down as the season progresses. He has given up just one run in his last seven outings to lower his ERA over a full run from 5.06 to 4.03. He is a solid trade target while his ERA is high and may be a concern to his owner. Lower-half. YTD stats: 22.1 innings, 14 saves, 27 Ks, 4.03 ERA.

Who’s Cold?

Brad Boxberger (85% owned) – Boxberger had a rough week, as he pitched three times and gave up three runs across 2.1 innings. He blew one of his two save chances and has a 2.14 WHIP over the last seven days. Boxberger had been pitching fine prior to his most recent two appearances, so there is not much cause for concern right now, but he will need to regroup quickly as having Archie Bradley behind you does not give you a big leash. For the year, he is still a strong 14-of-16 in save opportunities. Owners who were able to get him at the end of their draft or off the wire early have to be pleased with his production thus far. Middle-tier. YTD stats: 22.1 innings, 14 saves, 31 Ks, 2.82 ERA.

Bud Norris (78% owned) – Norris pitched two times this week and neither outing went well. In his first appearance he was brought into a two on, two out situation and promptly gave up a three-run home run and was immediately yanked from the game after. In his second outing he was called upon to hold a one run lead, he failed to do so and picked up the blown save after giving up one run. He did end up picking up the win in that second outing, but needless to say it was not what the Cardinals or fantasy owners were looking for after getting the save chance. Norris has given up four runs in his last five innings pitched and could slowly be losing his grip on the closing job. Jordan Hicks will be the Cardinals closer sooner-or-later. Lower-half. YTD stats: 26.1 innings, 11 saves, 37 Ks, 3.08 ERA.

Middle Relievers of Note

This section will focus strictly on closers in waiting or closer capable guys and how they are performing. Each player of note will also include their stats from the 2017 season for the foreseeable future. With the calendar flipping over to June, there is no longer a need to attach each pitcher’s 2017 stats in this section as we are deep enough into the season to just look at what guys are doing this year.  

Joe Jimenez (7% owned) – Jimenez is only 23-years-old and has pitched very well for the Tigers this season. As noted earlier, current Tigers closer Shane Greene is pitching well and his job is not in jeopardy, but Jimenez is worth a stash in case of injury or for if Greene were to start struggling. Also, with the Tigers struggling this season and likely to fall out of the playoff hunt, there is a pretty good chance that the team will look to trade Greene to a contender since he is age 29 and the team is in a rebuild. Deeper league players chasing saves can do much worse than Jimenez. 29.1 innings, 11 holds, 30 Ks, 2.45 ERA.

Adam Conley (0% owned) – This name may be a surprising one, but the starter-turned-reliever has good stuff and has gotten off to a hot start in the Marlins ‘pen. Through 7.1 innings pitched he has given up just one run and has struck out 10. The lefty lights up the gun with high 90’s fastballs and has a hard slider that comes in around 90 mph. The Marlins are hopeful that Conley can do what Andrew Miller was able to do, which is transition from subpar starter to elite reliever. The Marlins just named Kyle Barraclough their new closer and it’s a role he should excel in, so Conley isn’t worth an add as of right now, but he is someone to keep an eye on. His stuff plays up as a reliever and it would not be surprising to see him continue his early success as one.  7.1 innings, 1 hold, 10 Ks, 1.23 ERA.

Holds

*Top 10

Stat Leaders

This simply provides the current top-5 closers in saves, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP.  

Team Bullpen ERA

This section will look into the best and worst bullpens in the league, which can be helpful for DFS. If a team has a weak starting pitcher throwing that day and also a poor bullpen it can make for big days for hitters. A bad bullpen ERA also has an effect on how likely a starting pitcher is to pick up a win.

Recently Overworked

This highlights the bullpens that have been seeing both heavy usage and struggling over the last 7 days.

*Ownership percentages are based off Yahoo

Be sure to check out the Closer Grid which has regularly updated rankings. Also feel free to shoot me any questions on Twitter @JustinVreeland