Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report: May 3

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

Cam Bedrosian (33% owned) – Bedrosian got the first crack at a save for the Angels since Keynan Middleton hit the DL; however, he blew the save chance. He was the presumed favorite to take over the job after the Middleton injury and that was exactly the case. It would have already been smart to assume Bedrosian was on thin ice before the blown save, so the failure to end the game will certainly do him no favors. Former closer Blake Parker could be in the mix, but the guy receiving the most chatter is Justin Anderson. I will break him down a little later in the article.

Quick Hits

• 4/26 Greg Holland was used in the ninth and Bud Norris pitched the eighth.
• 4/27 Greg Holland came on for the save opportunity, but blew it.
• 4/28 Kyle Barraclough picked up his first save of the season with a three strikeout performance, Brad Ziegler owners should be worried.
• 4/29 Darren O'Day picked up his second save and appears to be the team's closer after Brach was brought in during the sixth inning.
• 4/30 Shane Greene was brought into a 0-0 game in the ninth and gave up three runs while recording just one out.... Ryan Madson worked the eighth and Brandon Kintzler picked up the save in the ninth on a rest day for Sean Doolittle .
• 5/1 Keone Kela was blown up for four runs in a 6-2 non-save situation.... Jeremy Jeffress converted his first save of the season on a rest day for Josh Hader .... Ken Giles was called upon to keep the score tied 0-0 and he gave up four runs while recording just one out.... Hunter Strickland failed to keep the Giants game tied at two apiece in the ninth.
• 5/2 Bud Norris notched his sixth save.... Jeremy Jeffress picked up his second save this week, tossing two scoreless innings.... Kenley Jansen converted just his fourth save of the season but gave up a run in doing so; his ERA sits at 5.40.

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?

Brandon Morrow (89% owned) – Morrow pitched three times this week and picked up three saves. He had two strikeouts across two shutout innings and allowed just two runners to reach base against him. Morrow is the last remaining closer in MLB that has yet to give up an earned run this season. His strikeouts aren’t great with an 8.10 K/9, but I doubt fantasy owners are complaining with what he has provided so far. His seven saves, 0.00 ERA, and 0.90 WHIP all rank near the top for closers. Upper-half. YTD stats: 10 innings, 7 saves, 9 KS, 0.00 ERA.

Aroldis Chapman (99% owned) – Chapman pitched three times this week and did not give up a run. He picked up two saves and had five strikeouts. Chapman has been sensational in his last seven outings, putting together a total line of seven innings, five saves, no runs, two hits, and 13 strikeouts. This is the Chapman we all know; 2017 was a bit of a down year for Chapman (at least for his standards), but he has bounced back in dominant fashion. Fantasy owners who took the plunge on Chapman at a discounted price this past draft season have to be pleased. Top-tier. YTD stats: 13 innings, 6 saves, 24 Ks, 1.38 ERA.

Who’s Cold?

Cody Allen (98% owned) – Allen pitched two times this week and gave up runs in both outings. In his first appearance he gave up a three-run bomb to Mike Zunino but managed to finish the game for the Indians in a non-save situation. Two of the runs were charged to Allen. In his second outing he gave up one earned run across 1.1 innings. His last save came on April 25^th. Allen had been pitching very well prior to this week, so for now we can view it as just a saw small blip unless it develops into something bigger. With Andrew Miller currently on the DL, Allen has no competition for saves. Upper-half. YTD stats: 12.2 innings, 5 saves, 14 Ks, 2.13 ERA.

Raisel Iglesias (87% owned) – Iglesias pitched three times this week and did no record a save. He up one earned run across 2.1 innings pitched and only recorded one strikeout. He has now given up an earned run in two of his last four appearances and also blew a save in that time period. Iglesias, much like Allen, had been pitching great prior to his last few outings, so there is not much cause for concern right now. The biggest concern for Iglesias is that he pitches for the lowly Reds and he currently only has three saves on the season. Upper-half. YTD stats: 12.2 innings, 3 saves, 15 Ks, 2.13 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.

Dellin Betances (44% owned) – Betances got off to a bit of a rocky start this year as far as hits, walks, and runs are concerned, but he still has been sensational in the strikeout department. He has 23 strikeouts in 12 innings pitched (17.25 K/9) and he has been pitching better as of late; he has made six straight appearances without giving up an earned run. Hitters are currently batting .277 against Betances, a number that is sure to come down. In 2017, opposing batters only managed a .141 BAA Betances. Chapman has been fantastic so far for the Yankees and it would take an injury for Betnaces to get a crack at save opportunities. YTD stats: 12 innings, 1 hold, 23 Ks, 4.50 ERA.

Justin Anderson (19% owned) – Anderson has seemingly come out of nowhere and moved himself into save chance discussion for Mike Scioscia and the Angels. He has performed well thus far this year in his first taste of the big leagues; he has seven strikeouts across five shutout innings pitched. Anderson was a 14^th-round draft pick in 2014 and never showed much in the minors prior to this year, so it is a bit surprising to see the faith they are quickly putting into the rookie. For fantasy owners, anyone who may soon get save chances is worth stashing, but I wouldn’t think too highly of him going forward. YTD stats: 5 innings, 4 holds, 7 Ks, 0.00 ERA.

C.J. Edwards (28% owned) – Edwards becomes the first player to land in this section for a second time this season; he has been phenomenal and warranted another look. He did not give up a single run in April and has given up just one so far this season across 13.2 innings. He has racked up 23 strikeouts (15.15 K/9) and has also secured seven holds for the Cubbies. The only thing stopping Edwards from being one of the elite closers in the game is that the Cubs already have Brandon Morrow and his 0.00 ERA. Morrow has, as mentioned above, been very good, albeit in less dominant fashion that Edwards (nine strikeouts in 10 innings). If an injury were to occur to Morrow, Edwards, as mentioned, would be an elite option. He is a must-own in all formats. YTD stats: 13.2 innings, 7 holds, 23 Ks, 0.66 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