2017 Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report: Mediocrity

This week was a week filled with mediocrity. There were fewer blown saves than we usually see, but also only one closer who had a dominant week. No one officially lost their job this week, although one closer appears he may have.

Closers in flux

Brandon Maurer lands here for the second straight week, as he did nothing positive once again. He pitched just two times and gave up an earned run, as his ERA and WHIP continue to rise. His ERA is at a horrendous 6.50, while fellow reliever Brad Hand continues to dominate. Hand improved on his stats with two shutout innings against the Mets. Maurer pitched the 8^th inning, with Hand picking up the save pitching in the 9^th yesterday. No move has been made official yet, but it appears Hand is now competing Maurer for the closer role. Carter Capps is continuing his rehab assignment and could also make some noise in the Padres bullpen when he finally returns from the DL.

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?

Dellin Betances (89% owned) turned in a fantastic week for the Yankees and fantasy owners. He made three appearances, and tossed 3.1 shutout innings. He converted all three of his save opportunities, had seven strikeouts, and allowed just one runner to reach base against him. This comes as no surprise, as Betances to this point in his career, is one of the most dominating relievers in MLB history. He will continue to operate as an elite closer until Chapman returns from the DL. YTD stats: 15.2 innings, 4 saves, 29 K, 0.57 ERA.

Brandon Kintzler (81% owned) stayed hot this week, turning in another strong week. He pitched four shutout innings, converted both of his saves, and also picked up a win. His three strikeouts were also a slight uptick from his normal K/9 rate. Kintzler is having a very solid season for the Twins, and while he doesn’t have the ability to dominate, he is still finding himself in the middle-tier of closers. His BAA (.240) remains much higher than most closers, but he has done a great job of keeping the ball in the ballpark with just one HR against him to this point. YTD stats: 21 innings, 12 saves, 13 K, 1.71 ERA.

Raisel Iglesias (87% owned) continues to be a tough nut to crack for opposing offenses. This week he tossed 3.1 shutout innings, converted his lone save chance, and had three strikeouts. Iglesias has yet to allow a run in May, while piling up 10.1 innings and twelve strikeouts. The last offense to score a run against him was the Cubs on April 23. He has yet to blow a save and his BAA is currently a stellar .167. He has moved himself into the upper-tier of closers. YTD stats: 24.2 innings, 8 saves, 28 K, 0.73 ERA.

Who’s Cold?

Tony Watson (87% owned) had a rough week. He pitched four times and allowed five earned runs over just 3.2 innings. He had two saves, but also had a blown save and the loss against Atlanta. He had just two strikeouts and his WHIP was a very high 1.91. He has now surrendered runs in four of his last seven outings (7 ER total) and has seen his ERA rise from 0.73 to 3.54. Opposing hitters are managing to hit nearly .300 against him and his season WHIP is an ugly 1.62. Watson is a lower-tier closer and is not the best reliever on the Pirates. YTD stats: 20.1 innings, 10 saves, 15 K, 3.54 ERA.

A.J. Ramos (80% owned) continues to be a mess, and this was his worst week yet. He pitched just 2 innings and gave up five earned runs. He did not record a save, and his season total still sits at a measly four. The only positive thing for him this week was his four strikeouts, but his 3.00 WHIP for the week easily erases that lone positive. Ramos just can’t seem to get it going, and a change at closer could be coming for the Marlins if this continues. YTD stats: 15 innings, 4 saves, 19 K, 5.40 ERA.

Kelvin Herrera (91% owned) can’t seem to turn the corner on his season. He has a few good outings but then has a couple stinkers. He made three appearances this week and gave up three earned runs across 3 innings. He converted one-of-two save chances and had six strikeouts. The one save and the strikeouts kept it from being a disaster week for fantasy purposes. Overall it was just another bad week for Herrera which is starting to turn into a bad season. The trade rumors continue, and a change of scenery could maybe do him well at this point. YTD stats: 19 innings, 9 saves, 19 K, 4.26 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

This week, for the first time, I am going to cover a few guys who I have already spotted out as being middle relievers of note. All three are out-pitching the closer in front of them.

Felipe Rivero (22% owned) has been a dominant arm at the backend of the Pirates bullpen all season. Opposing batters are only managing to hit just .169 against him, and he has only five walks on the season, which has allowed him to keep his WHIP at an incredible 0.81. His K/9 currently sits at 9.85 and he has 11 holds. I highlighted Watson’s struggles above, and while he is not a bad pitcher, Rivero is just far more talented. The flame throwing lefties’ average fastball velocity currently sits at 98 mph which makes his diving 88 mph changeup nearly impossible to square up. Rivero generates weak groundballs and will likely find himself closing out games for the Pirates at some point this season. YTD stats: 24.2 innings, 11 holds, 27 K, 0.73 ERA.

Arodys Vizcaino (8% owned) had a slight rough patch at the end of April, but has bounced back with a stellar May to this point. He has pitched 9.1 innings this month and has yet to give up a run. He has surrendered just three hits and has twelve strikeouts.  His season stat line now sits an impressive 2.33 ERA with an 11.17 K/9. Current Braves closer Jim Johnson hasn’t been bad enough to lose the job, but he also isn’t the long-term option. A few bad outings by Johnson could lead to a role reversal for him and Vizcaino. YTD stats: 19.1 innings, 9 holds, 24 K, 2.33 ERA.

Kyle Barraclough (14% owned) hasn’t quite been the dominant pitcher he was in 2016, but he is still having a strong season. His K/9 currently sits at 9.30 and his ERA is at 2.66. He has not given up a run in his last 5.1 innings, and has allowed just one HR to be hit off him this year. His main issue is walks, as he already has seventeen of them in just 20.1 innings. He manages to work around them with a BAA of just .189 but they can sometimes get him into trouble. Current closer Ramos, as highlighted above, has been terrible and is pitching himself out of the role. YTD stats: 20.1 innings, 5 holds, 21 K, 2.66 ERA.

With this week’s list being repeaters there is no 2016 stats chart.

Holds

*Top 10

*Ownership percentages are based off Yahoo