2017 Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report: Closer-less in Chicago?

Closers in Flux

The White Sox. Following the trade of Tyler Clippard to the Astros, it is yet to be seen who will take over the closing gig for the club. The first save opportunity, since the trade, arose yesterday and three different guys were used in the ninth inning, with Jake Petricka taking the blown save. Manager Rick Renteria said the closing situation will be a “fluid” one. The White Sox have traded away all of the talented arms they’ve had in the bullpen this season (David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle, Anthony Swarzak, Dan Jennings, and Tyler Clippard) so there is not much left down there. Juan Minaya and Petricka would appear to be the favorites, but for now it is best to wait and see who gets the first crack some save chances. It should be noted that David Holmberg is the only member of the current White Sox bullpen that has a sub-4.50 ERA.

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?

Corey Knebel (87% owned) did it all for fantasy owners this week; converting on all three of his save chances, and he also picked up a win. He also had six strikeouts across five shutout innings, and had a nice WHIP for the week of 0.60. Knebel has now gone eleven straight appearances without a run scoring against him. He has just one outing this season in which he allowed more than one run to score against him, in what has been a very dominant campaign for the young right-hander. He will cross the 100 strikeout plateau within his next inning or two (currently at 98), and will be the first closer to accomplish that this season. I have him ranked as the number three closer currently, only behind Kimbrel and Jansen. YTD stats: 57.1 innings, 24 saves, 98 K, 1.41 ERA.

Sean Doolittle (70% owned) continues to do a great job operating as the Nationals closer. This week he pitched four times, converted on all three of his save chances, and did not allow a run across his four innings pitched. He had three strikeouts and compiled a sub-1.00 WHIP for the week (0.75). Doolittle has a 2.77 ERA since joining the Nats and is 9-9 in saves. He should continue to be a strong closer in the fantasy world for the remainder of the season, with the Nationals high winning percentage and opportunities for saves. He has worked his way into the upper-half of the closing ranks, and his job security appears to be strong despite Brandon Kintzler also joining the Nationals at the deadline. YTD stats: 34.1 innings, 12 saves, 42 K, 3.15 ERA.

Kenley Jansen (99% owned) becomes the first closer to land in the hot section for a sixth time; after posting another strong week. He pitched three times and converted on all three of his save chances. He also had three strikeouts across three shutout innings. Jansen has not allowed a run to score against him in his last ten appearances, and has given up just five hits over that span. He now has 32 saves, good enough to rank third in baseball in that category. His 80 strikeouts are also good for third best among closers, and his 0.67 WHIP is the second lowest among closers this season. Nothing negative can be said about the season he is having both in fantasy and in reality. YTD stats: 52.1 innings, 32 saves, 80 K, 1.20 ERA.

Who’s Cold?

Aroldis Chapman (97% owned) continues to pitch nothing like Aroldis Chapman. This week he pitched three times converting on two of three save chances. He gave up five earned runs across just 3.1 innings pitched, and failed to have a single shutout appearance. His WHIP was an ugly 2.10 and fantasy owners have to be wondering what in the world is going on with him. To this point in his career Chapman has been one of the most dominant relievers in MLB history, but that has simply not been the case in 2017. His ERA currently sits at 3.89, his WHIP at 1.33, and his BAA at .227. While those numbers may not sound that bad; for a guy who has career averages of a 2.23 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP, and a .162 BAA this year’s production have been rough. He still ranks in the upper-half of closers, but he is starting to slide down the list. YTD stats: 34.2 innings, 16 saves, 49 K, 3.89 ERA.

Hector Neris (51% owned) pitched just one time week and did not have a save opportunity. He gave up a run in his lone appearance and let three hitters reach base against him in the one inning of work. Despite operating at the Phillies closer for the majority of the season, Neris still sits at just 13 saves. While his job security is safe, the Phillies struggles make him nothing more than a bottom of the barrel closer. The Phillies have the worst record in baseball at (43-75) and it is not something that will change any time soon. With save chances being so sparse, Neris has very little value in the fantasy game. YTD stats: 54.0 innings, 13 saves, 58 K, 3.00 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

Mark Melancon (76% owned) is an obvious choice for this section with his recent return from the DL. While he did not retain his role as closer immediately following his activation, it is only a matter of time before he reclaims the gig. The Giants brought him into be the closer, and it is likely that within the next week or two he will take back the job from current closer Sam Dyson. Once that happens, Dyson can be dropped in all leagues; outside of the deepest formats. The upside for Melancon will be low, even when he returns to being the closer, as the Giants are simply not a good team this season. His K/9 isn’t strong, and he should be viewed as a bottom-tier closer for the remainder of the season once he gets the job back. YTD stats: 22.2 innings, 1 hold, 20 K, 3.97 ERA.

Holds

*Top 10       

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