2017 Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report: Holland Daze

Closers in Flux

Greg Holland has seen things go from bad to worse. It is remarkable how drastically his season is changing and going at such a steep decline. Pre-All Star break Holland was 28-for-29 in save chances and carried a 1.62 ERA with a 1.02 WHIP. Since the All Star break Holland has converted on just 7-of-10 save chances and has given up thirteen runs in just twelve innings pitched. In his last six outings he has given up twelve earned runs and has seen his ERA skyrocket from 1.56 to 3.77 ERA. The magic he was having in his comeback season appears to have worn off. He still has the job for now, but it would not be surprising to see the Rockies make a change at closer soon. Pat Neshek would be the likely candidate to take over the role if the Rockies do decide to make the switch.

Zach Britton lands here more because of an injury than performance. That being said, he has also not performed this season anything remotely close to what we watched from him last year. He blew the save last night giving up two runs and recording just one out. His ratios currently sit at an ugly 3.55 ERA and 1.74 WHIP. Back to the injury, he is undergoing an MRI today on his knee and that could possibly lead to his third trip on the DL this season. Brad Brach would once again move into the closing role for the Orioles if Britton does in fact land the DL again. Brach currently has more saves (16) than Britton (11).

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?

Sean Doolittle (77% owned) continues to shine as the Nationals closer; making his second straight appearance in the hot section. This week he pitched three times and converted all three of his opportunities. He also had six strikeouts across three shutout innings and did not allow a runner to reach base against him. Doolittle is now 12-for-12 in save chances since joining the Nats and has a 2.25 ERA in his time with the club. The job is his for the remainder of the season barring health or a continued run of struggles. He is starting to climb up the closing ranks, and that will only continue, with the volume of saves he is seeing. YTD stats: 37.1 innings, 15 saves, 48 K, 2.89 ERA.

Corey Knebel (88% owned), like Doolittle, also makes his second straight appearance here. He continues to be one of the most dominant closers in the game this year, and this week was no different. He pitched three times, converted on all three of his save chances, and did not allow a run. He also had two strikeouts in his 2.1 innings pitched. Over the last two weeks, Knebel has picked up six saves, one win, eight strikeouts, and not given up a run across 7.1 innings pitched. He also became the first closer of the 2017 season to hit the 100 strikeout mark and he is carrying a ridiculous 15.08 K/9 to this point. There is absolutely no reason he should only be 88% owned. He should continue to be a top-3 closer for the remainder of the season. YTD stats: 59.2 innings, 27 saves, 100 K, 1.36 ERA.

Who’s Cold?

Shane Greene (48% owned) pitched just one time this week and did not get any save chances.  In his lone outing he gave up one earned run and did not strikeout an opposing batter. Green hasn’t converted a save since August third, not all to his fault, as the Tigers haven’t had a save situation since August fourth. The Tigers have lost eight of their last nine games. Greene has given up three earned runs over his last 1.2 innings pitched and has not been able to provide fantasy owners with much of anything lately. He is still having a fine season and things should get better sooner or later. He currently ranks slightly below the middle of the closing ranks. YTD stats: 53.1 innings, 3 saves, 58 K, 2.87 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

Tyler Lyons (10% owned) has done a nice job out of the Cardinals bullpen this season. He likely won’t see many save chances right now with a few guys in front of him, but he is making himself worthy of an own in holds leagues. With Trevor Rosenthal now done for the year, there is also an outside chance of him working his way into save situations in the future. His six holds over the 30 days are good enough for T-6th in the league over that span. The lefty has yet to allow a run in fourteen innings since the All Star break and has given up just three hits while piling up nineteen strikeouts over that span. He should be owned in holds leagues and in deep leagues on rosters in need of solid ratios. YTD stats: 40 innings, 11 holds, 48 K, 2.70 ERA.

Trevor Hildenberger (2% owned) has been rock solid since being called up in late June. He carries current ratios of a 3.08 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a 9.57 K/9 and he has already picked up one save and four holds. He is behind Matt Belisle for save chances, but Belisle is far from a sure thing to remain the Twins closer for the remainder of the season. There is a chance the rookie Hildenberger could be the closer by the end of the season. For now, he is just someone to keep an eye on in shallow leagues and a nice stash option in deeper leagues. YTD stats: 26.1 innings, 4 holds, 28 K, 3.08 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