Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report: July 12

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

Seranthony Dominguez (61% owned) It appeared that Dominguez had taken over the Phillies closing gig after notching five saves from June 23-July 3, but despite his success in the role the Phillies now appear to be backtracking. Victor Arano converted two saves this week and in one of them Dominguez was used in the eighth inning. For now, both pitchers are worth owning and it is a situation worth keeping a close eye on. Arano seems to have taken a lead on the job and the next save chance will offer further insight into the Phillies plans going forward.

Joe Jimenez (31% owned) – Jimenez is an obvious choice with Shane Greene making his return from the DL today. The job will go back to Greene either today or after he makes one appearance. Either way, Jimenez will be ousted from the role as the Tigers closer and can no longer be counted on for saves. However, he is still worth owing as Greene is very likely to be traded at the trade deadline and Jimenez would return to the closing role for likely the remainder of the season.

Quick Hits

• 7/6 Kyle Barraclough failed to keep the game tied in the ninth.... Will Smith converted his third save.
• 7/7 Victor Arano picked up a save, Seranthony Dominguez was used in the eighth inning.
• 7/8 Justin Anderson notched a save with Blake Parker getting the day off.
• 7/9 Victor Arano converted another save and appears to be taking over the Phillies closing gig.... Corey Knebel failed to keep the game tied in the tenth.
• 7/10 Corbin Burnes picked up his first save on an off-day for Knebel.... Steve Cishek locked down a save with Brandon Morrow getting the day off.

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?

Edwin Díaz (98% owned) – Diaz has made, what seems like, a high number of appearances in this portion of the article, but when a guy is doing what he is doing, it is only logical for him to frequently be included here. He picked up another three saves this week and racked up seven strikeouts across three shutout innings. He hasn’t given up a run in his last nine outings and hasn’t allowed a hit or walked a batter in his last six. He has 36 saves, giving him eight more than the second best! Then you factor in his 79 strikeouts in 48 innings pitched and it’s hard to make an argument against him being the games best closer right now. Top-three. YTD stats: 48.0 innings, 36 saves, 79 Ks, 2.25 ERA.

Felipe Vázquez (92% owned) – It appears that Vazquez has finally turned the corner this year and has returned to being one of the elite closers in baseball. He pitched four times this week, picking up three saves and struck out nine across four shutout innings. He hasn’t given up a run in his last 12 outings, a span of 12.2 innings. He has racked up 24 strikeouts in that same timeframe and has converted eight saves. He has lowered his ERA, WHIP, and BAA from 4.73, 1.58, and .248 to 3.20, 1.30, and .221 respectively since the start of this strong stretch. Owners can plug him into their lineups with confidence for the remainder of the season. Top-ten. YTD stats: 39.1 innings, 20 saves, 55 Ks, 3.20 ERA.

Who’s Cold?

Cody Allen (96% owned) – Allen pitched twice this week but did not notch any saves. He pitched a total of two innings and gave up an abysmal six earned runs. The six runs all came in the same game, he was brought in with a 4-0 lead, so he didn’t take a blown save, but he did make the Indians lose. His ERA is now an unsightly 4.66 for the season and overall Allen should be viewed as a disappointment to this point. His job is still safe, but fantasy owners would surely like to see better results than the ones that he is providing. Middle-tier. YTD stats: 36.2 innings, 18 saves, 45 Ks, 4.66 ERA.

Middle Relievers of Note

This section will focus on closers in waiting or closer capable guys and how they are performing.

Kyle Crick (1% owned) – Crick moved over to the Pirates in the Andrew McCutchen trade and he has been a big factor in the Pirates bullpen. He has now made 12 straight scoreless appearances and has moved himself into a setup role. He will not challenge Vazquez for saves, but he is worth a stash in deeper leagues as he would likely slide into the closing role if Vazquez were to suffer an injury. For now, the majority of leagues can just keep their eye on him and be ready to pounce if something does in fact happen to Vazquez. YTD stats: 34.0 innings, 8 holds, 35 Ks, 2.12 ERA.

C.J. Edwards (15% owned) – Edwards recently made his return from the DL and has looked great since rejoining the Cubs. He has made three appearances only totaling 1.2 innings, but he has racked up four strikeouts and two holds in that span. In his last appearance he struck out the side. Edwards is a proven reliever who will provide great ratios and a lot of holds. If the original owner of Edwards dropped him when he landed on the DL, do yourself and your fantasy team a favor and pick him up. He won’t challenge Brandon Morrow for saves, but if Morrow were to land on the DL he would be a favorite in the competition to garner save chances. YTD stats: 26.2 innings, 11 holds, 44 Ks, 2.70 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