Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report: September 6

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.

Closers in Flux

Bud Norris (72% owned) – It already appeared Norris was starting to lose his grip on the job with Jordan Hicks picking up saves lately. Now this week, he gave up five earned runs across 1.1 innings pitched and blew a save. His ERA has skyrocketed to 3.60 and he is currently day-to-day. Meanwhile, Hicks has made four straight scoreless appearances and converted another save on September 4. He now has six saves, with four of them coming within the last 30 days. Norris still appears to have the job, but his leash is getting shorter and shorter. Hicks is the more talented pitcher of the two.

Quick Hits

• 8/30 Brad Hand picked up the save, Allen was used in the eighth.
• 8/31 David Robertson converted his fifth save.... Brad Hand converted another save for the Indians, Allen was once again used in the eighth and it appears their roles have officially flipped.
• 9/1 Justin Miller notched his second save for the Nationals.... Adam Kolarek converted a one-out save for the Rays.
• 9/2 Jose Alvarado snagged a two-out save, his seventh save of the season.
• 9/3 Tim Hill picked up a save in relief of Wily Peralta .
• 9/4 Carlos Martínez notched his first save since 2014.

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?

Blake Treinen (91% owned) – if it weren’t for Diaz’s historic season that he is in the midst of, Treinen would likely be getting a lot more hype than he is. This week, he pitched three times and converted on all three of his save attempts. He struck out two across 3.1 shutout innings and did not let anyone reach base against him. Trienen is fourth in the league in saves, albeit a far from first fourth, with 38. His ratios have been fantastic as well, with a 0.91 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 11.81 K/9, and .166 BAA.  He has pitched six straight shutout outings. Top-five. YTD stats: 69.1 innings, 36 saves, 91 Ks, 0.91 ERA.

Edwin Díaz (99% owned) – This guy is flat out incredible. His domination of hitters is never ending and that was again the case this week. He pitched three times and picked up three saves. He struck out nine(!) across 3.1 shutout innings and only allowed two runners to reach base against him. He now has 53 saves and is on pace for 61, which would put him one shy of the MLB record. He has now made six straight scoreless appearances and has only given up one run in his last 11 outings. All of his numbers are just simply ridiculous, not just the 53 saves, which is 15(!) more than the next closest. He has 117 strikeouts in 67.1 innings pitched and is rocking a 1.87 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and .155 BAA. He is the best closer in baseball. YTD stats: 67.1 innings, 53 saves, 117 Ks, 1.87 ERA.

Who’s Cold?

Wily Peralta (21% owned) – Peralta only pitched one time this week and he got yanked mid outing after giving up a run while only recording one out. It was his second straight appearance in which he has given up a run and he hasn’t recorded a save since August 18. He is still listed as the teams closer, but he is hard to trust right now. His 4.98 FIP and 1.43 WHIP are both terrible and we should expect further regression from him. Barring a quick turnaround, he will likely be removed from the role completely soon. Bottom-five. YTD stats: 23.0 innings, 8 saves, 24 Ks, 3.91 ERA.

Middle Relievers of Note

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

Justin Miller (4% owned) – It pains me to recommend Miller here, as I am not sold on him being a very good pitcher, but he has provided some nice counting stats lately. Over his last five outings he has picked up two saves and a hold, and with the Nationals not really having a closer right now, he is worth an add. His ratios, while not great – 3.83 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 0.216 BAA – are not terrible and he has done solid in the strikeout department with 53 across 47 innings. However, he does have a 4.62 FIP and has given up 10 home runs already, so there are a fair amount of negatives. He is worth a flyer to those who are in deep leagues chasing saves. YTD stats: 47.0 innings, 9 holds, 53 Ks, 3.83 ERA.

Holds

*Top 10

Stat Leaders

This simply provides the current top-5 closers in saves, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP.  *I did not include Sean Doolittle or Brandon Morrow this week because of their extended DL stints.

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