We are just over a week into the season, and there have already been plenty of changes in bullpens throughout the Major Leagues. Committees are the flavor of the day, and several managers are treating their relievers like audience members at an Oprah taping. YOU GET A SAVE! YOU GET A SAVE! EVERYBODY GETS A SAVE!!! As we try to sort through the noise and the chaos, below you’ll find my closer rankings and bullpen depth charts for each division, along with my take on the latest bullpen news.
Week 3 Closer Rankings and Bullpen Depth Chart
+ Injury Concern
* Part of Committee
NMU Rank = The potential rank if the Next Man Up becomes closer
AL East Bullpen Depth Chart
On the bright side, Baltimore surprised many by winning games on four straight days within the last week. The bad news is that supposed closer Mychal Givens emerged with zero saves. Givens was deployed in the eighth inning of consecutive games in New York over the weekend. He was unable to finish either game and settled for a pair of holds. Further muddying the situation is that four different pitchers got saves during the winning streak. This is a full-blown committee on what figures to be a bad team. Hopefully, you have better options…
Matt Barnes earned a win in Oakland on Wednesday but did so by coming into a tie game in the bottom of the seventh inning. Positive result aside, this is not the type of usage we want to see for our closers. Ryan Brasier picked up the save in that game and should siphon some saves this season…
Aroldis Chapman has lost nearly three MPH off his fastball in the early going and took the loss on Tuesday against Detroit. I don’t think the two are unrelated. Owners do not need to panic just yet, but should pay attention to Chapman’s next few outings…
Much to my personal dismay, Jose Alvarado is not just a closer. He entered the game to start the eighth inning on two occasions within the last week, most recently against the Rockies on Wednesday. In that outing, he struck out all three batters he faced and defied the laws of physics against Charlie Blackmon. Alvarado should still get the majority of saves going forward as he did on Friday, but Diego Castillo should get the occasional save as well…
Ken Giles has enjoyed typical closer usage and has looked the part in the early going. Through four innings, Giles has yet to allow a run and has struck out seven of 13 hitters. He can sneak into the top-10 if he continues many of the strides he made last season with regard to his control.
AL Central Bullpen Depth Chart
Alex Colome has not gotten much work thus far, but he earned a save on Friday and is the clear closer over Kelvin Herrera. The former Ray should be able to keep the job and is a solid second closer in fantasy leagues…
Brad Hand has been less than steady to begin 2019, including Thursday’s outing against Toronto. Hand came on to close out Trevor Bauer’s no-hit bid but instead relinquished a trio of hits and an earned run. Hand did post a save in that game, which made the damage a little more tolerable…
Shane Greene has saved all five of Detroit’s wins entering the weekend. Neither Greene nor Detroit is what most would consider “good”, but teams that struggle to score often play a lot of close games, which could increase save chances. We have probably already seen his most dominant stretch of the season, but he will be viable for as long as he is the closer…
Following Brad Boxberger’s rocky start, manager Ned Yost gave Ian Kennedy a crack at his first career save, and Kennedy responded in kind with a scoreless frame against the White Sox on Saturday. However, Kennedy promptly blew his next chance against Minnesota. Wily Peralta entered a tie game in the ninth the very next day and took the loss. It looks like Kennedy and Wily Peralta will split save chances, with Jake Diekman and Boxberger behind them in the pecking order. Until one member of this ragtag crew emerges, this looks like a situation to avoid…
Taylor Rogers was a popular pickup last week, but Rocco Baldelli showcased his disdain for fantasy owners by giving Blake Parker back-to-back save chances this week. The former Angel converted both and could be the preferred option, at least for the moment. As for Rogers, he has recorded more than three outs in two of his three outings and may be viewed as more of a swing pitcher.
AL West Bullpen Depth Chart
Closer Roberto Osuna and primary setup man Ryan Pressly have defined roles in the Houston Astros’ bullpen. They have each pitched in the same three games this season, all Houston victories. Starters Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole have not been quite up to their lofty standards through two starts, and the offense has had a hard time putting up runs. But once the Astros get in gear, Osuna should rack up the saves with Pressly providing plenty of holds…
Cody Allen has not seen a lot of action in the first week because Los Angeles has won just two games through Friday’s action, but he has been solid so far. Allen has yet to allow a hit through three innings. He appears to be on solid ground for now…
Blake Treinen continues to be elite, which is not really news. Fernando Rodney blew up against Boston on Wednesday, which is also not much of a surprise. Lou Trivino had an effective 2018 and has been virtually unhittable so far this year. Trivino should continue to work his way up the ladder in Oakland, as Rodney and Joakim Soria have gotten off to rough starts…
Like Baltimore, Seattle had four different relievers earn saves in consecutive days. However, a new candidate may have emerged as the early favorite to replace the injured Hunter Strickland. The Mariners activated Anthony Swarzak from the IL on Tuesday, and he immediately impressed by getting out of a ninth-inning jam. Swarzak entered with runners on first and third and one out, and did not allow either to score, preserving a 2-1 win. That performance coupled with a lack of other quality options may earn the journeyman some trust moving forward…
Jose Leclerc has a win and two saves early on and is the lone sheriff in town for Texas. Leclerc has allowed an insane 59 hits over 122.2 career innings. The only question is whether he will earn enough opportunities. So far, so good for the 5-3 Rangers.
NL East Bullpen Depth Chart
Arodys Vizcaino has yet to allow a run through three innings this season but had to wiggle his way out of trouble in Miami on Friday. The recent return of A.J. Minter means that Vizcaino’s grip on the closer duties in Atlanta may be a little looser than most. It is expected that the duo will share the role once Minter is up to full speed…
The Marlins have not won a game since Sunday, which figures to be a familiar refrain throughout the course of the season. Sergio Romo got the save in their last victory, while Drew Steckenrider allowed four runs in the ninth inning of what had been a tie game on Monday against the Mets. Romo should have the job for the foreseeable future, but saves will be difficult to come by…
Edwin Diaz has been his normal steady self so far, earning three saves in New York. He should be among the league leaders in saves once again this season…
The good news for David Robertson owners is that he is getting the ninth inning work and the Phillies are off to a 5-1 record. The bad news is that Robertson has been awful. In his first three games, Robertson recorded six outs and allowed 10 baserunners. That is a 5.00 WHIP. He lowered that to 3.67 by allowing just a single hit in a scoreless ninth on Friday but has still yet to record a save. Hopefully, the slow start is just a blip on the radar…
Sean Doolittle has yet to post a save but has rewarded fantasy owners with two wins. Wins for closers are always a bit fluky, so it is nice when they come. Doolittle remains unchallenged for saves in the Washington Nationals’ bullpen. Trevor Rosenthal has made David Robertson look like peak Mariano Rivera so far this season. The former Cardinal closer has faced seven batters so far this year. They have all scored.
NL Central Bullpen Depth Chart
The Chicago Cubs have started out 1-6, so save chances have not exactly been plentiful. Chicago has posted an MLB-worst 7.85 ERA as a staff, and their bullpen has actually been worse, at 8.86. Pedro Strop figures to get save chances for now and should remain in that role at least until Brandon Morrow is ready to return…
Cincinnati is also 1-6, with the lone win coming on Opening Day. Raisel Iglesias will earn the majority of save opportunities but is also expected to earn usage similar to Jose Alvarado in Tampa Bay. This may cost Iglesias saves on occasion, as was the case in the Reds’ lone win…
Milwaukee has had no trouble winning or saving games to this point. Josh Hader already has four saves, including back-to-back efforts early this week. To me, that instance proves that Hader is the closer. Hader only pitched on consecutive days on a handful of occasions in 2018. With Hader unavailable on Wednesday, Alex Wilson recorded his fifth career save. Wilson looks to have the setup role carved out while Jeremy Jeffress remains sidelined…
Felipe Vazquez continues to be the man in Pittsburgh. The Pirates lead the NL with a 2.25 team ERA, and Vazquez has yet to allow an earned run in four appearances. The fireballer is an elite closer in any format…
Take a bow if you had John Gant and Dakota Hudson leading the St. Louis Cardinals in saves. Despite the results, Jordan Hicks is the closer in St. Louis until further notice. Hicks hasn’t pitched since Monday but recorded a two-inning victory in that game. It was a nice bounce-back performance after blowing a save and taking a loss in Milwaukee the day before. Andrew Miller and Alex Reyes have struggled out of the gate and do not figure to take many save away from Hicks at this point in time.
NL West Bullpen Depth Chart
Greg Holland has pitched in two games and has saves in both. It may be a simple result of some early-season circumstance, but I like that Holland has only pitched in those two games. Holland’s effectiveness is much likelier to decrease throwing 80 innings as opposed to 50 or 60. Of course, he is likely to blow up at any time regardless. His velocity is way down and he is no longer capable of beating bats on a consistent basis. Enjoy the success while it lasts. Just know that it’s probably not going to last all year…
Wade Davis does not have any saves yet but does have a win and two scoreless outings to his credit. He will get a lot of saves in Colorado but will not do much to help with ratios…
Kenley Jansen has three saves and has yet to allow an earned run through four innings. He appears to be mostly all the way back from last season’s health issues. But it remains to be seen whether he can keep the ball in the yard and dominate as he had prior to last season. Either way, he is still a top-five closer given the current landscape…
Kirby Yates has gotten off to a hot start. The veteran has picked up right where he left off last season. Yates has four saves and eight strikeouts in five innings. If San Diego can remain competitive throughout the year, Yates should be a top-10 closer…
Will Smith’s draft stock dropped in March due to concerns that he would share closer duties with Mark Melancon. Those fears have seemingly been alleviated, but Smith is still on a rebuilding Giants club which will have a hard time stringing wins together. The good news is that the Giants’ offense is subpar, so when they win, Smith should be in line for some saves. Smith has tallied saves in both of San Francisco’s 2019 victories. Barring a trade to a contender, Smith is a good bet to approach 30 saves and post solid peripherals.
Mick Ciallela has been writing for FantraxHQ since July 2017. He has also written for Bleacher Report. He is a lifelong sports fan and has been an avid fantasy sports player for many years. Mick was the Overall Champion of both the 2016 Football Challenge – Roto and 2017 Play 3 Football contests hosted by CDM Sports. Mick was born and raised in Mount Vernon, New York and currently resides in New London, Connecticut.
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