I’ll be taking over the Bullpen Report for Mick Ciallela and getting you up to date on the closer carousel every Saturday morning. We’re going to change up the format, but still provide the same in-depth look at the closer position as Mick. If all goes according to plan, here’s how the Bullpen Report going to work:
- Speculative Adds – A ranked list of top 10 relievers to add with an emphasis on future save potential.
- HOLDS!!! – If we do all this work to identify top relievers, we might as well surface the ones who provide value even if they aren’t earning saves. This will be guys who are worth an add to boost peripherals or if you are in a league with Holds as a category.
- A recap of the week prior – who earned saves, who blew saves, and what each pitcher’s peripherals were like in the past seven days. We’ll look at the top two or three options from each bullpen so we can also take a sneak peek at who is next in line for saves. We’ll also include Fantrax ownership in everything we do.
- Bullpen Matrix – An interactive visual of bullpen usage for the past seven days. The report is dynamic so you can change the lookback period to your heart’s desire, but we’ll focus on how each team’s bullpen was managed over the past seven days.
I’m open to any and all feedback, and I hope this article evolves to maximize effectiveness for the readers. Don’t hesitate to reach out in the comments or on Twitter with comments, questions, suggestions about the article or fantasy baseball in general. Let’s get into it!
Week 13 Bullpen Report
Speculative Adds
Jake Diekman (TEX) – Keone Kela has been fine, but far from dominant. Diekman has pitched really well and even poached a save recently. He has the skills to run away with the closer job if ever given the chance.
Pedro Strop (CHC) – Brandon Morrow hits the DL with a freak injury, and I believe Strop is the guy to own in Chicago. He’s handled the highest leverage situation for the Cubs while CJ Edwards is on the DL, and should handle most of the save opportunities moving forward.
Justin Grimm (KC) – After the Herrera trade, Justin Grimm is my bet as the future Royals closer. There aren’t a ton of save opportunities presented in Kansas City, but Grimm has the pedigree and recent success to take over the role.
HOLDS!!!!
Tony Watson (SF) – With Sam Dyson moving into the closer role, Watson slides up the bullpen depth chart and figures to be in line for more holds in high-leverage situations.
Steve Cishek (CHC) – With Morrow on the DL, everyone moves up a spot in the Cubs bullpen. This puts Cishek in even more high leverage situations and a spot for more holds. He’s pitched well above expectations this year and is worthy of an add in any holds leagues.
Brad Peacock (HOU) – He’s been filthy of late, and with the Astros surging, he’s arguably the best source of holds in the fantasy baseball landscape. Still available in 42 percent of leagues, too.
Neil Ramirez (CLE) – A sneaky good add in an established bullpen for a winning team, Neil Ramirez is the low-owned type of player you can rack up holds with and is only owned in just one percent of leagues.
Steve Cishek is pitching again, but today I wrote about how he hasn’t actually been all that overused: https://t.co/XeA8tZhWG4
— Nate Greabe (@ngreabe) June 20, 2018
Prior Week Recap
[table “170” not found /]Bullpen Matrix
For more on how the Bullpen Matrix works head on over the dedicated page for the chart.
