2017 Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report: Marlins Opening?
Published: Sep 14, 2017
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 6th inning is very irrelevant in my opinion, when tracking fantasy assets.
Player | BS YTD | Player | BS last 7 days | |
Roberto Osuna | 10 | Brad Ziegler | 1 | |
Jim Johnson | 8 | Kelvin Herrera | 1 | |
Santiago Casilla | 6 | Ken Giles | 1 | |
Fernando Rodney | 6 | Alex Claudio | 1 | |
Tony Watson | 5 | Fernando Rodney | 1 | |
Alex Colome | 5 | Javy Guerra | 1 | |
Brandon Kintzler | 5 | Kyle Barraclough | 1 | |
Sam Dyson | 4 | Zach Britton | 1 | |
Blake Treinen | 4 | |||
13 more tied with | 4 |
Who’s Hot?
Corey Knebel (89% owned) had another stellar week and continues to rack up strikeouts at elite rates. This week he converted on all three of his saves chances and had six strikeouts across three shutout innings. Knebel along with Craig Kimbrel and Kenley Jansen have really separated themselves from the rest of the pack this year, and are all putting up ridiculous numbers. Knebel has given up just one earned run since July 19th a span of 23 appearances. In that span he has picked up 19 saves and is now in the top-5 for total saves despite starting the season in a setup role. YTD stats: 68.0 innings, 35 saves, 115 K, 1.32 ERA.
Cody Allen (93% owned) pitched three times this week and converted on all three of his save opportunities. He also had four strikeouts across three shutout innings and did not allow an opposing hitter to reach base against him. Allen has a current active streak of 14.1 straight innings without allowing a run. During that span he has picked up eight saves and two wins. Allen has had a strong season but has a surprisingly low save total of just 27, despite playing for the first place and white-hot Indians. Allen is in the top-10 of the closing ranks and should be a strong own for the rest of the season. YTD stats: 59.2 innings, 27 saves, 80 K, 2.56 ERA.
Who’s Cold?
Brad Ziegler (26% owned) pitched just one time this week and picked up a blown save. In his lone outing, he gave up two earned runs and recorded just two outs. He also failed to strikeout an opposing hitter, and let three runners reach base against him. He has given up four earned runs in his last 2.2 innings pitched and his job could soon be in jeopardy. He is also dealing with an injury to his back. Teammate Kyle Barraclough is the more talented of the two relievers and will likely push Ziegler for save opportunities down the stretch of the season. Ziegler cannot be counted on right now, and ranks near the bottom for closers. YTD stats: 44.2 innings, 9 saves, 25 K, 5.04 ERA.
Hector Neris (60% owned) pitched three times this week and converted on his lone save opportunity. However, he also gave up two earned runs across four innings and finished with a WHIP of 1.75 for the week. While his week was not a complete disaster, it was far from what you are hoping for at this point in the fantasy season. There is little upside for Neris for the remainder of the season pitching for the Phillies, but overall he has had a solid campaign. He remains near the bottom of the closing ranks. YTD stats: 66.2 innings, 20 saves, 72 K, 3.11 ERA.
Who’s Hot, Who’s Cold Season Leader Board
This table shows who has made the most appearances in these sections.
Hot Total | Cold Total | |||
Kenley Jansen | 6 | Roberto Osuna | 4 | |
Greg Holland | 5 | Mark Melancon | 3 | |
Craig Kimbrel | 5 | Brandon Kintzler | 3 | |
Corey Knebel | 5 | A.J. Ramos | 3 | |
Raisel Iglesias | 3 | Hector Neris | 3 | |
Roberto Osuna | 3 | Francisco Rodriguez | 2 | |
Edwin Diaz | 3 | Kelvin Herrera | 2 | |
Fernando Rodney | 3 | Addison Reed | 2 | |
Brandon Kintzler | 2 | Seung-Hwan Oh | 2 | |
A.J. Ramos | 2 | Matt Bush | 2 | |
Sean Doolittle | 2 | Alex Colome | 2 | |
Ken Giles | 2 | Aroldis Chapman | 2 | |
Cody Allen | 2 | 16 tied with | 1 | |
14 tied with | 1 |
Middle Relievers of Note
Peter Moylan (1% owned) has not allowed a run to score against him in over a month, a span of 13 innings. Over that span he has picked up seven holds (good for T-3 in all of baseball) and has an impressive WHIP of 0.54. It is unlikely that the veteran will be able to keep it going much longer but the recent span puts him on radar. The Royals bullpen is a complete disaster, and with how well Moylan is pitching the door could soon open up for him to compete for save chances. Currently he is just someone worth monitoring. YTD stats: 55.0 innings, 21 holds, 43 K, 3.60 ERA.
Holds
*Top 10
Player | HLD YTD | Player | HLD last 7 days | |
Taylor Rogers | 28 | Anthony Swarzak | 3 | |
Nick Vincent | 27 | Pat Neshek | 3 | |
Jose Ramirez | 25 | Brandon Kintzler | 2 | |
Jacob Barnes | 24 | Joe Smith | 2 | |
Tommy Hunter | 23 | Josh Smoker | 2 | |
Matt Bowman | 23 | Jake McGee | 2 | |
Anthony Swarzak | 22 | Jarlin Garcia | 2 | |
Pedro Baez | 22 | Mike Minor | 2 | |
Kyle Barraclough | 22 | Carlos Ramirez | 2 | |
Bryan Shaw | 22 | 11 more tied with | 2 |
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.
Team | ERA | IP | Team | ERA | IP | Team | ERA | IP | ||
Indians | 2.80 | 436.2 | Brewers | 3.99 | 505.2 | Astros | 4.45 | 491.1 | ||
Red Sox | 3.19 | 456.2 | Pirates | 4.00 | 490.0 | Twins | 4.54 | 498.0 | ||
Dodgers | 3.31 | 501.0 | Cubs | 4.03 | 491.2 | Giants | 4.55 | 450.2 | ||
Yankees | 3.44 | 481.2 | Blue Jays | 4.22 | 537.0 | Rangers | 4.60 | 459.2 | ||
Angels | 3.68 | 504.1 | Royals | 4.32 | 514.1 | Athletics | 4.63 | 494.0 | ||
Orioles | 3.69 | 526.2 | Phillies | 4.37 | 488.0 | Braves | 4.65 | 472.2 | ||
Rays | 3.81 | 484.0 | Marlins | 4.37 | 541.1 | Reds | 4.65 | 550.0 | ||
Diamondbacks | 3.88 | 440.2 | White Sox | 4.37 | 491.2 | Nationals | 4.67 | 416.1 | ||
Cardinals | 3.95 | 456.0 | Padres | 4.40 | 500.2 | Mets | 4.73 | 498.1 | ||
Mariners | 3.95 | 508.0 | Rockies | 4.43 | 495.2 | Tigers | 5.24 | 464.0 |
Recently Overworked
This highlights the bullpens that have been seeing both heavy usage and struggling over the last 7 days.
Team | ERA | IP |
Royals | 5.01 | 32.1 |
Dodgers | 5.79 | 28.0 |
Giants | 5.47 | 26.1 |
Rangers | 6.93 | 24.2 |
Mets | 9.93 | 22.2 |
Padres | 5.64 | 22.1 |
Reds | 6.14 | 22.0 |
*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
Player News
Mariners sent INF/OF Samad Taylor outright to Triple-A Tacoma.
Loui Trivino completed a bullpen session in front of scouts in Palm Beach on Tuesday.
USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale says Michael Kopech is “expected to possibly miss the first month of the season.”
The Dodgers are signing Kirby Yates, according to USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale.
Cubs signed RHP Trevor Richards to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.
Pirates designated INF Tristan Gray for assignment.