2017 Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report: Rough Starts

A fantasy bullpen can be a revolving door much like actual MLB bullpens. A strong set of relievers can make the difference between winning and losing. Many reaped the benefits of adding a guy like Seung-Hwan Oh in 2016. It happens every year, stud relievers seem to come out of nowhere, but that is simply not the case. They are not actually coming out of nowhere; keeping an eye on MLB bullpens can help lead you to success and not missing out on some fantasy team upgrades. Let’s dive into it.

Closers in flux

The Phillies Jeanmar Gómez got a save in his first appearance of 2017 but it wasn’t pretty. He was tasked with holding a 4-1 lead, and managed to close the door only after allowing a two-run HR to make it a 4-3 game. Gómez simply doesn’t have good enough stuff to be an effective closer. He served as the teams closer in 2016 and while he did manage to get 37 saves, he also had 6 blown saves and a 4.85 ERA. Héctor Neris will likely take over the job sooner rather than later.

Santiago Casilla got the first save chance of the season for the A’s, which was a bit unexpected with many believing Ryan Madson would be the teams closer to start 2017. Casilla managed to pick up the save. So Casilla is the closer right…? Not so fast. It was Ryan Dull who was called upon for the A’s second save opportunity of the season. He was unable to get the job done; taking the blown save and the loss after Danny Espinosa tagged him for a three-run HR. This bullpen is one to try and avoid until things become clearer.

Brandon Maurer will start the season as the Padres closer but given his struggles in 2016 it remains to be seen how long he will hold onto the gig. He converted just 13-19 save opportunities last season and posted a 4.52 ERA across 69.2 innings. Ryan Buchter would likely be next in line if Maurer struggles. Carter Capps is also someone to keep an eye on once he gets healthy.

Blown Saves

Sam Dyson, Mark Melancon, Seung-Hwan Oh and Ryan Dull all blew ninth inning leads this week.

Hot Starts

Ken Giles (94% owned) is off to a great start converting both of his save opportunities, giving up 0 runs, and striking out 5 batters in 2 innings. Starting off strong is important for Giles after his messy April in 2016. He finished last April with a 9.00 ERA after giving up 4 HRs and 10 ER in just 10 innings. Giles has electric stuff and could be in for a strong 2017 season as the Astros closer.

Greg Holland (69% owned) is also 2-2 in save opportunities to start the season. He has 2 Ks in 2 innings. Holland missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery, and while he may not return to his previous level of dominance, he could serve as a solid fantasy asset. He is available in a lot of leagues, and probably shouldn't be. The Rockies look like an improved team this year and Holland might pick up a lot of saves. 

Cold Beginnings

Mark Melancon (97% owned) was brought in this offseason to be the answer to the Giants 9^th inning struggles last year. His first outing could not have gone worse as he blew the save giving up 2 runs including a walk-off RBI single to Chris Owings. Fantasy owners do not need to panic as Melancon should bounce back and have a strong remaining season. He has been a consistent fantasy asset, if someone is panicing and looking to sell low, he is a nice target. 

Sam Dyson (84% owned) was given the task of holding a 5-5 tie in the ninth on the Rangers opening day. He gave up 3 runs and was unable to get out of the inning. His second performance was even worse. Dyson was called upon to secure a 6-4 lead. He gave up 5 runs, including a Francisco Lindor Grand slam, and only managed to get 1 out. That’s now 8 ER in 1 full inning of work, not pretty. He doesn’t have strikeout stuff which isn’t good from the fantasy perspective. He is still the closer and his track record says he will turn it around, and he could be a cheap source of saves.

Middle Relievers of note

This is the section for relievers that can help you in leagues with a Holds category. Also guys who have strong stand alone value in standard formats, and of course pitchers that could be closers in waiting.

Nate Jones (65% owned) has stand alone value and is a great source of holds. There is also a chance David Robertson gets traded during the season, which would make Jones the closer for the White Sox.

Héctor Neris (41% owned), as mentioned above, is worth owning. He produces strikeouts at a high rate, and with the struggles of Gómez, Neris could soon find himself getting save opportunities.

Kyle Barraclough (27% owned) has pure stand alone value, and a must own in leagues with holds. The guy was a strikeout machine last season finishing with a K/9 of 14.

Kevin Siegrist (7% owned) While his strikeout production won’t match that of Barraclough, it is still good, finishing last season with 66 Ks in 61.2 innings. Siegrist would be the Cardinals closer if Seung-hwan Oh were to get injured or struggle for a long period of time.

Ryan Buchter (3% owned) is coming off a strong 2016 season and could take over the Padres closing job if Maurer struggles even slightly.

The full 2016 stat breakdown for each of these guys can be found in the chart below.

Holds

Luke Gregerson, Carlos Torres, Mike Dunn, Adam Ottavino, and Ryan Madson all secured 2 holds this week. The Rockies got the most holds as a team with 5. The A’s come in at second with 4.

*Ownership percentages are based off Yahoo