The 2017 season is in full swing and most bullpens are taking a stronger shape. Jeanmar Gomez is the only guy to lose his job so far, but there are a few other guys on the hot seat. Maybe you aren’t happy with how your relievers are doing. Don’t panic, just breathe, it’s early in the season.
Closers in flux
Sam Dyson is an absolute mess. The guy has done nothing well, and should be forcing the Rangers’ hand to make a switch. As of now manager Jeff Banister has yet to unseat Dyson from the closer role, but I would be surprised to see him get the next save opportunity. He’s given up 11 earned runs in just three innings-pitched and has blown both save opportunities he’s been given. The other problem is Jeremy Jeffress is also struggling and Matt Bush is hurting, expected to be sidelined for a few days. Bush is the guy to own and, with a solid strikeout rate, could make for a decent fantasy closer if given the chance.
Blake Treinen blew a save chance this week and neither his 6.23 ERA nor his 1.62 WHIP are looking pretty. The job is still his, for now, but it doesn’t appear to be very secure. Treinen walks a lot of guys and gets himself into trouble, but has, for the most part, done a solid job of working around it. Shawn Kelley would be next in line to get save opportunities if Treinen works his way out of the closers role.
Jim Johnson is a bottom tier closer and one you should avoid owning. He blew his first save chance of the season earlier this week in an extra inning loss to the Pirates. He did manage to get his first save of the season Wednesday. Johnson isn’t a big strikeout pitcher and gets hit around quite a bit. Add to that the Braves not being a very good team and you have a closer who doesn’t really do much for you in fantasy. Arodys VizcaÃno would be next in line for save chances if the Braves decide to mix up their bullpen.
Blown Saves
*Top 10
| Player | BS YTD | Player | BS last 7 days | |
| Sam Dyson | 2 | Sam Dyson | 1 | |
| Francisco Rodriguez | 1 | Francisco Rodriguez | 1 | |
| Jim Johnson | 1 | Jim Johnson | 1 | |
| Mark Melancon | 1 | Jeanmar Gomez | 1 | |
| Jeanmar Gomez | 1 | Kelvin Herrera | 1 | |
| Kelvin Herrera | 1 | Blake Treinen | 1 | |
| Ryan Dull | 1 | Edwin Diaz | 1 | |
| Blake Treinen | 1 | |||
| Seung-Hwan Oh | 1 | |||
| Edwin Diaz | 1 |
Who’s Hot?
Greg Holland (85% owned) makes his way into this section for the second-straight week. The guy has been incredible finishing out games for the Rockies. This week Holland picked up three saves in three chances. He also had six strikeouts over three innings, while again not allowing a run to score. He has had a huge jump in ownership percentage since last week and rightfully so. Year to date (YTD) stats: 5 innings, 5 saves, 8 Ks, 0.00 ERA.
Raisel Iglesias (83% owned) was dealing with multiple injuries throughout spring training which had many people worried about his role in the Reds’ pen. Iglesias has responded with a great start and should be easing his drafters’ fears. This week Iglesias threw 3.2 innings and picked up two saves. The Reds have shown their trust in the inexperienced closer with both his saves this week being five-plus outs. YTD stats: 5.2 innings, 3 saves, 6 Ks, 0.00 ERA.
Who’s Cold?
Francisco Rodriguez (90% owned) has started his season in typical Rodriguez-like form. He doesn’t seem to have many clean innings, but for the most part gets the job done. This week, K-Rod made three appearances giving up a run in two of them including one blown save. While he may have a lot of sketchy outings, he usually manages to pick up the saves. He can worry you at times; but you knew what you were getting into when drafting him. His job security is fine and he will continue to get you saves at a cheap price. YTD stats: 4.1 innings, 3 saves, 3 Ks, 4.15 ERA.
Seung-Hwan Oh (96% owned) the 2016 fantasy reliever breakout star is having a nightmare start to the season and it didn’t get better this week. Oh made three appearances this week and allowed one run in two of them. He has tossed just one scoreless inning this season and has yet to pick up a save. Fantasy owners shouldn’t panic though, and if the owner of Oh in your league is looking to sell-low, I would buy. He is a safe bet to turn it around quickly. YTD stats: 4.2 innings, 0 saves, 2 Ks, 9.64 ERA.
Middle Relievers of note
Brad Brach (28% owned) is a strong own in holds leagues. He, of course, has Zach Britton on his team locking down save opportunities meaning Brach, barring injury, has very little upside for saves. YTD stats: 4 innings, 5 Ks, 3 holds, 0.00 ERA.
Arodys VizcaÃno (4% owned) is probably the best reliever in a very weak Braves bullpen. Jim Johnson hasn’t been good since 2012, and I don’t see him remaining the Braves closer for all of 2017. VizcaÃno would be first in line for save opportunities if the Braves make a change at closer. YTD stats: 4 innings, 2 Ks, 2 holds, 0.00 ERA.
Archie Bradley (5% owned) is another guy who is part of a weak bullpen. Bradley has been phenomenal in the early going, and if the Diamondbacks starters stay healthy and pitch well there is a chance Bradley could get a chance at closing this year. YTD stats: 6.2 innings, 10 Ks, 1 hold, 0.00 ERA.
A pair of Rockies, Mike Dunn (11% owned) and Adam Ottavino (39% owned), are off to great starts. Both make for solid owns in holds leagues, but with how Holland is pitching, neither will be getting save opportunities. YTD stats for Dunn: 5 innings, 8 Ks, 2 holds, 0.00 ERA. YTD stats for Ottavino: 4.2 innings, 8 Ks, 4 holds, 1.93 ERA.
The full 2016 breakdown for these 5 guys can be found in the chart below. *Bradley was a starter all of 2016.
| TEAM | G | W | SV | HOLDS | IP | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | WHIP | BAA | K/9 | |
| Brad Brach | BAL | 71 | 10 | 2 | 24 | 79 | 57 | 18 | 7 | 25 | 92 | 2.05 | 1.04 | 0.201 | 10.48 |
| Arodys VizcaÃno | ATL | 43 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 38.2 | 37 | 19 | 3 | 26 | 50 | 4.42 | 1.63 | 0.240 | 11.64 |
| Archie Bradley | ARI | 26 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 141.2 | 154 | 79 | 16 | 67 | 143 | 5.02 | 1.56 | 0.276 | 9.08 |
| Mike Dunn | MIA | 51 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 42.1 | 43 | 16 | 5 | 11 | 38 | 3.40 | 1.28 | 0.270 | 8.08 |
| Adam Ottavino | COL | 34 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 27 | 18 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 35 | 2.67 | 0.93 | 0.184 | 11.67 |
Holds
*Top 10
| Player | HLD YTD | Player | HLD last 7 days | |
| Pedro Strop | 4 | Pedro Strop | 3 | |
| Adam Ottavino | 4 | Kyle Ryan | 3 | |
| Brad Brach | 3 | Koda Glover | 3 | |
| Luke Gregerson | 3 | Brad Brach | 2 | |
| Carlos Estevez | 3 | Corey Knebel | 2 | |
| Kyle Ryan | 3 | Adam Ottavino | 2 | |
| Koda Glover | 3 | Fernando Salas | 2 | |
| Heath Hembree | 3 | Ryan Buchter | 2 | |
| 28 tied with | 2 | 12 more tied with | 2 |
*Ownership percentages are based off Yahoo
Be sure to check out the full Closers Grid for rankings and who is next in line for saves on each team.
Player News
Ronald Acuña Jr. walloped his 19th home run of the season and walked three times, leading Atlanta to an 11-5 blowout win over the Nationals.
Acuña has caught fire down the home stretch following a prolonged slump coming out of the All-Star break, homering four times in his last 11 games. The 27-year-old generational talent took Nationals lefty MacKenzie Gore deep in the opening frame and wound up reaching base safely in four of his six plate appearances in the one-sided affair. He’s looked like a fantasy superstar again of late, batting an absurd .346 (18-for-52) with four homers, 13 RBI and two steals over his last 15 games.
Nasim Nuñez went 3-for-4 with a solo homer in Monday’s blowout loss to Atlanta.
Nuñez walloped his first career leadoff homer when he took Atlanta ace Chris Sale deep to right field. It was his fourth round-tripper since returning to the big leagues back in early September. He came a few feet shy of his second big fly on the night a couple frames later and finished the one-sided affair with a season-high three hits, reaching base safely in four of his five plate appearances. He’s shown enough down the home stretch to be considered a serious contender for an everyday role next spring.
Michael Harris II went 3-for-5 with three RBI and three stolen bases in Monday’s lopsided win over the Nationals.
Harris kicked off an impressive three-hit performance with a 109-mph line-drive to right field that brought home Ha-Seong Kim from second base in the second inning. He scorched a run-scoring single as part of Atlanta’s five-run outburst in the ensuing frame. He wasn’t done yet as he drove in another run on a fielder’s choice in the fourth before adding a sixth-inning single. The three steals matched his previous career-high mark set back on July 16, 2022 during his stellar rookie campaign. It also puts him one theft shy of reaching the 20-steal threshold for the third time in the last four seasons.
Chris Sale was charged with five runs over five innings on Monday in a win over the Nationals.
Sale received a touchdown and a two-point conversion worth of run support from Atlanta’s offense by the fifth inning and was cruising along, despite coughing up early solo homers to Nasim Nuñez and Dylan Crews, before Andrés Chaparro delivered a bases-clearing three-run single with two outs in the frame that slashed the deficit to three runs at the time. He managed to wriggle out of the jam without any further damage, finishing with six strikeouts and two walks in the shortened outing. He’ll close out the season on Sunday with a home matchup against the offensively challenged Pirates.
MacKenzie Gore was lit up for four runs over two innings on Monday in a loss to Atlanta.
Gore served up a first-inning solo homer to Ronald Acuña Jr. and things only went downhill from there in the abbreviated outing as Atlanta tacked on another run in the second before chasing him from the contest in the ensuing frame after just 71 pitches (48 strikes). The 26-year-old southpaw battled some serious control issues in this one, handing out four free passes, and only notched three strikeouts. The unexpected implosion breaks up a decent late-season stretch for Gore since returning from the injured list back in early September. He’ll attempt to close out the season on a high note when he faces the White Sox on Sunday afternoon.
Cubs released RHP Nate Pearson.
Pearson’s time in Chicago is over after he posted a lackluster 5.05 ERA across 41 innings of work in 30 appearances over the last two seasons. The 29-year-old former top pitching prospect was never able to make it work after converting to a full-time relief role. However, it’s possible there’s still an organization out there willing to bring him in this offseason as a reclamation project.