The 2025 Fantasy Baseball Draft season is well underway, and the season has already begun, albeit with just a pair of games in Japan. We have discussed bullpen competitions and examined some potential fantasy baseball ADP values among the available 2025 players being selected in drafts. 

 

 

 

Time now to look at the ranks of the 2025 Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitchers, with an emphasis on some peripheral metrics to aid further with your 2025 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep. For this installment, the emphasis is on swinging strike rates and the percentage of ground balls certain relievers are adept at coaxing from opposing batters.

Making bats miss pitches and/or inducing worm-burners from the men at the plate are two valuable skills that the better relievers possess, but that are not back of the baseball card staples.

*Pitcher stats below are: Innings Pitched/Wins/Saves/Holds/Strikeouts/ERA/WHIP/SwK% or GB%.

Fantasy Baseball RP Swinging Strike %

Dylan Lee, Atlanta Braves - LHP

  • 2024 Stats: 59.2/4/0/9/76/2.11/1.11/20.0%
  • 2025 Projections: 60.0/3/0/8/69/2.54/1.13/20.2%

The veteran southpaw returned from a shoulder injury to demonstrate his dominant set-up skills last season, and seems locked in as one of the primary options to set the table for Raisel Iglesias as the Braves’ closer in 2025. 

He will be sharing that role with a couple other arms, notably fellow lefty Aaron Bummer (profiled as a GB% arm below) and Pierce Johnson (RHP). His ability to miss bats plays well in his high-leverage role for the Braves, and he is projected to continue to be equally effective at doing so this year again.

Griffin Jax, Minnesota Twins - RHP

  • 2024 Stats: 71.0/5/10/24/95/2.03/0.87/18.4%
  • 2025 Projections: 66.0/5/7/17/77/3.14/1.06/18.4%

Despite some rumblings about moving the 30-year-old righty into the Minnesota rotation, word coming out of spring is that the Twins are content to keep the hurler working out of the pen as a lock-down setup man, at least to begin the 2025 season. His strike out rate saw a significant bump up last season, landing at 34.4%, an increase of nearly 10% over his 2023 results. 

He features five offerings, but his sweeper and change are his most effective offerings, resulting in dominant whiff rates of 45% or better. He also figures to be the first in line to close contests should current closer Jhoan Duran stumble in the ninth-inning role at some point.

 

 

 

Jason Adam, San Diego Padres - RHP

  • 2024 Stats: 73.2/7/4/31/81/1.95/0.86/18.7%
  • 2025 Projections: 66.0/4/7/19/76/2.22/0.89/18.4%

The 33-year-old reliever has stacked together three superior seasons of work out of the bullpen for Tampa Bay and then his current team, San Diego. His uptick in results corresponds with his increased reliance on his slider, and in 2024 he saw that offering result in a stupendous 57% whiff rate. 

He is next in line for saves should Robert Suarez find himself sidelined with yet another stint on the IL, or if his struggles in spring training carry over into the regular season. The excellent ratio stats projected for his efforts while toeing the rubber alone are reason to consider rostering him in deeper leagues.

Dedniel Nunez, New York Mets - RHP

  • 2024 Stats: 35.0/2/1/9/48/2.31/0.91/17.7%
  • 2025 Projections: 50.0/3/1/10/58/2.31/0.91/17.4%

The righthander’s rookie season was cut short due to a flexor strain in his throwing arm, limiting him to just 25 appearances, but his stats over that short term as a Met bullpen arm were enticing. 

The question will be if he can stay available for set-up duties for the whole season; if so, his ability to generate swings-and-misses from opposing hitters will allow him to be a solid late-inning option to set the stage for current Met closer, Edwin Diaz. New York does have a solid set of bullpen arms, so it will be imperative for the second-year arm to stay healthy to provide benefits for his Fantasy Owners.

Fernando Cruz, New York Yankees - RHP

  • 2024 Stats: 66.2/3/0/23/109/4.86/1.34/16.3%
  • 2025 Projections: 61.0/3/0/17/86/3.84/1.26/17.0%

In the other New York bullpen, the Yankees added the former Cincinnati Red high-leverage arm (23 holds in 2024), but he does not initially figure to be a primary set-up hurler, more of a middle inning man. 

If he can push his ratios into more palatable ranges, and given his 3.27 FIP compared to his unlucky high 4 ERA from last season that could work out for the veteran reliever. The strikeout numbers are certainly attractive for those Fantasy Baseball Owners in leagues with expanded pitching rosters.

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball RP GB%

Yennier Cano, Baltimore Orioles - RHP

  • 2024 Stats: 60.0/4/5/34/65/3.15/1.30/62.9%
  • 2025 Projections: 61.0/3/4/21/61/3.39/1.26/58.6%

Being able to induce groundballs from opposing hitters is a valued skill for a high-leverage reliever, leading to double-plays and avoiding allowing runners to advance on balls lofted to the outfield. The 31-year-old four season veteran also manages to miss plenty of bats, resulting in a strikeout rate of better than a hitter per frame, not always the case with strong GB% relievers. 

Even with the Orioles easing returning designated closer Felix Bautista into his ninth-inning role, given Cano’s prior difficulties converting save opportunities (nine blown saves over the past two seasons), he should not be expected to pick up more than a handful of saves over this season.

John King, St. Louis Cardinals - LHP

  • 2024 Stats: 60.0/3/0/9/38/2.85/1.20/61.7%
  • 2025 Projections: 55.0/3/0/11/29/3.60/1.31/62.1%

Pitching to contact has assisted the southpaw reliever with his stat line becoming more attractive in terms of ratio stats, especially during the course of last season, his best effort as a major leaguer over his five-year career climbing the hill for the Rangers and now the Cardinals. 

He is not in line to rack up many saves, if any for that matter, but the ratios and hold potential is tied to his ability to get hitters to pound the ball into the dirt.

 

 

 

Ryan Thompson, Arizona Diamondbacks - RHP

  • 2024 Stats: 66.1/7/2/24/52/3.26/1.19/61.4%
  • 2025 Projections: 60.0/4/1/17/48/3.35/1.12/56.8%

The righty will continue his role as a high-leverage relief specialist for the Diamondbacks another season, having come to terms on one-year contract to avoid arbitration. 

He may not produce dominant K numbers, but his ability to generate grounders is top level, and he is extremely capable at limiting the free passes handed out to opposing hitters (2.0 BB/9, 15 walks over his 67 appearances last season). Even if his projected groundball rate is a tad lower than his 2024 production, it still has top-level stature among relief pitchers.

Aaron Bummer, Atlanta Braves - LHP

  • 2024 Stats: 55.1/4/0/2/69/3.58/1.43/59.7%
  • 2025 Projections: 62.0/5/1/12/72/3.48/1.31/64.9%

The Atlanta southpaw not only induces a high percentage of groundballs, he tosses in a superior K rate (11.22 K/9 over 56 2024 appearances) to make his time on the bump incredibly effective. 

Pitching to contact leads to an inflated WHIP, but his overall effectiveness on the hill should also increase his use in high-leverage situations for the Braves and a corresponding increase in the number of holds he collects.

Kevin Kelly, Tampa Bay Rays - RHP

  • 2024 Stats: 70.2/5/1/17/63/2.67/0.96/56.8
  • 2025 Projections: 58.0/4/1/12/50/2.79/0.98/52.3%

The 27-year-old is heading into his third season in the big leagues, and he is in the picture to continue to amass holds, although he may have a handful (or more) save opportunities come his way if Tampa Bay’s manager begins using designated closer Pete Fairbanks in certain high-leverage 8th inning situations, as he did in a recent spring game. 

He is continuing to be effective in leading hitters to drive the ball into the ground, coupling that with superior control (1.1 BB/9 through his 68 appearances in 2024). Expect holds and if he is in your fantasy rotation, the occasional save this coming season, together with outstanding ratio stats.

 

 

 

2025 Fantasy Baseball Relievers & Closers

If you found this article to be useful or interesting, the good news is there will be weekly installments throughout the coming month. Further peripheral statistical analysis is on the horizon, as well, as we look to groundball rates, xFIP, swinging K%, and more, and how those help us discover gems among the non-closer relievers. 

When you have satisfied your interest in end-game pitchers, make a point to check out the rest of the draft preparation on the site, including the Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide for 2025.