Closing Time 5/7: Ranking the Top 30 Closers Every Tuesday

With the Marlins waiving the white flag in the first week of May by trading Luis Arraez, we have to wonder now, when will Tanner Scott be moved? I’m still high on the pitcher, and I think in SV+HLD leagues, not much changes here. The stuff is still excellent and he should land somewhere that can allow him plenty of hold chances, but I doubt we see him closing out games for a contender (barring injuries). Scott has pitched slightly better as of late going seven straight outings without allowing an earned run, but even this stretch comes with a 5/4 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

With Jesús Luzardo and Braxton Garrett returning, the Marlins could start giving Scott some more save chances, so that’s a positive, but then again he could be moved at any minute. The rest of the bullpen has struggled as well so there’s no clear-cut closer in waiting at the moment, but A.J. Puk is working his way back and could very well end the season as the Marlins closer. For now, nothing is really actionable (deep leagues you can stash Puk) but this situation is definitely worth monitoring as there can be value here, even on a bad Marlins team.

 

Notes

 

• There’s really not much to say about Mason Miller at this point, as he’s been the best closer in baseball to start the season. The only thing that will slow him down is a potential injury (possible) or the A’s going on a torrid losing streak (definitely possible). Otherwise, he is clearly a top-five closing option in baseball and belongs in this tier.
• Clay Holmes has been kind of sneaky good this season as well, posting a sparkling 26.2% strikeout-minus-walk rate to pair with great ERA indicators (1.92 xFIP, 1.17 SIERA). My only concern with him at this point is his workload being too much. The lack of swing and miss keeps him out of the top tier, but he certainly belongs in the top 10 right now.

 

• James McArthur is right behind Holmes in strikeout-minus-walk rate (24.2%) and ERA indicators (2.59 xFIP, 2.23 SIERA) but McArthur is actually missing bats at a high clip with a 16.2% swinging-strike rate and 39.5% CSW (second to only Miller amongst closers). The Royals aren’t as steady as the Yankees for save chances, and there is something about Holmes’ elite ground-ball rate that gives him a steady floor, but McArthur has still been a huge win for fantasy managers who drafted him or picked him up early in the season.
• I haven’t talked about Raisel Iglesias in a while because he’s just that steady vet closer on a good team who we already kind of know what we are getting from him. He has a 2.03 ERA and 1.05 WHIP so why is he falling down the list? There is a lack of upside with Iglesias at this stage of his career, his 25.4% CSW is second worst amongst closers ahead of only Héctor Neris (who is last in every category basically), and his xFIP and SIERA are also bottom eight amongst all closers. Stuff+ and PLV don’t do him too many favors either, and I have my concerns as he becomes more offspeed-dependent.

 

• Paul Sewald is returning this week and he should take over as the Diamondbacks closer right away. Kevin Ginkel has been fine in his absence, but I’d imagine this is the veteran’s job to lose. If you can hang onto Ginkel for another week, I would just to make sure this happens and that Sewald is healthy and looking good. Arizona may also be sellers at the deadline so Sewald could be on the move in two-plus months anyway.
• I think Trevor Megill is the 1A option to Joel Payamps 1B in the Brewers bullpen, as it should be. Megill has pitched the ninth inning in his last three appearances, picking up two saves and two strikeouts while allowing just one baserunner. The strikeouts should come, the stuff is still elite here, so if he can solidify himself as the team’s top closing option and start striking out more batters, he could fly up these rankings even with Devin Williams potentially returning in two months.

 

• Remember when Jason Foley was throwing 101 MPH at the beginning of the season? That was fun, wasn’t it? Over his last six outings, however, Foley has been averaging 96.3 MPH on his sinker, which is fine and what was expected from him entering the season. The problem, here, is at that velo he really struggles to get swings and misses (8.6% swinging-strike rate over this span) so he’s hard to trust as a closer. Over this same span, Alex Lange hasn’t allowed a run and boasts a 31% strikeout rate, 0.50 WHIP, 2.50 SIERA, and 123 Stuff+.
• Evan Phillips was placed on the IL with a hamstring injury, and the initial expectation is that it will keep him out for just two weeks. I’d say it’s a huge loss for the Dodgers because Phillips is so good, but it’s also the Dodgers and they can easily survive this. In his absence, Daniel Hudson expects to see the bulk of the save chances, although Blake Treinen and Alex Vesia (left-handed heavy parts of the lineup like last night) could also factor in.

 

 

And if you want more daily reliever updates, please check out our Reliever Ranks series

 

Watch List

 

 

Rank	Pitcher	Change
1	Edwin DíazT1	-
2	Emmanuel Clase	-
3	Ryan Helsley	-
4	Jhoan Duran	-
5	Mason Miller	+4
6	Josh Hader T2	-
7	Clay Holmes	+4
8	Camilo Doval	-
9	David Bednar	+4
10	James McArthur	+6
11	Robert Suarez T3	+3
12	Raisel Iglesias	-5
13	Jordan Romano	-3
14	Andrés Muñoz	+1
15	Kirby Yates	+2
16	Paul Sewald T4	+UR
17	Craig Kimbrel	+1
18	Kenley Jansen	+2
19	Tanner Scott	-7
20	Alexis Díaz	-1
21	Trevor Megill T5	+UR
22	Michael Kopech	-
23	José Alvarado	-
24	Carlos Estévez	+1
25	Kyle Finnegan	-1
26	Jason Foley	-5
27	Daniel Hudson T6	+UR
28	Jason Adam	-2
29	Héctor Neris	-
30	Justin Lawrence	-