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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings – 5/13/24 Depth Chart

Breakdowns of key bullpen usage from yesterday's slate of games.

Jake Crumpler
Fantasy 5/13/2024

Welcome back to the latest edition of our Reliever Ranks series! This will bring you up-to-date bullpen depth charts every morning for the day’s games and makes for an excellent tool for those looking to stream saves or wins. This series runs seven days a week, so check in every morning to get your daily bullpen fix!

 

Notes

 

Transaction and Schedule Notes

 

  • There weren’t any notable bullpen transactions on Sunday.

 

Yesterday’s Performances

WSN 2 – BOS 3

HD: Cam Booser (2), Zack Kelly (2), Chris Martin (5)

SV: Kenley Jansen (7)

  • On a day when Kenley Jansen recorded the 427th save of his career to pull him within 10 saves of fourth place all-time, the rest of the Red Sox bullpen was brilliant. 32-year-old rookie Cam Booser pitched a perfect sixth, lowering his ERA to 3.09 (11.2 IP) to pair with his 27.7% K%. The southpaw deploys a solid three-pitch mix but could benefit from throwing his cutter less often. We saw that on Sunday when Booser threw his 93rd percentile PLV four-seamer more than any other pitch. He has helped lengthen what was once a shallow bullpen. Jansen has now pitched three days in a row and Chris Martin has appeared in each of the last two. Justin Slaten and Brennan Bernardino could be candidates for the ninth today.

 

CHC 5 – PIT 4 (F/10)

W: Héctor Neris (3)

L: Aroldis Chapman (3)

HD: Richard Lovelady (2)

SV: Adbert Alzolay (4)

  • It took a highwire act, but Adbert Alzolay was able to vulture a save in extra innings. This shouldn’t be an indicator of a return to the closer role for Alzolay as Héctor Neris pitched the ninth and Mark Leiter Jr. set up as usual. Alzolay continues to attempt to rediscover the form that made him the Cubs’ closer in 2023. He failed to do so on Sunday, surrendering a two-run home run with the zombie runner on second, hiking his ERA to 4.67 (17.1 IP). It’s been a failure to locate his fastball upstairs that has led to this poor start to the season and it was a sinker down the pipe that Connor Joe hit over the fence that put Alzolay on the verge of a blown save.
  • David Bednar is in the same boat as Alzolay as he tries to recover his All-Star form. Yet, it was Aroldis Chapman who stole the show with his poor performance on Sunday. He served up three runs (one earned) while recording just two outs in the 10th inning. His fastball velocity was all over the place, ranging from as low as 94.9 mph to 100.1 mph. With awful control and without his typical velocity, Chapman will be the reliever version of a Cherry Bomb. Bednar has pitched on consecutive days but so has Chapman, so expect all hands on deck today.

 

MIN 5 – TOR 1

HD: Kody Funderburk (3)

  • Jhoan Duran pitched a perfect ninth with the Twins up by four. They have an off day tomorrow and used that upcoming day off to justify allowing their best reliever to close out the ballgame. Since returning from the IL, Duran has not let up a run in seven innings while allowing just four baserunners and striking out a third of the batters he’s faced. He has the ability to finish the year as the reliever atop the closer ranks.

 

PHI 6 – MIA 7 (F/10)

W: Anthony Bender (1)

L: Gregory Soto (1)

  • It took extra innings to decide this one so the Phillies were able to parade their top-notch bullpen for six frames. It worked until Gregory Soto allowed the zombie runner to score in walk-off fashion in the tenth. With José Alvarado not looking like himself (perfect seventh with no punchouts), it may be time to start speculating on a successor. Matt Strahm and Jeff Hoffman are both appealing candidates. The former struck out the side in the eighth and owns a 1.10 ERA (16.1 IP) and a 44.3% K%, while the latter pitched a no-hit ninth and is sporting a 1.00 ERA (18 IP) and a 36.8% K%. It may be time to grab them after they pitched later in the game than Alvarado on Sunday.
  • Tanner Scott pitched the eighth and the ninth, and while his control wasn’t there (two walks), that’s now 8.1 consecutive scoreless innings for the southpaw who allowed six runs (four earned) through his first 7.2 IP. I wouldn’t say it’s time to stop worrying about him, as he’s sporting a 1:1 K/BB ratio, but it’s nice to see him find success recently. Maybe that will give him the confidence to get his pitches in the zone.

 

STL 4 – MIL 3

HD: JoJo Romero (13), Andrew Kittredge (11)

SV: Ryan Helsley (12)

  • The three-headed dragon of JoJo Romero, Andrew Kittredge, and Ryan Helsley continue to mow down batters in the late innings. Romero is now tied for the Major League lead in holds and Kittredge is in the top five. Meanwhile, Helsley has entered a four-way tie for the Major League lead in saves. It’s hard to find a better bullpen trio.

 

TEX 1 – COL 3

HD: Victor Vodnik (1), Tyler Kinley (2)

SV: Jalen Beeks (3)

  • And just like that, Jalen Beeks leads the Rockies in saves. He’s battling with Justin Lawrence for the closer role and while he’s currently winning, it’s worth asking whether this is legit and if we should be paying attention in fantasy. Beeks is a four-seam/change/cut southpaw who carries a 2.33 ERA (19.1 IP). It’s charming but Beeks lacks flair and mostly gets by with deception. The lefty has struck out just 17.7% of the batters he’s faced and yet carries a walk rate in the double-digits. He throws his mediocre fastball 60% of the time, and while it has produced weak contact (86th percentile ICR), it has poor metrics across the board. Most importantly, he owns a minuscule .204 BABIP, which, in Coors Field, will climb dramatically. Beeks should remain on the wire unless you are extremely desperate for saves.

 

CIN 5 – SFG 6 (F/10)

W: Luke Jackson (1)

L: Emilio Pagán (3)

HD: Sean Hjelle (1)

  • Alexis Díaz pitched the ninth when this game was still tied. The rest of the bullpen shook out as usual and Emilio Pagán and Lucas Sims were unable to keep things tied in the 10th. There’s not much to write home about in this bullpen. Díaz is still struggling (5.65 ERA, 14.1 IP) and the team has let Fernando Cruz (46.9% K%) toil in a setup role. I won’t get excited about this arm barn until Cruz sees the ninth.
  • Camilo Doval secured the final four outs of regulation before Luke Jackson came away with the win following the Giants’ walk-off. Doval has pitched well this year, though his inflated walk rate is concerning. His walk rate is up 7.4% from 2023 and it’s negatively affected the rest of his game. It’s a clear problem and Doval will have to consciously look to improve upon if he wants to replicate the success of his first three seasons.

 

KCR 4 – LAA 2

SV: James McArthur (9)

  • Following another electric performance from unlikely ace Seth Lugo, James McArthur worked around a home run to secure another save. McArthur’s ninth innings haven’t been clean but he continues to get the job done. His inflated HR/FB ratio is the culprit for his underperformance in the ERA department and that should fix itself over time. The only impediment to McArthur’s job is John Schreiber’s continued success (0.98 ERA, 18.1 IP).

 

LAD 0 – SDP4

  • Despite a four-run lead, the Padres didn’t want to chance it in the ninth against the mighty Dodgers. They turned to Robert Suarez who flawlessly closed out the ballgame. He continues to impress with a 0.49 ERA (18.1 IP) while almost exclusively featuring his elite iVB four-seamer. This level is not sustainable, but Suarez will be a rock for fantasy teams this season.

 

OAK 4 – SEA 8

  • With a four-run lead and Andrés Muñoz having not pitched for four days, the Mariners let him close out the ninth in a maintenance outing. The Mariners haven’t provided Muñoz with many save opportunities this year, so his 1.76 ERA (15.1 IP) has gone somewhat under the radar. You may be able to get a discount on a trade if you try to get him now banking on more saves in the future.

 

Bullpen Depth Charts

 

 

Also, if you’re looking for a detailed list or ranking of RPs, check out Rick Graham’s weekly pieces:

The Hold Up: Ranking the Top 100 Relievers for Holds Every Thursday

Closing Time: Ranking the Top 30 Closers

Top 100 Relievers for Save+Hold Leagues

 

Jake Crumpler

A Bay Area sports fan and lover of baseball, Jake is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz with a B.A. in English Literature. He currently writes fantasy articles for Pitcher List, is the lead baseball writer at The Athletes Hub, and does playing time analysis at BaseballHQ. Some consider his knowledge of the sport to be encyclopedic.

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