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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings – 5/20/24 Depth Chart

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

Jake Crumpler
Fantasy 5/20/2024

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

 

 

Yesterday’s Performances

 

SEA 3 – BAL 6

HD: Cole Irvin (1)

SV: Craig Kimbrel (9)

  • Craig Kimbrel is back in the closer role after a brief stint outside of the ninth as he attempted to figure out his mechanics. He looked right at home, posting a perfect frame with two punchouts. The closer role should be his moving forward but he may face future absences when his control gets wonky.

 

CHW 2 – NYY 7

  • Despite a five-run lead, the Yankees turned to Clay Holmes for the final two outs after Michael Tonkin put two men on to start the inning. Holmes escaped the jam to maintain his pristine ERA. His perfect ERA is the lowest in baseball (min. 20 IP) making him the only pitcher left who’s yet to allow a run. Holmes’ increased strikeout rate (+1.7% to 28.8%) has made him a clear top-10 closer.

 

TBR 2 – TOR 5

SV: Jordan Romano (7)

  • Zach Pop created a save situation for Jordan Romano in the ninth, surrendering two runs on a home run. Romano came on to record the final out after Pop put another runner aboard. The closer’s return from an early injury hasn’t been smooth as his 4.91 ERA (11 IP) is the third-highest among the 18 relievers with at least seven saves. The lack of swing and miss in his game is the result of his inability to locate his fastball upstairs. It’s constantly fallen into the zone (+14.3%) zone instead of inducing whiffs above it. The pitch has allowed a lot of hard contact (31st percentile ICR) so he’s going to need to figure out his command if he wants to hold onto the closer role.

 

MIN 2 – CLE 5

W: Emmanuel Clase (3)

L: Jhoan Duran (2)

HD: Hunter Gaddis (9)

  • After the Twins tied the game up in the top of the ninth, Jhoan Duran was brought on to hold the score and send the game to extras. Instead, he put two runners on before serving up a walk-off homer to Will Brennan. Duran has now allowed runs in each of his past two appearances after beginning his season with seven scoreless innings. Both of Duran’s blunders came in non-save situations (something he’s been seeing a lot more of) so I wouldn’t be worried about him losing the ninth.
  • Emmanuel Clase was bailed out by Duran after blowing his third save in the top of the ninth. He came away with the win and actually lowered his ERA as the run that crossed the plate was unearned on account of an error committed by Clase. His 0.39 ERA (23.1 IP) is second in baseball (min. 20 IP) trailing only Clay Holmes. A career-high strikeout rate (29.8%) and a defined ninth-inning role make Clase the number closer in baseball.

 

NYM 7 – MIA 3

HD: Sean Reid-Foley (3), Jake Diekman (4)

SV: Reed Garrett (2)

  • With Edwin Diaz having struggled mightily in recent weeks, the Mets turned to Reed Garrett for a two-inning save. He’s a pretty good secondary option to turn to. Garrett’s breakout 2024 campaign has been impressive. With Sunday’s scoreless, four-strikeout night, Garrett now owns a 0.72 ERA (25 IP) and a 41% strikeout rate, the highest in baseball (min. 20 IP). I wouldn’t expect Garrett to hold this role for long, but if Diaz never figures things out, Garrett is the Mets’ best option.

 

OAK 4 – KCR 8

  • The A’s gave Mason Miller a maintenance outing with the flamethrower having not pitched since Tuesday. He needed just seven pitches to set down the side in order and surprisingly didn’t record a single strikeout. Miller has closer #1 potential if he can find a way to be more durable and earn more save opportunities. The stuff is undeniable.

 

PIT 3 – CHC 2

HD: Colin Holderman (5), Aroldis Chapman (10)

SV: David Bednar (10)

  • It’s been an up-and-down season for David Bednar. He had an abbreviated Spring Training due to an injury which led to a delayed start to the season. That forced him to use April as his ramp-up period and it didn’t go well as he put up an 11.70 ERA through his first 10 IP. Bednar’s been much better in May with a 3.24 ERA (8.1 IP) and five saves, but he’s lacking the dominance he displayed across the last three seasons. The clearest problem has been an inability to command his heater up and his curveball down. The fastball has seen its hiLoc% drop by more than 12% while the hook has seen its loLoc% fall by more than 22%. He’ll need to employ the BSB better going forward if he wants to recover his past success. Bednar has now pitched on back-to-back days and in three of the past four, but the Pirates are off today, so expect him to be ready to go on Tuesday.

 

LAA 4 – TEX 1

SV: Luis Garcia (2)

  • For some odd reason, Ron Washington turned to Luis Garcia for the final four outs of the ballgame. Carlos Estévez wasn’t necessarily in need of rest and he hasn’t done enough to be at risk of losing his job. I think Wash just wanted to stick with the hot hand and give Estévez a day off.

 

COL 1 – SFG 4

HD: Sean Hjelle (3), Luke Jackson (2), Taylor Rogers (4)

SV: Camilo Doval (8)

  • Having not appeared since Monday, Jalen Beeks pitched the ninth with the Rockies trailing by three. Beeks is not someone worth rostering unless you’re beyond desperate for saves and can take the ratios hit. He won’t get many opportunities, pitches in Coors, and doesn’t have the arsenal to have long-term success
  • Camilo Doval has been great this year with an even 3.00 ERA (18 IP) and a 31.2% K%. However, he’s been a killer in the WHIP department with a 1.41 mark mostly resulting from an inflated walk rate (+6.3% from 2023 to 15.6%). He’ll need to reign in the free passes or risk watching his ERA correlate more closely to his WHIP.

 

DET 4 – ARI 6

W: Ryan Thompson (2)

SV: Paul Sewald (3)

  • Paul Sewald has been solid since his return from the IL earlier this month. He’s reclaimed the closer role and posted a 1.80 ERA (5 IP) with a strikeout rate nearing 28%. With Kevin Ginkel having struggled since being moved into a setup role, Sewald’s job security should remain relatively high.

 

CIN 2 – LAD 3

W: Anthony Banda (1)

L: Alexis Díaz (3)

  • Alexis Díaz blew it again. In a tie game in the 10th, Díaz allowed the zombie-runner to score in walk-off fashion, leaving him with another loss. He actually lowered his ERA due to the run being unearned, but it still sits north of 7.00 through 16.2 IP and he’s now allowed a run to score in three consecutive outings. Díaz needs to take a break from high-leverage situations, but there’s nobody in the Cincinnati bullpen stepping up to take the closer role from him. My money’s still on Fernando Cruz.

 

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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