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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings – 9/16/24 Depth Chart

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

Jake Crumpler
Fantasy 9/16/2024

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

 

Transactions and Schedule

 

 

Yesterday’s Performances

BAL 2 – DET 4

HD: Tyler Holton (13), Will Vest (11)

SV: Jason Foley (23)

  • Jason Foley secured the final four outs flawlessly to secure the save. His scoreless streak ended at 16 innings following his last outing, but he bounced back in a big way on Sunday. Overall, he’s been excellent in the second half with a 2.45 ERA (22 IP) and eight saves, a stark contrast from the 5.06 ERA (16 IP) and fives he recorded in the two months leading up to the All-Star break.

 

KCR 3 – PIT 4

W: Carmen Mlodzinski (3)

HD: Colin Holderman (19), Dennis Santana (7), David Bednar (3)

SV: Aroldis Chapman (9)

  • Since Aroldis Chapman was handed the closer role, he’s recorded five saves. Unfortunately, it’s come with an 8.53 ERA (6.1 IP), but it’s a continuation of poor luck for the southpaw in the second half. Chapman has a 4.03 ERA (22.1 IP) since the All-Star break, but the underlying metrics suggest he’s been pitching much better. He has a 31.5% K-BB% and a sub-2.00 xFIP as he’s sported improved control and velocity. Ride Chapman through the end of the year.

 

NYM 1 – PHI 2

W: José Ruiz (4)

L: Edwin Diaz (4)

  • Edwin Diaz served up a walk-off single in a tie game in the ninth to take the loss. It put an end to his 7.1-inning scoreless streak but doesn’t put a damper on the improved level he’s been pitching at since the All-Star break. Diaz’s 46.6% K% in the second half leads MLB (min. 10 IP).

 

MIA 3 – WSN 4

HD: Eduardo Salazar (3), Robert Garcia (13), Derek Law (16)

SV: Jose A. Ferrer (1)

  • With Kyle Finnegan resting following consecutive days of usage, Jose A. Ferrer was surprisingly called upon in the ninth. Ferrer worked around a run and got the job done for his first career save. Is the 24-year-old Ferrer someone that could vie for the closer role next year? He has a 3.65 ERA (24.2 IP) since being recalled at the outset of the second half but isn’t much of a strikeout guy despite showcasing 98 mph velocity with his sinker. If he can work on getting more whiffs or get a better defense behind him to lean into his ground ball tendencies, Ferrer could be pretty good.

 

BOS 2 – NYY 5

HD: Ian Hamilton (10), Tim Hill (3), Clay Holmes (1), Jake Cousins (8)

SV: Tommy Kahnle (1)

  • The Yankees’ relief situation has transformed into a complete closer committee. Luke Weaver had recorded the first two saves after Clay Holmes was removed from the closer role and it looked like he might be the outright closer, but now Tommy Kahnle has thrown his name into the the mix. Weaver did throw 25 pitches on Wednesday and 35 more on Friday, but I still think he hasn’t claimed the role just yet. Aaron Boone will be heavily scrutinized for his bullpen usage in the playoffs

 

STL 2 – TOR 3

W: Zach Pop (2)

L: Andrew Kittredge (5)

SV: Chad Green (17)

  • Chad Green has really been struggling recently, surrendering 11 runs across his last five appearances. He looked much better on Sunday as he held the Cardinals scoreless in the ninth but I wouldn’t trust Green for the final two weeks. He’s up to 50 innings on the season, a mark he hasn’t achieved since 2021, after combining for 39.1 across the past couple of years. Fatigue has set in and won’t unseat until next year.

 

TBR 0 – CLE 2

HD: Cade Smith (27), Tim Herrin (15), Hunter Gaddis (33)

SV: Emmanuel Clase (45)

  • Emmanuel Clase is the best closer in baseball. His 0.66 ERA (68.1 IP) 0.66 WHIP, and 45 saves lead MLB and he’s been even better in the second half with a 0.38 ERA (24 IP). You can’t argue with those numbers.

 

OAK 3 – CHW 4

HD: Jared Shuster (3), Prelander Berroa (1)

SV: Fraser Ellard (1)

  • The White Sox haven’t recorded a save in over a month and Fraser Ellard is the one to break the streak. A 26-year-old rookie southpaw, Ellard took a big leap in 2024, posting a 3.76 ERA (40.2 IP) and a 33.5% K% at Triple-A before being promoted after the trade deadline. His debut didn’t go great, but he’s proven to be one of the few promising members of the bullpen with a 2.08 ERA (17.1 IP) and a 31.4% K%. Ellard has a weird shape on his fastball and gets tons of whiffs with his slider and looks to be someone the White Sox will be counting on for years to come.

 

CHC 6 – COL 2

HD: Ethan Roberts (1), Keegan Thompson (2)

SV: Tyson Miller (1)

  • I’ve been waiting weeks for Tyson Miller to be entrusted with the ninth and it took until the last two weeks of the season. The 28-year-old righty was acquired via trade with the Mariners in May after the M’s DFA’d him. Miller actually pitched well in Seattle (11.2 IP, 3.09 ERA, 24.4% K-BB%), so it’s unclear why he was deemed unfit for the roster. The Cubs capitalized and he’s been one of their most trustworthy arms all season, pitching to a 2.18 ERA (45.1 IP).

 

SDP 4 – SFG 3

W: Robert Suarez (9)

L: Camilo Doval (3)

HD: Jason Adam (26)

SV: Adrian Morejon (2)

  • Adrian Morejon has been a surprising breakout for the Padres this year. The post-hype prospect and former starter has fully transitioned to the bullpen this year and has finally realized the potential he showed in the minors. Morejon has a 3.00 ERA (60 IP) and a 26.5% K% as he’s added more than 1.5 mph to his fastball and completely switched up his arsenal. He should make a name for himself in the playoffs.
  • Ryan Walker pitched the ninth with the game tied and kept it that way with a hitless outing. The appearance extended Walker’s scoreless streak to 19.2 innings, a stretch during which he’s recorded seven saves and struck out 41.1% of the batters he faced. The Giants will be faced with a difficult decision on their 2025 Opening Day closer.

 

HOU 6 – LAA 4

SV: Josh Hader (31)

  • Josh Hader is your typical closer version of a Cherry Bomb and he was sweet on Sunday getting the final two outs of the game. At 65 innings Hader has thrown his most innings in a season since 2019. The highest total he reached between then was 58.2. I would expect the Astros to limit his workload moving forward.

 

MIL 10 – ARI 11

W: Blake Walston (1)

L: Jared Koenig (4)

HD: Aaron Ashby (2), Joel Payamps (19)

  • Justin Martinez recorded five outs across the ninth and tenth but was extended too far, leading to multiple runs and being replaced by Blake Walston. The DBacks were able to mount a comeback and walk it off in the bottom of the inning, but Martinez has now pitched to a 5.56 ERA (11.1 IP) across his last 10 appearances. The underlying metrics are still positive, but it’s time to worry about his workload. Martinez has thrown 73.1 IP this year, a large increase over his previous career-high of 59.1 IP set last year. Then DBacks should take ti easy on him if they want him at 100% in the playoffs.

 

LAD 9 – ATL 2

W: Michael Kopech (6)

L: Raisel Iglesias (2)

  • Michael Kopech continued his hot run with the Dodgers. Since being traded by the White Sox, he has a 0.95 ERA (19 IP), four saves, and a 34.8% K%. This is exactly what we hoped for Kopech when he left Chicago.
  • Raisel Iglesias had been on an incredible run, reeling off a streak of 35.1 consecutive innings without allowing a run. It all came crashing down on Sunday as he surrendered five runs en route to his second loss. The outing alone inflated his ERA more than 0.7 runs.

 

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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