Welcome to the RP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every reliever performance from the previous day.
NYY 3 – SFG 0
SV: David Bednar | HLD: Fernando Cruz | HLD: Tim Hill | HLD: Camilo Doval
Fernando Cruz (HLD) — 0.2 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 K, 0 Whiffs, 10.0% CSW. Zero Whiffs on 5 splitters from Cruz is kind of surprising, but grading out with A stuff and F locations is not. Will always be a rollercoaster ride with Cruz, but he should rack up plenty of K’s and Holds at least.
Tim Hill (HLD) — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K, 2 Whiffs, 33.3% CSW. It’s crazy that Hill finished with this stat line by basically only throwing 90 MPH fastballs (11/12 pitches). The one slider he threw was hung at the top of the zone, but resulted in a Whiff from Willy Adames. That’s baseball.
Camilo Doval (HLD) — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K, 5 Whiffs, 58.3% CSW. Doval was throwing whiffle balls in this one, showcasing just how dominant he can be when he’s able to locate just at an above-average level.
David Bednar (SV) — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 K, 0 Whiffs, 21.1% CSW. No whiffs or K’s here, but we at least saw Bednar’s velo back to where we had hoped he would be. All things considered, we’ll take it.
José Buttó — 0.2 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 2 K, 3 Whiffs, 41.2% CSW. I know this bullpen lacks depth, but I just can’t see Buttó lasting long in a high-leverage role. The pitch mix is fine, but it will require average or better command (which he doesn’t have).
Erik Miller — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 Whiffs, 30.0% CSW. The same goes for Miller, who was able to locate well in this one, but last year we saw how shaky his command can get. Still the best lefty in this pen.
Ryan Walker — 0.1 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 0 Whiffs, 50.0% CSW. Walker entered in the 8th inning, striking out Judge before walking Bellinger, allowing a hit to Stanton, and getting pulled. Interesting reliever, but shaky closer.
Ryan Borucki — 0.2 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 Whiffs, 25.0% CSW.
Matt Gage — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 K, 0 Whiffs, 28.6% CSW.
ATH 2 – TOR 3
W: Jeff Hoffman | L: Justin Sterner | HLD: Louis Varland | HLD: Tyler Rogers
Scott Barlow — 1.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 K, 2 Whiffs, 40.0% CSW. Barlow still has two great breaking balls in his curve and sweeper, but umm, I don’t love that his four fastballs sat 88.5 MPH here.
Hogan Harris — 1.1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 Whiffs, 17.6% CSW. The upgraded stuff we saw from the spring carried over into this season’s debut, but we also saw some terrible command. If Harris can find a mid-point between the two, he really may wind up being the best reliever in this bullpen when all is said and done.
Justin Sterner (L) — 0.2 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 Whiffs, 26.7% CSW. After getting the first two outs in the ninth, Sterner allowed a hard hit single to Okamoto, followed by a fluky turf-aided double to Clement, and finished off by another hard hit single by Giménez to walk things off.
Louis Varland (HLD) — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 2 Whiffs, 25.0% CSW. Varland had issues locating in this one, but man, the stuff is so good. He’s worth being patient.
Tyler Rogers (HLD) — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 K, 0 Whiffs, 7.7% CSW. Rogers had some command issues here as well, which is highly unusual for him. It is still March after all.
Jeff Hoffman (W) — 1.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 4 K, 7 Whiffs, 50.0% CSW. Crazy statline with four K’s and three outs here, and of course, the obligatory HR allowed. Classic A+ Stuff, F Location here as he was missing all over the place. Still worth being patient here.
COL 1 – MIA 2
SV: Pete Fairbanks | HLD: Andrew Nardi | HLD: Anthony Bender
Jimmy Herget — 1.1 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 2 Whiffs, 35.0% CSW. Herget used six different pitches here to get four outs, which is kind of fun, but there’s also a reason he needs to do that.
Brennan Bernardino — 0.1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 Whiffs, 50.0% CSW.
Juan Mejia — 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 0 Whiffs, 13.6% CSW. No Whiffs are disappointing, but this was still a great outing as he located well.
Andrew Nardi (HLD) — 0.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 K, 4 Whiffs, 45.5% CSW. Great start to the season for Nardi, who should probably be rostered in all holds leagues at this point. He didn’t even face a lefty in this one, showing the type of trust the team has in him.
Anthony Bender (HLD) — 0.1 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 Whiffs, 25.0% CSW. The sweeper is still awesome, especially with the sinker to match it (96.6 MPH yesterday).
Pete Fairbanks (SV) — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 Whiffs, 33.3% CSW. This was interesting. I had talked about his new cutter a lot this offseason, but I did not expect it to be his primary offering on Opening Day. In fact, he only threw one slider (to a lefty, nonetheless). But ALSO, the four-seamer sat at 98 MPH in this one with 18.4″ of iVB, so if we are getting THAT fastball consistently from Fairbanks plus the new cutter (and a newish changeup), he may wind up one of the bigger closer steals from your draft.
KCR 0 – ATL 6
Bailey Falter — 3.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 4 K, 8 Whiffs, 33.3% CSW.
Alex Lange — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 3 Whiffs, 36.4% CSW. We are still a long way from 2022 Lange.
Dylan Lee — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 Whiffs, 33.3% CSW. Lee remains one of, if not the most underrated, lefty relievers in baseball. I don’t love seeing his velo down 3 MPH…but with 20″ of iVB, I’m not sure it matters all that much.
Robert Suarez — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 Whiffs, 23.5% CSW. Four-seam and changeup looked great as usual, and he even threw 2 cutters here, which could be an interesting wrinkle for him.
Tyler Kinley — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 3 Whiffs, 46.2% CSW. Kinley’s slider remains great, and as long as he can mask that fastball, he can be useful.
LAA 6 – HOU 2
W: Ryan Zeferjahn | HLD: Sam Bachman
Chase Silseth — 0.2 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K, 2 Whiffs, 30.0% CSW. Might be something interesting here once he figures out his arsenal.
Ryan Zeferjahn (W) — 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K, 3 Whiffs, 26.1% CSW. Zeferjahn got away with just spamming sinkers here for the most part, but the four-seamer and sweeper looked good in limited usage.
Sam Bachman (HLD) — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 BB, 3 K, 5 Whiffs, 37.0% CSW. Bachman has some command issues to iron out, but stuff-wise, he may be the long-term answer here at closer (assuming Ben Joyce can’t stay healthy). That slider is crazy.
Jordan Romano — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K, 4 Whiffs, 46.2% CSW. It turned out not to be a save situation after Neto’s 9th inning HR, but Romano did get the closer usage tonight again, and it looks like he is the Angels guy…for now. I’d love to believe that Romano is back to being the closer he once was, but that’s just not the case. That said, he was able to strike out two lefties here (one being Yordan Alvarez to end the game), so he’s just been solidifying his role every day so far. I just wouldn’t go breaking the bank for him this weekend, and despite the better stuff, I can’t help but remember the Luke Jackson craze last April.
Roddery Muñoz — 0.2 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 3 BB, 0 K, 3 Whiffs, 26.9% CSW. Could be something here, just needs some consistent command gains.
Steven Okert — 1.2 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K, 3 Whiffs, 45.0% CSW. Okert’s slider remains elite, even against righties.
Ryan Weiss — 1.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 3 Whiffs, 27.3% CSW. I was not expecting to see Weiss’s player card shoot out an A+ Stuff, A Location, and A+ PLV grade here, but I get it now. I hadn’t paid much attention to him since Nick had been touting him as a starter, but this was definitely interesting. He stuck to his slider and four-seamer in this one, both of which can be great, although the fastball command wasn’t exactly great in this one. Between him and Blubaugh (maybe both?), the Astros may have found another right-handed reliever to complement Abreu in this bullpen.
DET 5 – SDP 2
W: Enmanuel De Jesus | L: Jeremiah Estrada | SV: Kenley Jansen | HLD: Kyle Finnegan | BS: Adrian Morejon
Enmanuel De Jesus (W) — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 K, 2 Whiffs, 38.5% CSW. De Jesus kind of had a mini-breakout in the WBC, but I was not expecting him to see this kind of (near) high-leverage usage right away. He threw five different pitches here, not one more than three times, and each offering graded out pretty well, so I’m intrigued.
Kyle Finnegan (HLD) — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 2 Whiffs, 20.0% CSW. Finnegan had trouble commanding his fastball here, but the stuff looked great, and I’m very excited for him to get a full season in Detroit.
Kenley Jansen (SV) — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K, 5 Whiffs, 81.8% CSW. That CSW mark is actually silly, especially when you see where he was locating. The velo may be gone, but the veteran still just knows how to pitch.
Adrian Morejon (BS) — 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 4 Whiffs, 39.1% CSW. Electric stuff last night from Morejon, ignore that Blown Save.
Jeremiah Estrada (L) — 0.2 IP, 4 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 2 K, 4 Whiffs, 25.9% CSW. This one was rough. He actually started with four straight strikes and a strikeout before just losing his command. He looked uncomfortable out there, and his velo was down over 1.5 MPH from last year, so I hope he’s ok physically. Peralta didn’t help him out either, and we can’t panic after one game (Stuff was still A+ level).
Wandy Peralta — 0.1 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 K, 0 Whiffs, 5.9% CSW. The sinker remains vulnerable.
David Morgan — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 K, 0 Whiffs, 8.3% CSW. Threw the curveball five times here, but it’s not great.
CLE 1 – SEA 5
Colin Holderman — 1.0 IP, 2 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 0 Whiffs, 22.2% CSW. Curveball/sweeper still works, just needs to be able to mask the fastballs.
Peyton Pallette — 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K, 4 Whiffs, 33.3% CSW. The White Sox probably should not have let this guy go. That four-seamer gives Pallette a solid baseline as a reliever.
Eduard Bazardo — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 Whiffs, 35.3% CSW. Bazardo is going to pitch, a lot, so there’s something in that, even if his stuff takes a slight hit with the heavy usage.
Matt Brash — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 K, 2 Whiffs, 29.4% CSW. No strikeouts from Brash is kind of a bummer, but at least that sinker velocity looks good
Andrés Muñoz — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 K, 3 Whiffs, 35.3% CSW. Speaking of velocity, it was great seeing Muñoz sitting at 98.6 MPH here. No concerns with him so far.
ARI 4 – LAD 5
W: Edgardo Henriquez | L: Kevin Ginkel | SV: Edwin Díaz
Jonathan Loáisiga — 1.1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 3 Whiffs, 35.7% CSW. Great debut here for Loáisiga, who is clearly one of the team’s top three relievers right now (whether they know it or not).
Ryan Thompson — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 Whiffs, 42.9% CSW. Lots of sliders here from Thompson, which makes sense. Expect that a lot.
Kevin Ginkel (L) — 1.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 Whiffs, 14.3% CSW. Ginkel got to play the lefty reliever in this one and proceeded to give up a double to Alex Freeland, although he did get Ohtani to ground out before allowing another hit to Tucker. He got Betts to ground out weakly before Freeman hit a ball to the warning track to end the inning. He is not a LOOGY, especially with his diminished stuff.
Jack Dreyer — 1.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 2 Whiffs, 30.8% CSW. Great stuff from Dreyer here. That four-seam sitting at 94+ MPH with near 20″ of iVB is so nasty.
Ben Casparius — 0.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 2 Whiffs, 20.8% CSW. Four plus pitches from Casparius here, such a fun arsenal, and I do kind of wish he had a chance to start games.
Tanner Scott — 0.1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 Whiffs, 50.0% CSW. Scott played the stopper in this one, getting Alek Thomas to strike out in a tie game with two runners on. Locations are still not ideal, but the Stuff is.
Alex Vesia — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 Whiffs, 31.2% CSW. Vesia may only throw 91-92, but no one generated iVB numbers like him (almost 22″ tonight). The secondaries have come a long way as well, with the changeup and slider looking strong tonight.
Edgardo Henriquez (W) — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 0 Whiffs, 7.7% CSW. This is fun usage for Henriquez, and it’s great to see Roberts trust him in this type of spot (tie game, 8th inning). The sinker sat at 100.2 MPH, but the command was not great. With so much uncertainty around Brusdar Graterol, though, Henriquez may be the heir apparent as the heavy sinker guy.
Edwin Díaz (SV) — 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 2 Whiffs, 35.3% CSW. Command was a little wonky, but Díaz powered through with his plus stuff. He sat at 96 MPH in this one; hopefully, that number improves over the course of the season.
Also, if you’re looking for the detailed list or ranking of Relievers, check out my weekly RP Ranks
