After I ranked the Top 30 Closers and Top 70 Relievers for Holds, it's now time to put the lists together for all of you in Saves+Holds leagues. Which if you haven't taken part in one yet, I highly recommend giving it a shot. Middle relievers were always the only players in baseball that constantly got ignored in fantasy baseball. The inclusion of the holds stat has changed all of that and added a whole different dimension to the fantasy baseball experience.
Tier 1
1. Kenley Jansen (Los Angeles Dodgers)
2. Aroldis Chapman (New York Yankees)
3. Edwin Diaz (Seattle Mariners)
4. Zach Britton (Baltimore Orioles)
Does Joe Blanton signing with the Nationals change anything here? I think he would at least replace Sammy Solis on this list.
Yes thats right, I forgot to factor him in to this. Id replace Solis with him and trade places with Glover.
What about Juan Nicasio and Joe Kelly. Do you see their stuff playing up in the bullpen, enough to slide into setup roles?
I have Kelly right outside the top 100, I think if he embraces his full time move to the bullpen he can be a pretty dominant reliever. His stuff definitely plays late in games. You can make a case for Nicasio being right behind him.
What do you see in Bruce Rondon to warrant 2nd tier ranking and first setup duties on Detroit? I wouldn’t even expect him to be on a top 100 list, not to mention ranked over Justin Wilson. Is this all strikeout upside?
Mostly just how good he was in the second half and his K upside. From what I’ve read, he’s also next in line for the 9th inning role for at least a year until Jimenez is ready. It’s definitely worth monitoring his velocity over the next month in the WBC, as he was reportedly down a few MPH but I’ll take his upside over Wilsons.
Hey Nick – curious how Matt Strahm is SP eligible. Am i missing something?
I need to check CBS/Yahoo/ESPN eligibility, but Fantasy Pros has Strahm listed as both a SP and RP:
https://www.fantasypros.com/mlb/players/matthew-strahm.php
Strange. He 21 appearances last year for the Royals- all out of the bullpen.
Im not sure how position eligibilty works with minor league players, but if I had to guess, it is because he made 18 starts at AAA last season. His SP eligibility makes him even more valuable in Holds leagues.