He’s yet to pick up a hold on the season, but don’t forget about Giovanny Gallegos in SV+HLD leagues. One of the best relievers in 2019, Gallegos is off to a hot start for the Cardinals, seemingly picking up where he left off last year. It’s only been 4 appearances and 3.1 IP, but he currently has a 6/0 K/BB, 33% SwStr, and 60% K rate while allowing just one hit. His slider remains one of the most dominant pitches in baseball, currently featuring a 75% Whiff and 67% PutAway rate. Don’t sleep on the fact he doesn’t have a hold yet. As the Cardinals best reliever, he is sure to start picking up more and more as the season progresses.
Notes
- Zack Britton had a tough night yesterday and now may end up on the IL with a hamstring injury. As of now, I’m going to assume it’s a minor injury but the Yankees could play it safe and give him a few weeks off. If he does land on the IL, he’ll slide down the list roughly 20-30 spots. UPDATE: Britton did in fact land on the IL and has subsequently moved down to 37 on the list.
- Right-handed left-handed specialist, Devin Williams’s fastball/changeup combo has been fantastic this season, leading to 48.8% K and 20.4% SwStr rates. Why the big improvement from last season? Well, it could be that his fastball velocity has remained the same while his changeup has lost 2 MPH and gained 8 inches of vertical drop. The pitch has literally been unhittable while racking up 14 K’s with a 60% Whiff rate.
- Felix Pena remains one of the Angels’ best relievers, but it’s been more than two weeks since he picked up a hold. Whether that’s more related to usage or the team’s struggles, it still doesn’t help us for fantasy purposes.
- Craig Kimbrel has put together back to back quality outings, even picking up a save last night and could find his way back into the closer role soon. If he is able to consistently throw his curve for strikes, he still has the stuff to be a great reliever. That remains a big IF though.
- Another former closer working his way back into the role, Hansel Robles velocity has been on the rise over the past 2 weeks and the results have been there (except for last night). The added velocity is nice to see, but it will likely be a while before he gets his job back.
Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@freshmeatcomm on Twitter)
