Bryan Abreu, Jason Adam, David Bednar, Jalen Beeks, Adam Cimber, Jordan Leasure, JoJo Romero, and Justin Wilson all had three SV+HLDs this past week as well. Good to see Abreu and Bednar back on track recently, and Adam did a fine job filling in for Pete Fairbanks while he was out. Beeks, Cimber, and Wilson are definitely surprises this week, with Beeks taking over the closer role in Colorado being of particular interest. Does that mean he should be rostered? The short answer is no, definitely not. Beeks currently holds 3.6% K-BB, 7% SwStr, and 21% CSW rates, plus a 5.16 xFIP to go along with a 78 Stuff+ and 4.75 PLV putting him in Héctor Neris territory. And even during this save stretch, he has not pitched particularly better (0% K-BB, 5.73 SIERA, 5.70 xFIP). Cimber and Wilson also aren’t worth chasing at this point outside the deepest of leagues.
Notes
- Pete Fairbanks, A.J. Puk, Emilio Pagán, Sam Hentges, Hoby Milner, Kevin Kelly, Calvin Faucher, Elvis Peguero, Dylan Lee, Steven Wilson, and Tyler Holton all join the list this week. Fairbanks and Puk returned from the IL while the rest will likely yo-yo on and off the back of the list any given week. Pagan gets an extra boost given the uncertainty around the Reds closer role at the moment.
- Matt Moore, Caleb Ferguson, Gregory Soto, Ryne Stanek, Yency Almonte, Andrew Chafin, Anthony Maldonado, Shawn Armstrong, Shelby Miller, José Leclerc, and Adbert Alzolay all fell off the list this week. Almonte, Alzolay, and Miller all wound up on the IL this past week, while the rest, while none of them have pitched well this season. They all have K-BB rates at 15% or lower, WHIPS above 1.27, and xFIPs starting at 3.95.
- Hunter Harvey and JoJo Romero lead the league in SV+HLDs for the season with 14 apiece now. I’m surprised that it’s two setup guys leading the way, but definitely not surprised at which two pitchers it is. Both have some closing experience from last season as they were closing out games for their respective teams before injuries derailed them. They both have great bat-missing ability (Harvey: 15.7% SwStr, Romero: 34% CSW) but the one surprising thing about them leading the league right now is the current records their teams have. The Nationals are 20-22 and the Cardinals 18-25 and both are likely bound for the draft lottery next year. Just goes to show that SV+HLD’s are not necessarily correlated with team win/loss record.
- Quick closer update since Closing Time came out on Tuesday. Jordan Romano blew a save on Wednesday, allowing a walk-off HR to Adley Rutschman, and while it was just his first loss and blown save of the year, he has not been pitching well and doesn’t look quite like himself right now. His 5.06 ERA and 1.41 WHIP aside, he hasn’t been able to miss bats this year with just 18.8% K, 11.2% SwStr and 27.2% CSW rates. The Jays are at a bit of a crossroads right now, and with how well Yimi García has been pitching, could we potentially see a Garcia takeover here in the not-so-distant future?
And if you want more daily reliever updates, please check out our Reliever Ranks series.
| PITCHER | TIER | INJURY. NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Devin Williams | 1 | Back. On the 60-day IL now. Likely out until the All-Star break. |
| Evan Phillips | 2-3 | Hamstring. Grade 1 strain, progressing well and should be back by the end of May. |
| Julian Merryweather | 4-5 | Rib. Could be a rather lengthy injury with the rib stress fracture. No timetable. Added to 60-day IL. |
| Josh Sborz | 4-5 | Shoulder. Another rotator cuff strain for Sborz, I’d expect he’s out for a while this time. |
| Brock Stewart | 4-5 | Shoulder. MRI came back clean and Stewart can resume throwing this weekend. Could return in May. |
| Gregory Santos | 6-7 | Lat. Close to mound work, could return in May. Added to 60-day IL |
| Tommy Kahnle | 6-7 | Shoulder. Started a rehab assignment and should return next week. |
| Keynan Middleton | 7-8 | Forearm. Started rehab assignment, could return in a week or two. |
| Brusdar Graterol | 7-8 | Shoulder. Added to the 60-day IL, and had another setback. He’s shut down for now. |
| Brooks Raley | 7-8 | Elbow. More concern than originally thought, could be facing season-ending surgery. |
| Joe Kelly | 7-8 | Shoulder. Should be a fairly short stay. |
| Giovanny Gallegos | 7-8 | Shoulder. No timetable as of yet. |
Thanks for spotlighting JoJo Romero. Given that his leading of MLB in S+H isn’t new development–he has actually been among the top 5 in this category all season–why is he only in Tier 4?