Adbert Alzolay and Kyle Finnegan led all relievers with 4 SV+HLD’s this past week. We joked on the podcast last night about the fact that these two closers have led the league in saves since the All-Star break, something that absolutely no one would have guessed at the beginning of the season, which just goes to show how unpredictable the reliever world is. Alzolay remains super consistent, with just one blown save on the season, with Alexis Díaz being the only other closer to have just one blown save. I talked about Finnegan earlier in the week in my Closing Time article, and I still think he is getting very lucky this season, but ride the hot hand for now as he has been a game changer in the SV or SV+HLD category.
Notes
- JoJo Romero continues to impress as the Cardinals interim closer, and with Ryan Helsley continuing to experience setbacks, there’s a pretty good chance Romero finishes the season as the team’s closer. Even if he does not, Romero should figure into some sort of high-leverage role as he has a 1.96 xFIP, 36.4% CSW, and 29.9% K-BB rates over his past 22.2 IP.
- Taking over as the White Sox closer has not been too kind to Gregory Santos who has a 7.56 ERA and 1.56 WHIP for the month and just two saves. Fortunately for him and for those rostering him, there isn’t much competition in this bullpen to contend with, so Santos should continue to see save chances for the time being.
- Robert Stephenson has low-key been the most dominant reliever in baseball since June started, and yet he only has two holds to show for it. Since joining the Rays (25.2 IP), Stephenson has been a bat-missing machine with 27.9% SwStr (1st in MLB by 6.5%), 41.5% CSW rates (1st in MLB by 2%), and 33.3% K-BB rates (3rd in MLB) while his 2.13 SIERA over that span is also good for 3rd best amongst qualified relievers. While the SV+HLD’s have been tough to come by this season, the impending free agent could be a sleeper pick in drafts next year.
- Trevor May has been a lot better since July started, and his 9 saves are good enough for 12th most amongst relievers since July 1st. It still comes with a 5.09 xFIP and 7.9% K-BB rate over that span (15.1 IP), so he likely won’t be helpful in other categories, but for those trying to climb back in the SV+HLD (or Saves only) category, he’s become a steady source of those.
And if you want more daily reliever updates, please check out our Reliever Ranks series.
Injured List
| PITCHER | TIER | INJURY (SURGERY DATE). NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Ryan Helsley | 3 | Forearm. Rehab has stalled do to soreness, and underwent an MRI recently. Chance we don’t see him again this season. |
| Blake Treinen | 4/5 | Started rehab assignment last week but it doesn’t sound like he will return this season. |
| Brock Stewart | 5/6 | Elbow. Had a setback in his side session, back to playing catch though (flat ground, 90 feet). ETA is September now. |
| Joe Kelly | 5/6 | Forearm. Already scheduled to throw a bullpen, and could return in a few weeks. |
| Chris Devenski | 5/6 | Hamstring. Currently on his rehab assignment and could return any time now. |
Surprised to see Doval holding at #5 despite his struggles (3.1 IP, 5 H, 5 BB, 4 K, 13.50 ERA, 4 blown saves over his last 4 appearances).
Topa criminally underrated each week here.
His peripherals are solid.
His deployment is locked in.
His team is winning a lot!
Give me Topa over JoJo Romero, Payamps, and other higher ranked guys that have disappeared over last two weeks.