The game of baseball has evolved with the recent focus on analytics and advanced statistics. One of the positions that has been impacted the most is the relief pitcher. Now being deployed in a multitude of situations, relief pitchers provide a new challenge to fantasy owners.
Fantasy owners should have a plan for how they wish to approach relievers and the save category. Whether you wish to prioritize saves/holds or you want to wait until the later rounds, placing the relief pitchers in tiers will help you determine which players to target in your drafts.
Let’s dive into our current RP rankings and break the relievers into tiers.
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Tier One – Elite Closers
In order to have a large number of save situations, a team must be in a position to win a lot of games. While all four of these closers have elite talent, Chapman and Osuna stand out. Pitching for the American League favorites in the Yankees and Astros respectively, they figure to have plenty of save chances.
Hader has been one of the most dominant closers in baseball the last few years, and he will be the top reliever drafted in most leagues. Yates seized the opportunity to become the Padres closer with the departure of Brad Hand, and he has not disappointed. Saves are becoming increasingly difficult to predict, but these four pitchers appear to have the ninth-inning role locked up for their respective clubs.
Tier Two – Playing with Fire
Here we are again drafting an Oakland Athletics closer as a top-ten relief pitcher based on the previous season. Following a dominant 2018 campaign in which he recorded 38 saves, Blake Treinen was drafted as a top-five relief pitcher in 2019 before losing the closer role to Liam Hendriks. One year after the position was a massive bust in fantasy, the A’s closer is being selected highly once again. Hendriks does not have the track record of elite closers, and I find him to be a massive risk at his draft price.
There is no doubt that Jansen was elite at one point in his career. However, he struggled mightily in his 2019 campaign. A bounce-back seems unlikely considering that his velocity dipped, and his manager figures to have a tight leash for him as the expectations for the Dodgers continue to be sky-high.
Tier Three – Great Closers at a Discount
Hand may not be the dominant closer he once was, but he still has an above-average strikeout rate and will enter the season as the unquestioned ninth-inning man for the Indians. If Cleveland struggles to start the season, it’s possible that Hand is dealt to a contending team and would have more competition for the closer role.
Diaz had a disastrous 2019 campaign after being the best reliever in fantasy the season before. The Mets’ bullpen has a lot of quality arms, and Diaz will likely have a shorter leash than other pitchers in this range. Fantasy owners are counting on a strong bounce-back campaign from the 26-year-old when selecting him as a top-ten reliever.
Rogers emerged as a waiver-wire star for fantasy owners during the 2019 season. He quickly proved himself to be the best arm in the Minnesota bullpen, and he even recorded several five or six out saves to close the season. The left-hander is one of my favorite relief pitcher options, as he has elite upside to go along with a strong grip on the closer role.
Tier Four – Skating On Thin Ice
This is where it starts to get ugly. Sure, any of these guys could provide consistent saves for your fantasy team. At the same time, a bad outing or two could spell the end of these players as closers.
Giles is a good player to target to get your team off to a good start in the saves category. The veteran right-hander was excellent in 2019, and he should have a firm hold on the ninth-inning role in Toronto. Because he is not under team-control in 2021, it’s very possible that contending teams will attempt to add him to their bullpen near the trade deadline.
Remember when we were drafting Kimbrel because a team was sure to sign him to be its unquestioned closer? When Kimbrel was eventually signed by the Cubs a few months into the season, he struggled mightily. His 8.10 ERA in 2019 is tough on the eyes, but Kimbrel once again has the opportunity to hold the closer role in a weak Chicago bullpen.
Though he’s coming off a year in which he recorded 34 saves, Iglesias still feels like a large risk. He possesses tremendous strikeout upside, and his control in 2019 was excellent as well. However, the veteran is on a team that figures to be near the bottom of the National League and may be used in many non-save situations where he can be charged with losses.
Count me in for Hector Neris in 2019. Undoubtedly the player I prefer most of this group, Neris was a reliable bullpen arm for the Phillies and fantasy owners alike in 2019. After tallying 28 saves last season, the Phillies signed the right-hander to a one-year contract to avoid arbitration. After being a priority of the club in the offseason, I expect Neris to succeed in the ninth-inning role in Philadelphia.
The beneficiary of Kimbrel’s departure from Boston, Workman was one of the many arms used to close out games for the Red Sox in 2019. He led the Boston bullpen with 16 saves, but six other players also recorded a save for the Red Sox. Three of those players return to Boston for 2020. Workman will definitely get the first crack at the closer role, but he will always be at risk of losing his job.
Tier Five – (Former) Starters and Fringe Closers
- Nick Anderson
- Tyler Glasnow
- Alex Colome
- Hansel Robles
- Sean Doolittle
- Brandon Woodruff
- Jose Leclerc
- Archie Bradley
- Carlos Carrasco
As the MLB team that was the first to implement “The Opener” strategy, it’s no surprise that the Rays have an unorthodox method of deploying their bullpen. Anderson pitched well for Tampa Bay in 2019, but he seceded most save opportunities to Emilio Pagan. Now that Pagan is in San Diego, Anderson will get his chance to be the primary closer for the Rays.
Glasnow was off to an incredible start in 2019 before eventually being shut down after just 60 innings pitched. He flashed elite ability and ace potential in his short campaign. Glasnow carries relief pitcher eligibility, but he is most likely to be deployed as a starting pitcher once again. His appeal depends on the format of your league.
To the surprise of many, Colome held down the closer role for the White Sox and recorded 30 saves in 2019. Now part of a much-improved roster, Colome could see even more opportunities. However, keep in mind that Chicago could try to bring in some strong relievers to make an AL pennant run.
Robles was the Angels’ closer for most of 2019, and he will enter 2020 with the ninth-inning role under new manager Joe Maddon. However, the Los Angeles bullpen has underrated arms in Ty Buttrey and Keynan Middleton who could look to steal save opportunities. I have a tough time selecting Robles as a top-20 reliever.
Now entering his tenth big-league season, veteran left-hander Doolittle saw his performance drop off during his 2019 campaign. While he holds the closer role in Washington for now, he does not have a firm grip on the role. Doolittle is a risky saves target for fantasy owners.
Other players who carry both SP and RP eligibility, depending on the platform, are Woodruff, Leclerc, and Carrasco. Woodruff had a strong 2019 campaign as a starter, and he figures to be utilized as a starting pitcher at least to start this upcoming season. Leclerc is entering 2020 as the Rangers closer despite doing everything he possibly could to lose that job last season. It is unclear how Carrasco will be deployed in 2020 after battling leukemia for most of last season. Whenever he has been healthy, the Cleveland pitcher has been effective. However, he could be used as a long reliever which would not put him in line for too many wins or saves.
Bradley took over the closer role in 2019 and did not relinquish the job. That is how we can positively spin his season which resulted in just 18 saves and a 3.52 ERA. After struggling with walks and escaping jams last season, Bradley may not have the same fortune in 2020. Keep an eye on Hector Rondon, who closed games for Houston the past two seasons, as he will likely serve as the set-up man in Arizona to start the year.
Tier Six – Get Out the Dartboard
The rest of the names in the rankings have blemishes. No doubt. That’s how quickly reliever drops off this year.
These are the three names I think can still provide value for fantasy owners. After them, you are either chasing upside or hoping for a major shakeup in a bullpen.
Kela enters 2020 as the starting closer for the Pirates, which means he may not earn many save opportunities anyway. As long as he is in Pittsburgh, he should have a firm hold on the job. However, as a free agent at the end of the season, there is always the possibility he is moved before year’s end.
While he does not hold a closer, or even a set role, within the Cardinals’ bullpen, I think that the talent is worth betting on here with Gallegos. He is part of an ambiguous situation, and he will at least provide strikeout upside for fantasy owners in the early going. If he eventually emerges as the closer in St. Louis, he will be a tremendous value.
Jimenez is another player entering the 2020 season as the closer for a team that projects to have a poor record. He should have a strong grip on the ninth-inning role in Detroit, and because he is under contract moving forward, he could hold the job all year long.
Key Takeaways
The relief pitcher position varies greatly by league. You will have to decide how you wish to approach your draft. If you want to make relief pitcher a priority, then you should look to grab at least a couple players from the groups of Tier One, Tier Two, and Tier Three.
Always remember that these are pre-draft tiers. The relief pitcher position changes drastically as the season progresses. Every year there are closers that emerge from unsettled situations and provide fantasy value. Ask yourself what kind of start you want to get out to at the reliever position and use these tiers accordingly. You will be able to find value during the season on the waiver-wire.
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Shane Bryant is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Shane, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @ShaneBryant31.