Fantasy baseball analyst Dalton Del Don gives us an updated look at the bullpen hierarchy of major teams.
Chicago WhiteSox
Michael Kopech suffered a loss in his last outing, but he remains the favorite to close in an ugly bullpen in Chicago. Kopech is a first-round pick and former top SP prospect who is posting a 34.9 K% after moving into a full-time relief role. His fantasy upside is limited playing for a White Sox team with three wins in the MLB so far this season, but Kopech (43% listed) should be added in all fantasy leagues that count saves as a category.
Kansas City Royals
James McArthur remains available in more than 50% of Yahoo leagues despite further entrenching himself as Kansas City’s closer. Since a shaky start to the season, McArthur has not allowed a run while posting a WHIP of 0.90 and a K:BB ratio of 9:1 over 6.2 innings. He also recorded four saves and a win in those six appearances. McArthur has a SIERA of 2.26 and a truly elite CSW (40.0%) that ranks in the top five out of 221 qualified relievers this year. He looks like one of the best RP waiver wire additions of the season and could be closer to a top-10 fantasy in the future.
Milwaukee Brewers
Abner Uribe had three saves in Milwaukee’s first four games of the season, but he hasn’t recorded one since. He came in during the fourth inning of Tuesday’s loss and helped save Joel Payamps on Wednesday. Payamps got blown up in one outing, but otherwise was scoreless through eight innings. Trevor Megill will also eventually enter the picture, but Payamps has a FIP of 1.57 and a WHIP of 0.68 this season and appears to be the current favorite to close out in Milwaukee, so he should be added if you’re looking for saves. It is available in almost 70% of Yahoo leagues.
Minnesota twins
Griffin Jax hasn’t recorded a save since his first appearance of the season as he wasn’t used as a traditional closer while Jhoan Duran was sidelined as fantasy managers had hoped. Steven Okert and Cole Sands have registered the same number of saves as Jax, and Duran is reportedly healthy and will return by the end of the month. Jax can be drafted into most fantasy leagues.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies use a commission to close based on matchups, but it may be worth noting that José Alvarado has some ugly peripherals. He ranks bottom 15th among 221 relievers in BB% (20.0), and his 7.6 SwStr% isn’t much better. Jeff Hoffman will continue to see opportunities in the late game, and the newly recalled Orion Kerkering remains the favorite to lead the team in saves in the second half of the season. Both Hoffman (10% on the list) and Kerkering (18%) are widely available in Yahoo Leagues.
Seattle sailors
Andrés Muñoz was drafted as a top-10 fantasy closer, but he hasn’t seen a save opportunity since April 6. Injuries in Seattle’s bullpen have pushed Muñoz into a high-impact role, including coming in the seventh inning in his last appearance. . Muñoz remains the clear Mariners RP to include in fantasy leagues, but his usage has been incredibly disappointing. Hopefully Matt Brash’s eventual return will lead to Muñoz closing more.
Tampa Bay Rays
Pete Fairbanks has lost a few save chances thanks to the balls in Coors Field and has struggled this season (his 7.2 SwStr% is easily a career low). But he gives great interviews, and Tampa Bay still has faith in him. Fairbanks has uncharacteristically struggled with control (his 58.6 K% is down about 10% from the past two seasons), but he’ll likely bounce back assuming he’s healthy. His .444 BABIP is sure to decline as well, and Fairbanks remains the favorite to close in Tampa Bay.
Texas Rangers
Kirby Yates has overtaken the struggling José Leclerc (2.2 K-BB%) and is more than capable of keeping the closer’s job for the rest of the season, so he should be added to any fantasy league where he remains available .
