Teams at the top are desperate for wins. Those near the bottom are assessing what they’ve got. That means short leashes everywhere, and the return of the Hot Seat column. Note that these rankings are in order of current job security.
Hottest – In a committee, or on the verge of losing their job right now
30. Alex Wilson (cuff: Bruce Rondon)
29. Tommy Kahnle (cuff: Justin Miller)
-Wilson hasn’t allowed a run since the trade of Joakim Soria, but has very low strikeout rates and a resurgent Bruce Rondon behind him. Tommy Kahnle has been good lately and just picked up his first save at the top of a Colorado committee, but he could lose his chance to run with the job if his next outing is poor.
Hot – Closers who could be in danger after their next blown save
28. Edward Mujica (cuff: Drew Pomeranz)
27. Carson Smith (cuff: Fernando Rodney/Tom Wilhelmsen)
26. Santiago Casilla (cuff: Sergio Romo)
25. Brad Boxberger (cuff: Jake McGee)
-Boxberger and Casilla are coming off rough outings, while Carson Smith has been wildly inconsistent lately. Edward Mujica is also on a short leash, having just taken over the job.
Warmish – Two blown saves in a row and these players might be in trouble
24. Arodys Vizcaino
23. Luke Gregerson
22. Greg Holland
21. Glen Perkins
-Vizcaino has been great thus far, but is only a week into the gig. Gregerson and Holland have been mostly good this season, but often don’t look like the best pitcher in the bullpen. Perkins has had a rough stretch.
Cool – These players would have to blow 3 consecutive saves for their jobs to be in jeopardy
20. Francisco Rodriguez
19. Brad Ziegler
18. Koji Uehara
17. Roberto Osuna
16. Hector Rondon
15. AJ Ramos
14. Jeurys Familia
13. David Robertson
12. Kenley Jansen
11. Cody Allen
10. Huston Street
9. Ken Giles
8. Mark Melancon
7. Trevor Rosenthal
6. Jonathan Papelbon
-The majority of stoppers fall in this category for now, and though these players span 15 spots in the rankings, there isn’t a tremendous difference between any of the guys. They’re all pretty good and they’re all pretty secure for the time being. Papelbon might be in the Sub-zero category, but he’s got fan favorite Drew Storen pitching the 8th ahead of him, which might mean some added pressure.
Sub-zero – These players would have to blow 4+ consecutive saves for their jobs to be in jeopardy
5. Shawn Tolleson
4. Craig Kimbrel
3. Zach Britton
2. Andrew Miller
1. Aroldis Chapman
-Tolleson has been fine, but he’s not quite on the level with the other four — he’s mainly in this tier because he has very little competition in the Texas bullpen.
