Hunter Strickland and Roman Mendez have arrived

September 23, 2014

San Francisco Giants — Since Bruce Bochy’s late-August announcement that Santiago Casilla would share save opportunities with a committee, Casilla has continued to get every available chance. On Monday, though, Casilla pitched the eleventh and twelfth (in a tie game on the road!!), leaving the save for Hunter Strickland, whom you know all too well as the closer for the mighty Richmond Flying Squirrels. Since Strickland came to the big club on September 1, he has seven strikeouts in seven scoreless appearances. The committee isn’t really a thing, but the Giants might want to keep testing whether Strickland could be.

Updated hierarchy: Casilla | Romo | Strickland.

Houston Astros — Last offseason, Houston signed three free agent relievers: Chad Qualls, who has been a serviceable closer since May; Matt Albers, who made it into eight games before hitting the DL; and Jesse Crain, who earned $3.25 million for throwing as many pitches for Houston as your mother did. Now GM Jeff Luhnow says the team will again prioritize relief spending in the winter, in the hopes Houston can hit the rarefied air of “75 [or] 80 wins.” Keep dreaming that crazy dream, Jeff.

Hierarchy remains: Qualls | Fields | Sipp.

Texas Rangers — Rookie Roman Mendez has been getting several high-leverage outs lately for Texas; he was used in the eighth inning up a run on Monday night. Meanwhile, Alexi Ogando is so injured that they put him on the winter league disabled list.

Updated hierarchy: Feliz | Cotts | Mendez.

San Diego Padres — Kevin Quackenbush earned another save in Joaquin Benoit’s stead. Benoit’s first appearance (on Sunday) was uneventful, so if the Padres are telling us the truth, he should return to the closer role soon.

Hierarchy remains: Benoit | Quackenbush | Thayer.

Cleveland Indians – Unbeknownst to us, Cody Allen couldn’t come back out for the tenth inning of the Indians’ suspended game against the Royals, because rookie lefty Kyle Crockett had already been announced as the new pitcher before the game was called in late August. That left it to Scott Atchison to pick up the save, 22 days later.

Hierarchy remains: Allen | Shaw | Atchison.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Tony Watson, Pittsburgh Pirates — The Bucs are riding their bullpen hard as they approach the postseason; Mark Melancon has now thrown on four of the last five days (67 pitches), and five of the last seven (84).
2. Neal Cotts, Texas Rangers — Neftali Feliz has pitched on two straight days, and he hasn’t gone three in a row all year.
3. Brian Wilson, Los Angeles Dodgers — Kenley Jansen has thrown 20+ pitches each of the last two days.

Neftali Feliz will close in Texas

July 24, 2014

Texas Rangers — 26-year-old Neftali Feliz, an All-Star closer in 2010, will get the first shot at the ninth with Joakim Soria headed to Detroit. “We’ll give him a shot,” Ron Washington said. “He is the only one with experience.” Shawn Tolleson and Neal Cotts will back him up.

Updated hierarchy: Feliz | Tolleson | Cotts.

Detroit Tigers — The Tigers have acquired Joakim Soria from the Texas Rangers. Joe Nathan will hang onto his job for now, but his Hot Seat is glowing white with his former set-up guy looming.

Updated hierarchy: Nathan | Soria | Chamberlain.

Houston Astros — Although he admits that he’s been burned before and remains “very guarded,” Houston GM Jeff Luhnow still hopes Jesse Crain and Matt Albers will return to give the Astros a few innings this year in exchange for their combined $5.5 million in salary. Finding the saddest part of that sentence is left as an exercise for the reader. In far less depressing news, Josh Fields has struck out 18 men and allowed only three baserunners in 9.1 innings since his return from the DL. He has the edge over Tony Sipp.

Updated hierarchy: Qualls | Fields | Sipp.

Tampa Bay Rays — Brad Boxberger to Jake McGee: two perfect innings with five strikeouts. A fella could get used to this. And get well soon, Joel Peralta; hope you don’t have that nasty chikungunya virus.

Hierarchy remains: McGee | Balfour | Boxberger.

Chicago White Sox — Chicago’s bullpen may soon become crowded if Nate Jones and Matt Lindstrom can return as planned early next month. Jones has been throwing on flat ground for some time now. Lindstrom will pitch batting practice this weekend, then start a minor league rehab assignment if all goes well.

Hierarchy remains: Putnam | Petricka | Belisario.

Toronto Blue Jays — First, Sergio Santos’s stuff went south; now he will, to AAA Buffalo, after clearing waivers.

Hierarchy remains: Janssen | McGowan | Loup.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Sergio Romo, San Francisco Giants — Santiago Casilla has pitched in three straight games.
2. Ken Giles/Antonio Bastardo, Philadelphia Phillies — With Jonathan Papelbon likely unavailable after throwing 55 pitches in the last two days, Ryne Sandberg might have to choose between preparing his closer of the future or showcasing a promising trade chip.
3. Luke Gregerson, Oakland Athletics — Sean Doolittle has pitched in three of four games, including last night, and the A’s play a day game on Thursday.

Joe Smith could replace Ernesto Frieri, and Hector Rondon is still waiting

April 24, 2014

Chicago Cubs — Hey, can it be Hector Rondon time yet? The rest of the Cubs bullpen combined for a brutal blown save on Wednesday, with Pedro Strop’s control problems (7 BB in 8.1 IP) the catalyst. We’ve been telling you for two weeks that Rondon’s our guy; for the sake of Jeff Samardzija’s mental health, we hope Rick Renteria agrees soon. No hierarchy change.

.Closer.Set-Up.2nd in line.2015 Closer.Updated
CHCPedro StropHector RondonJustin GrimmHector Rondon4/24/14

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Los Angeles Angels — Ernesto Frieri is having a terrible April. 5 of the 42 batters he’s faced have hit home runs, and opponents are hitting .359/.405/.769 against him — basically the equivalent of a Babe Ruth who didn’t like to walk. After Wednesday’s four-run meltdown, Mike Scioscia gave Frieri a vote of confidence, but the next nightmare outing is bound to be his last. Joe Smith awaits. Ernesto Frieri to Hot Seat.

.Closer.Set-Up.2nd in line.2015 Closer.Updated
LAAErnesto FrieriJoe SmithMichael KohnErnesto Frieri4/24/14

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New York Mets — Terry Collins sent Mets fans into a tizzy with Wednesday’s offhand comment that Daisuke Matsuzaka was a potential option to close games. Instead, the faithful were treated to classic Farnsworth: three hits, and the tying run thrown out at the plate. A 94 MPH fastball on the last pitch to Matt Holliday may assuage concerns about the closer’s health, at least. No hierarchy change.

.Closer.Set-Up.2nd in line.2015 Closer.Updated
NYMKyle FarnsworthCarlos TorresGonzalez GermenBobby Parnell4/24/14
Bobby Parnell (DL)

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Houston Astros — So much for pleasant bullpen news out of Houston. Pitching for the third straight day, Josh Fields coughed up the lead and the ballgame on two singles and a three-run blast. With Matt Albers unavailable with shoulder tightness, Bo Porter didn’t have many other options. More bad news: Jesse Crain still hasn’t thrown a pitch in rehab, and won’t be up for at least a month. No hierarchy change.

.Closer.Set-Up.2nd in line.2015 Closer.Updated
HOUJosh FieldsMatt AlbersChad QuallsJosh Fields4/24/14
Jesse Crain (DL)

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VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Hector Rondon, Chicago Cubs — Even if Pedro Strop doesn’t lose his job on Thursday, he’s not getting the save opportunity after Wednesday’s 31-pitch debacle.
2. Matt Albers/Chad Qualls/Anthony Bass, Houston Astros — Josh Fields can’t go tomorrow, and if Albers is still hurt, Porter will probably turn to Qualls or Bass.
3. Sean Doolittle, Oakland A’s — The next Oakland save could also go to Jim Johnson, Fernando Abad, or Dan Otero.

The top 15 middle relievers in fantasy baseball

March 15, 2014

Our top 15 middle relievers are listed below.  These players are ranked on the likelihood that they will get saves this season, not necessarily on their efficacy.  To cite an extreme example, Craig Breslow is a great reliever who is extremely unlikely to get any save chances since he’s stuck behind Koji Uehara and Edward Mujica.  So even though Breslow is objectively a much better pitcher than someone like Matt Lindstrom, Lindstrom is on our rankings, whereas Breslow is not.

(Holds are not a consideration.  If you would benefit from a post that covers holds, please contact us.)

1. Joakim Soria, Texas Rangers – Now seemingly fully recovered from the Tommy John surgery that cost him the 2012 season, Joakim Soria is making a run at the Texas closer gig.  Neftali Feliz continues to struggle to find his velocity, and Soria could wind up as the closer on a Rangers team that could threaten 90 wins if everything falls into place.

2. Rex Brothers, Colorado Rockies – Even if LaTroy Hawkins has a great year, Rex Brothers could still wind up with five to eight saves, as Hawkins will have trouble going three in a row and Walt Weiss has said he might use Brothers in any lefty-heavy ninth inning.  And we don’t think Hawkins will have a great year.

3. Matt Lindstrom, Chicago White Sox – While sabermetricians are gaga for Nate Jones, there’s no word out of White Sox camp about the closer role, and Matt Lindstrom, whose rehab is going well, keeps saying that he wants the job.  Things Lindstrom has going for him include the fact that he has the most closer experience of anyone on the team, and Robin Ventura’s always-unorthodox treatment of the 9th inning.

4. Danny Farquhar, Seattle Mariners – He’s quite good and Fernando Rodney is not.

5. Sergio Santos, Toronto Blue Jays – As previously mentioned, Casey Janssen isn’t 100 percent, and Sergio Santos had a lights-out end of 2013, posting a 1.75 ERA and 0.58 WHIP after returning from injury.

6. Cody Allen, Cleveland Indians – If John Axford struggles with the long ball (Axford had the 6th-highest HR/FB ratio in 2012 and 11th-highest in 2013), Cody Allen could take over as closer and run away with it.  Allen is only 24 and his K/9 of 11.3 ranked 13th among relievers last year.

7. J.J. Putz, Arizona Diamondbacks – Addison Reed is pitching much better this spring than veteran J.J. Putz.  This competition isn’t over yet, but Putz will need to rally to give himself a chance for saves in Arizona.

8. Jesse Crain, Houston Astros – Jesse Crain has been hurt his whole career, and 2014 is already no different.  The righty would be the odds-on favorite to win the closer gig in Houston, but his health is once again holding him back.

9. Joaquin Benoit, San Diego Padres – Stop us if you’ve heard this before: Huston Street is a little bit nicked up.  While Street should be fine for the start of the season, it was 2009 when he last topped 60 innings in a season.

10. Tyler Clippard, Washington Nationals – Unlike several other relievers on this list, Tyler Clippard’s inclusion isn’t a knock on the guy ahead of him, as Rafael Soriano has strung together several perfectly decent seasons.  Clippard is on here because he’s been one of the steadiest middle relievers in baseball the last three years, stepping in to the closer role in 2012 and picking up 32 saves.  If Soriano gets hurt, Clippard will do it again.

11. Pedro Strop, Chicago Cubs – The Cubs signed Jose Veras to a one year deal to be their closer, which looks like the classic “sign a veteran stop gap closer and deal him at the deadline when the team is not contending” move.  Those in deep leagues might want to stash Strop, who would likely take over the job if Veras is moved — or ineffective.

12. Mark Melancon, Pittsburgh Pirates – Jason Grilli is great, but he’s 37 and coming off Tommy John surgery.

13. Joel Peralta, Tampa Bay Rays – Grant Balfour is going through a dead arm period and has struggled so far this spring, and he already had a deal with the Orioles that fell through due to injury concerns.  If Balfour misses time, Joel Peralta would be a solid fill in.

14. Josh Fields, Houston Astros – Probably the best healthy non-Qualls option in the Houston bullpen right now, Fields has said that he wants the closer job.  He’s allowed 1 run in 4 innings this spring so far.

15. Darren O’Day, Baltimore Orioles – Tommy Hunter hasn’t actually been named closer yet, and though he throws hard, he’s never had the highest strikeout rate, which can be a problem for a stopper.  Darren O’Day struggles against lefties, but has added a change-up as a potential equalizer this year.

2014 AL West bullpen preview

March 7, 2014

Houston Astros – The Astros enter 2014 with one of the most wide open bullpens in all of baseball.  After stumbling to the finish line in 2013 with one of the worst cadre of relievers in recent memory, Houston picked up Chad Qualls, Matt Albers, and Jesse Crain to bolster the back end of their bullpen.  Josh Fields, Chia-Jen Lo, Josh Zeid, and Kevin Chapman are among those likely to fill out the bullpen, and depending how it shakes out, nearly any of those guys could conceivably be the closer by the end of April.  We like Qualls out of the gate, as manager Bo Porter said in February that he values Qualls’s previous experience.  Fields finished the season as closer last year, and has said openly that he wants the job, so he could be Qualls’s early competition.  Crain would likely be challenging for the position as well, were he not a little bit nicked up.  And though Zeid finished last season strong, we’ll give the 2nd in line spot to Albers, based on his tenure.  Starting 2014 hierarchy: Closer – Chad Qualls, Set-up – Josh Fields (Jesse Crain injured), 2nd in line – Matt Albers.

.Closer.Set-Up.2nd in line.2015 Closer.Updated
HOUChad QuallsJosh FieldsMatt AlbersJosh Fields3/7/14
 Jesse Crain (INJ)

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Los Angeles Angels – Despite some rocky stretches last year, Ernesto Frieri enters 2014 as the unquestioned closer for the Angels.  The first man behind him should be Joe Smith, who got a big offseason contract, while Kevin Jepsen and Dane de la Rosa figure to feature prominently in the 7th inning.  Mike Scioscia has always liked Kevin Jepsen, who the Angels hope will return to form after an injury-plagued 2013.  De la Rosa finished last year strong, but we’ll give a slight edge to Jepsen, who manager Mike Scioscia has always liked.  Starting 2014 hierarchy: Closer – Ernesto Frieri, Set-up – Joe Smith, 2nd in line – Kevin Jepsen.

.Closer.Set-Up.2nd in line.2015 Closer.Updated
LAAErnesto FrieriJoe SmithKevin JepsenErnesto Frieri3/7/14

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Oakland A’s – The A’s brought Jim Johnson in to be their new stopper, and gave him a contract big enough to ensure his early-season job security.  Not much else to see here, as Sean Doolittle and Ryan Cook will likely share 8th inning duties again.  Cook has been recovering from some tendinitis, but is confident he’ll be ready for the season.  If he can’t go, the newly-acquired Luke Gregerson will slide up into his spot.  Starting 2014 hierarchy: Closer – Jim Johnson, Set-up – Sean Doolittle, 2nd in line – Ryan Cook.  

.Closer.Set-Up.2nd in line.2015 Closer.Updated
OAKJim JohnsonSean DoolittleRyan CookRyan Cook3/7/14

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Seattle Mariners – Danny Farquhar spent much of 2013 putting up phenomenal peripherals that the Mariners just didn’t trust for some reason, waiting until August to hand him the closer job.  Well, not much has changed — the Mariners still don’t trust Farquhar, and scooped up the enigmatic Fernando Rodney to be their 9th inning man.  If Rodney puts up 2012 numbers, then obviously Farquhar will never sniff the job.  If Rodney puts up 2013 numbers, then Farquhar could win it pretty quickly.  Tom Wilhelmsen is lurking as well, and starts the season in our 2nd in line position, while Stephen Pryor is still seen as the closer of the future in Seattle, and continues to work his way back from injury.  Starting 2014 hierarchy: Closer – Fernando Rodney, Set-up – Danny Farquhar, 2nd in line – Tom Wilhelmsen.

.Closer.Set-Up.2nd in line.2015 Closer.Updated
SEAFernando RodneyDanny FarquharTom WilhelmsenDanny Farquhar3/7/14

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Texas Rangers – The Rangers have said this is an open competition.  But they’ve also suggested that they want Neftali Feliz to win the job, and yesterday, Feliz gave them reason to think that he will.  So for now, we like him to beat out Joakim Soria for the job.  Tanner Scheppers and Robbie Ross, both among the best middle relievers in baseball last year, both reportedly have their eye on the 5th starter job.  They’re probably both too valuable to demote if they can’t crack the rotation, so one of them could get shuttled back to the bullpen by the end of spring training.  Starting 2014 hierarchy: Closer – Neftali Feliz, Set-up – Joakim Soria, 2nd in line – Tanner Scheppers. 

.Closer.Set-Up.2nd in line.2015 Closer.Updated
TEXNeftali FelizJoakim SoriaTanner ScheppersNeftali Feliz3/7/14

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