Only four relievers recorded more than 35 saves last season, and two had rough outings with Opening Day two weeks away. Emmanuel Clase allowed four hits and three earned runs over two-thirds of an inning against San Francisco. Not to be outdone, Robert Suarez suffered his first loss, allowing five hits, four earned runs, and a walk in one-third of the fourth. Are these blips or foreshadowing of their upcoming seasons?
Emmanuel Clase
He’s been a stabilizing high-leverage force, and no one has had more saves than his 133 since 2022, with only Josh Hader (103 saves) recording more than 100. He offsets his lack of strikeout upside with strong ratios and clarity in his role.
In his outing against the Giants, he allowed a lead-off triple by Tyler Fitzgerald, a Luis Matos RBI single. He recorded a strikeout and a ground out, then another single, followed by a stolen base, and a two-RBI single by Brett Wisely. He finished with four hits allowed and three earned runs over two-thirds of the fifth. He has posted a 2.40 WHIP with seven strikeouts versus one walk across 3.1 innings this spring.
The good news is that Clase maxed out at 99.8 miles per hour with his cutter:
He has a reputation for starting slowly, especially in terms of velocity, so this is expected, though he did display signs of fatigue during the playoffs last year. Focusing on this outing, here is his pitch illustrator:
And the results by pitch:
When we compare this with his swing-and-miss heatmaps from last year, this feels like it was more about his command than the velocity:
The bigger question lies in why he’s not throwing his slider.
Robert Suarez
Coming off career highs in saves (36) and innings (65), Suarez showed signs of regression after the All-Star break last year:
On Wednesday, he suffered his first loss, allowing five hits, four earned runs, and a walk in one-third of the fourth. He threw 20 pitches (70 Strike percentage) and induced two whiffs:
It’s been a rough spring for the closer. He sports a bloated 3.82 WHIP with four strikeouts against four walks in 3.2 innings.
Fantasy managers do not know if it’s by plan, but Suarez has been over two miles per hour below his 99.66 four-seam fastball velocity at the end of 2024 this spring:
He will not succeed working in the heart of the strike zone with reduced velocity, as his pitch result chart confirms:
Jason Adam has also been below last year’s velocity, but should be a late round stash candidate for saves.
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Here are the remaining leverage outings of interest from Wednesday’s spring slate.
Closer CliffsNotes
American League
Baltimore Orioles
- Recording a much needed scoreless outing, Seranthony Domínguez navigated around a hit and a walk while striking out one at the top of the sixth. This lowered his spring WHIP to 3.50 through four innings.
- Gregory Soto retired the side and recorded one strikeout.
- Keegan Akin gave up two hits, including a two-run home run, and struck out two in the eighth.
Boston Red Sox
- Taking over at the top of the fifth, Aroldis Chapman retired the side while striking out two. He has a 1.50 WHIP with eight strikeouts against four walks across 4.2 innings.
- Garrett Whitlock worked a clean sixth and recorded two strikeouts. After two outings, he has a 0.50 WHIP with three strikeouts.
Chicago White Sox
- Continuing his case for the closer role, Mike Clevinger fired a clean top of the fourth and recorded one strikeout for his first hold. He threw 11 pitches (63.6 Strike percentage) and induced one whiff. It’s unknown how he will respond after appearing on consecutive days, but he’s not allowed a baserunner through two relief outings while striking out three.
Detroit Tigers
- Entering at the top of the sixth, Jason Foley allowed a hit and recorded two strikeouts on 19 pitches (15 strikes – 78.9 Strike percentage) with three whiffs (15.8 swinging strike percentage). He owns a 1.85 WHIP with eight strikeouts through 4.1 innings.
- Beau Brieske gave up a hit and struck out two in a scoreless seventh, throwing nine pitches (55.6 Strike percentage) without a whiff. He’s posted a 1.25 WHIP with five strikeouts versus one walk over four innings.
- Will Vest yielded a solo home run and recorded one strikeout in the eighth.
- Tyler Holton retired the side in the ninth on 11 pitches (72.7 Strike percentage) with three whiffs (27.3 swinging strike percentage), lowering his spring WHIP to 1.09 through 3.2 innings.
Los Angeles Angels
- Flashing his upside, Ben Joyce worked around a hit and recorded three strikeouts in a scoreless bottom of the fifth against the White Sox. He threw 21 pitches (81 Strike percentage) with six whiffs (28.6 swinging strike percentage). He also lit up the radar gun throwing eight pitches above 100 miles per hour, including one at 103.6. He’s posted a 1.25 WHIP with seven strikeouts against two walks across four innings.
Kansas City Royals
- An update regarding Carlos Estévez:
Minnesota Twins
- Securing his first hold, Jhoan Durán fired a clean bottom of the seventh while recording two strikeouts. There was no Statcast or televised feed, but it was reported he reached 101 miles per hour in this outing. He has a 0.60 WHIP with four strikeouts over five innings.
Seattle Mariners
- An eventful appearance for Andrés Muñoz, including hitting Bobby Witt Jr. with a pitch, a hit against, and an earned run. Muñoz threw 15 pitches (11 strikes – 73.3 Strike percentage) and produced two whiffs (13.3 swinging strike percentage). He has a 1.25 WHIP with five strikeouts through four innings.
Tampa Bay Rays
- Appearing at the bottom of the sixth, Edwin Uceta was scoreless, giving up a hit and striking out two. He threw 12 pitches (83.3 Strike percentage) while producing three whiffs (25 swinging strike percentage). He owns a 0.94 WHIP with six strikeouts against two walks over 5.1 innings.
Texas Rangers
- During a bullpen game, Chris Martin allowed a hit and recorded two strikeouts at the top of the second. He threw 12 pitches (83.3 Strike percentage) and induced three whiffs (25 swinging strike percentage) for his third spring hold. He owns a 0.67 WHIP with four strikeouts through three innings.
National League
Cincinnati Reds
- Despite allowing a hit and a walk, Alexis Díaz held on for a scoreless bottom of the fifth against Texas. He threw 23 pitches (12 strikes – 52.2 Strike percentage) and produced two whiffs (8.7 swinging strike percentage). After two games, he has a 2.00 WHIP without a strikeout.
New York Mets
- Making his spring debut, A.J. Minter retired the side and recorded one strikeout for his first hold. He threw 10 pitches (80 Strike percentage) and produced three whiffs (30 swinging strike percentage). This outing may help him be ready by Opening Day, but nothing is definitive.
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