Considering we're barely over two weeks into the season, we've witnessed an awful lot of closer upheaval since last Wednesday. Zach Britton and Sam Dyson landed on the disabled list. Britton is dealing with a forearm strain near the wrist. He claims to be feeling much better. It's possible he'll return before May. I've seen no updates on Dyson's timetable from a hand contusion. I assume he'll rehab until his sinker is working.
Blake Treinen lost his job last night, and we got official confirmation that Ryan Madson will be working the middle innings. Go ahead and check on Santiago Casilla, Sean Doolittle, Shawn Kelley, and Koda Glover. I'll wait.
There's turmoil in Houston and St. Louis. The Astros may have secretly demoted Ken Giles. More on that below. Seung Hwan Oh is struggling. While I think he's fine, there will be pressure to change his role if he continues to blow leads.
Greg Holland leads all closers with eight saves. Craig Kimbrel is second with six saves. Four others are tied with five saves apiece. Teammates Billy Hamilton and Jose Peraza each have six steals. They share the lead. Five more rabbits have five steals. Elvis Andrus was the busiest of the bunch last week. He stole four in five attempts.
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Tier 1: The Elite (3)
Aroldis Chapman, New York Yankees
Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Dodgers
Craig Kimbrel, Boston Red Sox
We lost one elite closer to the disabled list and gained another via superb performance. Chapman earned four saves in a busy week. He tossed a total of 3.1 innings and notched four strikeouts. Jansen pitched twice. He recorded two saves and three strikeouts in 2.1 innings.
I've said all along that Kimbrel was on the bubble between the top two tiers. He recorded four saves in four innings. The only hit he allowed was erased via double play. He walked none and struck out seven. The rest of the Red Sox bullpen is a bit of a dumpster fire.
Tier 2: Nearly Elite (7)
Cody Allen, Cleveland Indians
Roberto Osuna, Toronto Blue Jays
Edwin Diaz, Seattle Mariners
Kelvin Herrera, Kansas City Royals
Mark Melancon, San Francisco Giants
Addison Reed, Jeurys Familia, New York Mets
Alex Colome, Tampa Bay Rays
I still worry about Allen's penchant for early season command issues. He had a shaky save on Monday in which he allowed two hits and a walk. He also struck out two and somehow held the Twins scoreless. His only other outing was a non-save situation.
Osuna vultured a win in his only appearance of the week. He failed to protect a one-run lead against the Orioles. Kendrys Morales bailed him out with a game winning home run. Don't be too hard on Osuna. He only allowed an infield hit. A pinch runner stole second then scored on two consecutive sac flies.
Diaz joined the vulture win parade on Sunday. He allowed a solo home run to Nomar Mazara while defending a 6-6 tie. The Mariners bats saved the day. Diaz also earned a save earlier in the week.
Herrera hasn't dominated in the way I expected, but I'm confident the results will come. The Royals finally had need of their fireman, using him four times. He allowed one solo home run. He recorded a win, two saves, and three strikeouts.
Last night, Melancon worked around a couple hits by striking out the side. He also pitched well in a non-save situation on Sunday.
The Mets will welcome back Familia on Thursday. Entering the season, I thought there was a chance Reed could steal the job from Familia. It required perfection. Unfortunately, Reed was charged with a blown save loss on Sunday. He was used for multiple innings on Thursday – despite also pitching on Wednesday. I suspect he'll be used as a two-inning reliever going forward. Familia has pitched well while on “rehab” assignment. He's returning from a strangely brief domestic violence suspension. Familia might get a couple setup appearances before reclaiming the closer job.
Colome faced five batters and induced five outs. He did not pitch in a save situation. An update on his repertoire: he calls his 89 mph slider a “cutter.” True cutters aren't over five mph slower than a straight fastball. True sliders are usually more than six mph slower. Whatever you call it – cutter, slider, slutter, baby slider – he's using it nearly 70 percent of the time.
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Tier 3: The Mid Tier (6)
Wade Davis, Chicago Cubs
David Robertson, Chicago White Sox
A.J. Ramos, Miami Marlins
Brad Brach, Baltimore Orioles
Cam Bedrosian, Los Angeles Angels
Raisel Iglesias, Cincinnati Reds
It's funny how scouting reports will suddenly change when a pitcher doesn't allow a run through his first seven appearances. Now I'm hearing Davis' stuff is close to peak after everybody was insisting the cutter had declined. I'll give it another week before I bump him into the second tier. He recorded four strikeouts and one save in a nearly perfect week.
Robertson is putting on an excellent audition for contending teams. Through 5.2 innings, he's recorded 11 strikeouts compared to two walks and one hit. The White Sox somehow handed him four saves in the least week. He's yet to allow a run. Even his 0.08 FIP and 0.36 xFIP agree with the success.
Everybody always asks me what to do about Ramos. Use him? Even if the Marlins appear eager to replace him, he's still a very good reliever. He allowed a run last Wednesday – his only of the young season. Unfortunately, he was pitching in a tied game. He took the loss. Since then, he's earned a win and a save in two hitless innings.
With Britton sidelined, Brach is the most reliable pitcher in the Orioles bullpen. He experienced a command breakout last season. With only six innings to date, it's unclear if he's still hitting spots. For Brach, command is the difference between a 2.50 ERA or a 3.50 ERA. Either plays as a temporary closer. Darren O'Day is supposedly in the picture for saves too. His first three outings were heinous – six runs, five walks, and one strikeout in 2.2 innings. He looked like his usual self last week – no runs, two hits, and three strikeouts in a pair of innings.
Now that Andrew Bailey is on the disabled list, Bedrosian's job is fully secured. He was called upon for a two-inning save last night. The Angels may need to use him for multi-inning saves if they want to contend. The bullpen and rotation is awfully thin. There's only so much Mike Trout can do.
The Reds bullpen will remain frustrating all season long. Iglesias is clearly the top option. He allowed a solo home run in his only outing. The Reds gave him enough run support to pick up a vulture win. Michael Lorenzen earned a save one day after allowing four runs. Lorenzen and Drew Storen will pick up occasional saves.
Considering we're barely over two weeks into the season, we've witnessed an awful lot of closer upheaval since last Wednesday. Zach Britton and Sam Dyson landed on the disabled list. Britton is dealing with a forearm strain near the wrist. He claims to be feeling much better. It's possible he'll return before May. I've seen no updates on Dyson's timetable from a hand contusion. I assume he'll rehab until his sinker is working.
Blake Treinen lost his job last night, and we got official confirmation that Ryan Madson will be working the middle innings. Go ahead and check on Santiago Casilla, Sean Doolittle, Shawn Kelley, and Koda Glover. I'll wait.
There's turmoil in Houston and St. Louis. The Astros may have secretly demoted Ken Giles. More on that below. Seung Hwan Oh is struggling. While I think he's fine, there will be pressure to change his role if he continues to blow leads.
Greg Holland leads all closers with eight saves. Craig Kimbrel is second with six saves. Four others are tied with five saves apiece. Teammates Billy Hamilton and Jose Peraza each have six steals. They share the lead. Five more rabbits have five steals. Elvis Andrus was the busiest of the bunch last week. He stole four in five attempts.
Editor’s Note: Sign up for Yahoo Fantasy Baseball: Get in the game and create or join a league today.
Tier 1: The Elite (3)
Aroldis Chapman, New York Yankees
Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Dodgers
Craig Kimbrel, Boston Red Sox
We lost one elite closer to the disabled list and gained another via superb performance. Chapman earned four saves in a busy week. He tossed a total of 3.1 innings and notched four strikeouts. Jansen pitched twice. He recorded two saves and three strikeouts in 2.1 innings.
I've said all along that Kimbrel was on the bubble between the top two tiers. He recorded four saves in four innings. The only hit he allowed was erased via double play. He walked none and struck out seven. The rest of the Red Sox bullpen is a bit of a dumpster fire.
Tier 2: Nearly Elite (7)
Cody Allen, Cleveland Indians
Roberto Osuna, Toronto Blue Jays
Edwin Diaz, Seattle Mariners
Kelvin Herrera, Kansas City Royals
Mark Melancon, San Francisco Giants
Addison Reed, Jeurys Familia, New York Mets
Alex Colome, Tampa Bay Rays
I still worry about Allen's penchant for early season command issues. He had a shaky save on Monday in which he allowed two hits and a walk. He also struck out two and somehow held the Twins scoreless. His only other outing was a non-save situation.
Osuna vultured a win in his only appearance of the week. He failed to protect a one-run lead against the Orioles. Kendrys Morales bailed him out with a game winning home run. Don't be too hard on Osuna. He only allowed an infield hit. A pinch runner stole second then scored on two consecutive sac flies.
Diaz joined the vulture win parade on Sunday. He allowed a solo home run to Nomar Mazara while defending a 6-6 tie. The Mariners bats saved the day. Diaz also earned a save earlier in the week.
Herrera hasn't dominated in the way I expected, but I'm confident the results will come. The Royals finally had need of their fireman, using him four times. He allowed one solo home run. He recorded a win, two saves, and three strikeouts.
Last night, Melancon worked around a couple hits by striking out the side. He also pitched well in a non-save situation on Sunday.
The Mets will welcome back Familia on Thursday. Entering the season, I thought there was a chance Reed could steal the job from Familia. It required perfection. Unfortunately, Reed was charged with a blown save loss on Sunday. He was used for multiple innings on Thursday – despite also pitching on Wednesday. I suspect he'll be used as a two-inning reliever going forward. Familia has pitched well while on “rehab” assignment. He's returning from a strangely brief domestic violence suspension. Familia might get a couple setup appearances before reclaiming the closer job.
Colome faced five batters and induced five outs. He did not pitch in a save situation. An update on his repertoire: he calls his 89 mph slider a “cutter.” True cutters aren't over five mph slower than a straight fastball. True sliders are usually more than six mph slower. Whatever you call it – cutter, slider, slutter, baby slider – he's using it nearly 70 percent of the time.
Editor’s Note: Get our MLB Draft Guide + Season Pass ($39.99 value) for FREE with your first deposit on FanDuel! Click here to claim now.
Tier 3: The Mid Tier (6)
Wade Davis, Chicago Cubs
David Robertson, Chicago White Sox
A.J. Ramos, Miami Marlins
Brad Brach, Baltimore Orioles
Cam Bedrosian, Los Angeles Angels
Raisel Iglesias, Cincinnati Reds
It's funny how scouting reports will suddenly change when a pitcher doesn't allow a run through his first seven appearances. Now I'm hearing Davis' stuff is close to peak after everybody was insisting the cutter had declined. I'll give it another week before I bump him into the second tier. He recorded four strikeouts and one save in a nearly perfect week.
Robertson is putting on an excellent audition for contending teams. Through 5.2 innings, he's recorded 11 strikeouts compared to two walks and one hit. The White Sox somehow handed him four saves in the least week. He's yet to allow a run. Even his 0.08 FIP and 0.36 xFIP agree with the success.
Everybody always asks me what to do about Ramos. Use him? Even if the Marlins appear eager to replace him, he's still a very good reliever. He allowed a run last Wednesday – his only of the young season. Unfortunately, he was pitching in a tied game. He took the loss. Since then, he's earned a win and a save in two hitless innings.
With Britton sidelined, Brach is the most reliable pitcher in the Orioles bullpen. He experienced a command breakout last season. With only six innings to date, it's unclear if he's still hitting spots. For Brach, command is the difference between a 2.50 ERA or a 3.50 ERA. Either plays as a temporary closer. Darren O'Day is supposedly in the picture for saves too. His first three outings were heinous – six runs, five walks, and one strikeout in 2.2 innings. He looked like his usual self last week – no runs, two hits, and three strikeouts in a pair of innings.
Now that Andrew Bailey is on the disabled list, Bedrosian's job is fully secured. He was called upon for a two-inning save last night. The Angels may need to use him for multi-inning saves if they want to contend. The bullpen and rotation is awfully thin. There's only so much Mike Trout can do.
The Reds bullpen will remain frustrating all season long. Iglesias is clearly the top option. He allowed a solo home run in his only outing. The Reds gave him enough run support to pick up a vulture win. Michael Lorenzen earned a save one day after allowing four runs. Lorenzen and Drew Storen will pick up occasional saves.
Tier 4: Questions (7)
Greg Holland, Colorado Rockies
Ken Giles, Luke Gregerson, Houston Astros
Seung Hwan Oh, St. Louis Cardinals
Francisco Rodriguez, Detroit Tigers
Matt Bush, Texas Rangers
Jim Johnson, Atlanta Braves
Tony Watson, Pittsburgh Pirates
I'm still slightly hesitant to jump on the bandwagon to Holland. This most recent week was much shakier than the first two. He allowed five hits, two walks, and a pair of runs in three innings. He saved all three. Only one batter was retired on strikes. None of the games were at Coors Field.
After allowing four runs across two appearances, the Astros called on Giles to pitch the eighth inning on Saturday. He was credited with a hold while allowing one run. Gregerson would have earned the save if the Astros hadn't added insurance runs. Giles pitched the ninth on Monday with Gregerson playing the role of setup man. I'd dismiss this as a matchup thing, except Gregerson has been facing the tougher hitters. Hence, there are questions to be answered.
I haven't seen any reason to panic over Oh's early season woes. There's no denying the results are ugly – a 8.10 ERA with 4.05 K/9 and 1.35 BB/9 in 6.2 innings. Hitters seem to be sitting on his slider. It's responsible for most of the damage against him. Unfortunately, that's also his best weapon. If the pitch has declined in quality, Oh's struggles could continue. Like I said, I think he'll be fine. He allowed another run on Monday. Last night, he managed to keep the Pirates scoreless despite coughing up three hits. Somebody else will close for the Cardinals tonight, possibly Trevor Rosenthal or Kevin Siegrist.
Rodriguez allowed a solo home run while picking up a save on Friday. He had a clean save on Sunday. The Joe Jimenez sighting I reported last week was brief – he's already back in Triple-A. I don't recommend handcuffing with Justin Wilson. He's a middle reliever.
With Dyson ousted to the disabled list, Bush is first in line for saves. Be wary, he's recovering from a nagging shoulder injury. Injections worked last year, but they tend to decline in efficacy over time. They merely mask the real issue. Owners should enjoy Bush's big strikeout totals and low walk rate. Jeremy Jeffress is next in line to snag saves.
Johnson had a great week. He recorded three saves and a win in four innings. Two batters reached base via hit while five struck out.
Watson is successfully closing games. His peripherals leave much to be desired. He has four walks and four strikeouts through six innings. His most recent save included a solo home run. There is meltdown risk if he doesn't stop walking guys.
Tier 5: Roller Coasters (7)
Neftali Feliz, Milwaukee Brewers
Shawn Kelley, Koda Glover, Washington Nationals
Joaquin Benoit, Philadelphia Phillies
Brandon Maurer, San Diego Padres
Brandon Kintzler, Minnesota Twins
Santiago Casilla, Sean Doolittle, Oakland Athletics
Fernando Rodney, Arizona Diamondbacks
Much to my chagrin, Feliz has not already allowed six home runs. He did cough one up in his second appearance. It's his only run of the season. Feliz is in this section entirely due to his penchant for allowing homers. If he gets it under control, he'll move up.
Kelley was called upon to bail out Treinen last night. He also happens to be the Nationals best reliever. For reasons unknown to me, they prefer to use him as a partial inning reliever. As such, Glover will probably receive the formal promotion to closer.
Benoit had a noisy save on Sunday. Don't let it worry you, his job is plenty secure. He's solid enough to serve as closer for a club like the Phillies. Jeanmar Gomez only lost the job because he's in this process of losing his roster spot.
Maurer took a walkoff loss against the Braves on Monday. His stuff passes the closer eye test, but the results remain frustratingly inconsistent. Carter Capps is nearing a return to the majors. His rehab appearances have been a mixed bag. Brad Hand is currently the best reliever on the Padres active roster, but they prefer to use the lefty as a multi-inning guy. Ryan Buchter is more likely to earn saves if Maurer flops.
Casilla and Doolittle have been dubbed the Athletics closers. Casilla will face right-handed hitters while Doolittle will take the lefties. Never mind that neither of them are platoon pitchers. Casilla got the save last night.
The Diamondbacks are hesitant to put Archie Bradley anywhere near save opportunities. They're still unsure if he's a starter or a reliever. Since there's nobody else, Rodney will retain his job. He allowed three runs on Saturday then bounced back with saves on Sunday and Monday.
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Injured
Sam Dyson, Texas Rangers
Zach Britton, Baltimore Orioles
I suppose Dyson technically lost his job to injury – at least until he returns from the disable list.
The Deposed
Jeanmar Gomez, Philadelphia Phillies
Blake Treinen, Washington Nationals
Ryan Madson, Oakland Athletics
As predicted, Dyson was the next closer to fall off his perch. He was quickly followed by Treinen. I thought Treinen would be given a long leash, but eight mostly terrible appearances will destroy a lot of good will. His command is particularly atrocious right now.
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The Steals Department
While the data is not yet useful, the Pirates, Athletics, Astros, and Cubs have allowed the most stolen bases. We expected to see the Cubs on this list. The other clubs may represent a surprise opportunity for swipes. Let's see who we might target against these teams.
The Pirates play the Yankees and Cubs over the next week. New York has speedster Brett Gardner on the waiver wire. Chase Headley has also shown a willingness to swipe a base or two. He offers a well-rounded skill set. The Cubs lack for waiver wire targets. Albert Almora is the closest thing.
The Mariners and Angels will play the Athletics next. Seattle has a ton of underperforming speedy types like Jarrod Dyson and Leonys Martin. Taylor Motter is reasonable interesting too. For the Angels, perhaps Danny Espinosa, Cameron Maybin, or Andrelton Simmons will swipe a base. Ben Revere's an option too if you don't mind his otherwise terrible numbers.
The Astros will see the Angels, Rays, and Indians. Try more of the above for tomorrow's game against the Angels. The Rays have Kevin Kiermaier as their lone base thief. Abraham Almonte is the only widely available Indian who plays with regularity.
The Cubs will probably get torched by Hamilton and Peraza, but they aren't free. Pittsburgh is using Adam Frazier as their leadoff man. He likes to run despite an ugly success rate.
Last but not least, the Phillies face Noah Syndergaard tomorrow. I recommend Cesar Hernandez.