Week 14 Relief Rankings

J.J. Putz and Rafael Betancourt are back and their value should be pretty much the same as before once they shake the rust off.  It's possible they anoint Brothers as they're closer but that shouldn't affect Betancourt's value in a holds league much, if any.  Putz's job security is very strong considering the recent struggles of both Bell and Hernandez.  Chris Perez is also back but I really don't care and neither should you.

Three names that have been red-hot lately that you'll want to get to know:  Neil Cotts, Tommy Hunter, and Jordan Walden.  I'm buying Walden and Hunter, but Cotts' chances of sustaining seem unlikely with Scheppers still the top dog after Nathan and Joakim Soria coming back soon to make that bullpen even more crowded.  Another interesting name to see in the top ten for the last thirty days is Steve Cishek, who is no longer in the discussion for worst closers.

If you're in a league with just saves you need to pay close attention to potential moves at the trade deadline, but I think that's less of a concern in this type of league.  It's possible a player's value will move 5-10 spots but it's unlikely a closer or set-up man would be traded into a situation where he wasn't being used for either of those options.

Red and Green represents a significant change in ranking.  The 29 closers are in bold.

1. Craig Kimbrel, Atl 
2. Joe Nathan, Tex
3. Mariano Rivera, NYY
4. Aroldis Chapman, Cin
5. Kenley Jansen, LAD
6. Mark Melancon, Pit
7. David Robertson, NYY
8. Jonathan Papelbon, Phi
9. Jason Grilli, Pit
10. Glen Perkins, Min
11. Rafael Soriano, Was
12. Grant Balfour, Oak
13. Greg Holland, KC
14. Sergio Romo, SF
15. Casey Janssen, Tor
16. Ernesto Frieri, LAA
17. Luke Gregerson, SD
18. Rex Brothers, Col
19. Addison Reed, CWS
20. Trevor Rosenthal, Stl
21. Jim Johnson, Bal
22. Edward Mujica, Stl
23. J.J. Putz, Ari
24. Rafael Betancourt, Col
25. Koji Uehara, Bos
26. Fernando Rodney, TB
27. Joaquin Benoit, Det
28. Jesse Crain, CWS
29. Tyler Clippard, Was
30. Tanner Scheppers, Tex
31. Huston Street, SD
32. Vinnie Pestano, Cle
33. Steve Cishek, Mia
34. Jared Burton, Min
35. Bobby Parnell, NYM
36. Jose Veras, Hou
37. Joel Peralta, TB
38. Junichi Tazawa, Bos
39. Ryan Cook, Oak
40. Tommy Hunter, Bal
41. Chris Perez, Cle
42. Jake McGee, TB
43. Jordan Walden, Atl
44. John Axford, Mil
45. Kevin Gregg, ChC
46. Francisco Rodriguez, Mil
47. Tom Wilhelmsen, Sea
48. Drew Storen, Was
49. Darren O'Day, Bal
50. Aaron Crow, KC
51. Oliver Perez, Sea
52. Jim Henderson, Mil
53. Drew Smyly, Det
54. David Hernandez, Ari
55. Robbie Ross, Tex
56. Luis Avilan, Atl
57. Sean Doolittle, Oak
58. Dale Thayer, SD
59. Brett Cecil, Tor
60. Matt Thornton, CWS
61. Andrew Bailey, Bos
62. Neil Cotts, Tex
63. Kevin Jepsen, LAA
64. Brad Ziegler, Ari
65. Heath Bell, Ari
66. Blake Parker, ChC
67. Joe Smith, Cle
68. Yoervis Medina, Sea
69. Jeremy Affeldt, SF
70. Scott Downs, LAA
71. Tony Watson, Pit
72. Mike Dunn, Mia
73. Steve Delabar, Tor
74. Tim Collins, KC
75. Jose Cisnero, Hou

On the bubble:  David Aardsma (NYM), Hector Ambriz (Hou), Antonio Bastardo (Phi), Matt Belisle (Col), Jerry Blevins (Oak), Craig Breslow (Bos), Carter Capps (SEA), Steve Delabar (Tor), Casey Fien (Min), Nate Jones (CWS), Brandon League (LAD), Aaron Loup (Tor), Andrew Miller (Bos), James Russell (ChC), Paco Rodriguez (LAD), Bruce Rondon (Det), Alfredo Simon (Cin), Justin Wilson (Pit)

 

Top 10 Inactive Pitchers (expected return in parenthesis)

1. Santiago Casilla, SF (early July)
2. Stephen Pryor, Sea (July)
3. Sean Marshall, Cin (July)
4. Joakim Soria, Tex (early July)
5. Ryan Madson, LAA (July)
6. Sergio Santos, Tor (late July)
7. Jonathan Broxton, Cin (unknown)
8. Frank Francisco (July)
9. Brett Myers, Cle (mid-July)
10. Sean Burnett (August)

Week 13 Relief Rankings

I still have no idea what's going on in Seattle.  The lead horse may be Oliver Perez, or at least should be based on how he's pitched this year, but it's still completely up in the air.  Koji Uehara and Joaquin Benoit have acquired the closing role on their teams for now, but by no means are they cemented in that role.

Without looking, you'd never guess who the top relief pitcher is on the player rater for the last thirty days.  That's right, it's Greg Holland.  I've always been a little higher on Holland than most rankings, but this just goes to show that any closer with enough opportunities can be the best closer for a short period and it doesn't mean we have to crown him as one of the best closers in the league.

Beware of pitchers who have really good ratios but aren't being used in high-leverage situations, because more than likely their ratios wouldn't be as good if they were being used more for holds.

Red and Green represents a significant change in ranking.  The 29 closers are in bold.

1. Craig Kimbrel, Atl 
2. Aroldis Chapman, Cin
3. Mariano Rivera, NYY
4. Joe Nathan, Tex
5. David Robertson, NYY
6. Kenley Jansen, LAD
7. Jonathan Papelbon, Phi
8. Rafael Soriano, Was
9. Jason Grilli, Pit
10. Glen Perkins, Min
11. Grant Balfour, Oak
12. Addison Reed, CWS
13. Mark Melancon, Pit
14. Sergio Romo, SF
15. Greg Holland, KC
16. Casey Janssen, Tor
17. Ernesto Frieri, LAA
18. Jim Johnson, Bal
19. Luke Gregerson, SD
20. Rex Brothers, Col
21. Edward Mujica, Stl
22. Fernando Rodney, TB
23. Trevor Rosenthal, Stl
24. Huston Street, SD
25. Jared Burton, Min
26. Jesse Crain, CWS
27. Joaquin Benoit, Det
28. Tanner Scheppers, Tex
29. Tyler Clippard, Was
30. Vinnie Pestano, Cle
31. Bobby Parnell, NYM
32. Koji Uehara, Bos
33. Joel Peralta, TB
34. Jake McGee, TB
35. David Hernandez, Ari
36. Ryan Cook, Oak
37. Jose Veras, Hou
38. Steve Cishek, Mia
39. Kevin Gregg, ChC
40. Junichi Tazawa, Bos
41. Jim Henderson, Mil
42. Darren O'Day, Bal
43. Francisco Rodriguez, Mil
44. John Axford, Mil
45. Andrew Bailey, Bos
46. Oliver Perez, Sea
47. Drew Storen, Was
48. Kelvin Herrera, KC
49. Tom Wilhelmsen, Sea
50. Tommy Hunter, Bal
51. Sean Doolittle, Oak
52. Robbie Ross, Tex
53. Brandon League, LAD
54. Dale Thayer, SD
55. Heath Bell, Ari
56. Brett Cecil, Tor
57. Aaron Crow, KC
58. Drew Smyly, Det
59. Tim Collins, KC
60. Luis Avilan, Atl
61. Matt Thornton, CWS
62. Carter Capps, Sea
63. Jeremy Affeldt, SF
64. Jordan Walden, Atl
65. Brad Ziegler, Ari
66. Joe Smith, Cle
67. Antonio Bastardo, Phi
68. Yoervis Medina, Sea
69. Neil Cotts, Tex
70. Matt Belisle, Col
71. Hector Ambriz, Hou
72. James Russell, ChC
73. Jerry Blevins, Oak
74. Scott Downs, LAA
75. Jose Cisnero, Hou

On the bubble:  David Aardsma (NYM), Cody Allen (Cle), Craig Breslow (Bos), Joba Chamberlain (NYY), Steve Delabar (Tor), Mike Dunn (Mia), Sam LeCure (Cin), Matt Lindstron (CWS), Aaron Loup (Tor), Brandon Lyon (NYM), Brian Matusz (Bal), Andrew Miller (Bos), Chad Qualls (Mia), Alfredo Simon (Cin), Tony Watson (Pit), Justin Wilson (Pit)

 

Top 10 Inactive Pitchers (expected return in parenthesis)

1. J.J. Putz, Ari (late June)
2. Rafael Betancourt (late June)
3. Chris Perez, Cle (late June)
4. Santiago Casilla, SF (early July)
5. Stephen Pryor, Sea (July)
6. Sean Marshall, Cin (July)
7. Joakim Soria, Tex (early July)
8. Mike Adams, Phi (unknown)
9. Ryan Madson, LAA (July)
10. Sergio Santos, Tor (late July)

43% Power Rankings

• Bharat is still holding on to the lead, but it's definitely a lot smaller of a lead than the one that Heff had at this point last season.  One bad day by Bharat and one good day from either Carmine or I, and we could have a new leader.
• J.B. has a pretty firm grasp on fourth place, but fifth through eleventh is ridiculously close!  One smart move could be the difference between a top five finish and finishing in the basement.
• Outside of Randy, everybody has been really good at not getting too far ahead of pace with games started, but Joshua Little, Sam Miller, and Chris Ferris are going to have to step things up if they want to compete this year.
• First number in parenthesis is the change in rank, and the second number is the change in points.

1.  Staten Island Yankees: 196.5 (0, +1.5)

  Bharat's gap has widened over the last couple days, but it's nothing compared to Heff's 48 point lead at this point last year.  Hopefully Jason Grilli can start to regress to his career averages and stop making me look like a fool.

2.  Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks: 182 (+1, -0.5)

  My team continues to get unlucky with GWRBI, but hopefully my luck will even out like it did last year.

3.  Brooklyn Cyclones: 181.5 (-1, -8)

  It's pretty impressive that Carmine is leading in all three pitching ratios, something I don't think has happened before.

4.  Salt Lake Bees: 171 (+1, +20)

  It's about time to call this a four-horse race.  J.B. continues to climb in the standings thanks to the two hottest players in baseball, Kyle Blanks and Carlos Gonzalez.  Oddly enough, I could have easily owned both of them.

5.  Cedar Rapids Kernels: 148.5 (+4, +15)

  Heff continues to climb back up the standings after a rough start, and with the lineup he has he should be able to keep rising.

6.  Nashville Sounds: 150.5 (0, +2)

  With Anibal Sanchez going down, Josh is going to have to find another starter.  It's very possible he falls five spots before the next rankings, but he leads the tier for now.

7.  Lowell Spinners: 148 (+5, +32)

  Justin's only closer at the moment is Vinnie Pestano, who has only received one save and will most likely lose the job when Perez returns, so he's going to have to improve his bullpen if he wants to get any higher.

8.  Augusta GreenJackets: 136 (+2, +9.5)

  I could have picked either of the next three instead, but I chose Michael because he's not ahead of pace and Jose Reyes should be a big boost for the offense.

9.  Reno Aces: 137 (-2, -7.5)

  I'm baffled at JD's desire to roster nine RP-eligible guys for only five spots, but I shouldn't be surprised as he's always loaded up on pitching.

10. Albuquerque Isotopes: 135.5 (-6, -24)

  His offense has been serviceable, but his pitching has really dropped off as of late.  David Hernandez and Matt Moore will have to turn things around or Brandon's struggles will likely continue.

11. Mobile Baybears: 133 (-3, -6.5)

  He's got just as good of a chance as any of the three above him but somebody had to go here.  Pitching is fine, but he's going to need another bat or two.

12.  Montgomery Biscuits: 108 (-1, -25)

  It's just not Rob's year.  Injuries to Tulowitzki, Braun, Sandoval, and Price have likely led to a rebuild year for Rob.  I'm not saying it's over yet, but he's going to need these guys to get back very soon!

13.  Toledo Mud Hens: 95 (+1, +7)

   If it wasn't for stolen bases, wins, ERA, and WHIP; Tom would be doing just fine!  Eh, we'd probably need to throw out the rest of the pitching categories as well.  Liriano has been shockingly great, but the rest of the pitching rotation has been a major disappointment.

14. Kannapolis Intimidators: 91.5 (+1, -2)

15. Lehigh Valley IronPigs: 83 (-2, -18.5)

16. RanchoCucuamonga Quakes: 79 (0, +5)

QS% Worksheet

FMR: 65.9% (16, 0)

BEES: 63.8% (15, +2.5)

RADS: 63.6% (14, -1)

LOW: 58.8% (13, +3)

BRK: 56.04% (12, -0.5)

NAS: 56% (11, +8)

MOB: 55.3% (10, -4)

AGJ: 55.2% (9, +1)

Rob: 54.94% (8, -2)

ACES: 54.87% (7, +0.5)

NYY: 53.8% (6, +1.5)

DEI: 53.4% (5, +3)

LVIP: 52.3% (4, +3)

CRK: 50.6% (3, -3.5)

Tole: 47.8% (2, -2.5)

MAC: 46.3% (1, -9)