One of the best elements of fantasy baseball: Managers need to know players from every position. There are no offensive linemen getting entirely ignored in favor of the few guys who actually score.
In standard five-by-five leagues, however, most middle relievers get the cold shoulder. That changes when bringing holds into the mix.
Given the elevated supply, an elite middle reliever not named Miller or Betances still isn’t as valuable as a top closer when counting saves’ little cousin. Yet they’re certainly a vital component to a championship squad.
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Fortunately, a studious manager should have no trouble locating useful options for cheap. Who thought Kyle Barraclough, Hector Neris, or Brad Hand—all excellent middle relievers even in non-holds leagues—would finish 2016 as three of eight relievers with 100 or more strikeouts?
This isn’t the typical middle-relief roundup eyeing future closers like Barraclough, Neris, and Nate Jones. Instead, this column aims to help those in holds (or saves-plus-holds) formats. In some cases, they’re even useful for deep-league managers eyeing a strikeouts and ratios boost beyond the obvious names.
Finding future closers isn’t the primary goal here. Think of saves as the curly fry found in your onion rings. It’s a pleasant surprise.
Let’s start the season by highlighting a few unheralded options to add or monitor throughout the opening weeks.
Former Starters
These two starters couldn’t last in the rotation, but a mid-season switch in roles immediately produced better results. Now they’re poised to pile up strikeouts, potentially in a high-volume swingman role a la Chris Devenski or David Phelps last year.
They also both hold SP eligibility, enabling owners to swap them with an idle starter in leagues with daily lineup changes.
It’s a story older than time. Man meets mound. Man lacks command, endurance and/or pitch arsenal to stick as a starter. Man finds new life in bullpen.
In six 2016 starts, opponents hit .316/.437/.565 off Joe Kelly. When moved to the bullpen, his slash line shrunk to .203/.261/.297.
| Role | IP | ER | HR | K | BB | K-BB% | FIP |
| SP | 22.1 | 21 | 4 | 27 | 19 | 6.7 | 5.88 |
| RP | 17.2 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 5 | 23.2 | 2.35 |
Don’t go too overboard with the small sample size, particularly his microscopic 1.02 ERA assisted by a 96.4 percent strand rate. Don’t completely ignore the transition either, as he averaged a 98.8-mph fastball velocity in shorter September appearances, per Brooks Baseball.
A few weeks ago, Kelly would have merited an AL-Only or deeper mixed-league play. Yet with Tyler Thornburg starting the season sidelined, he’s suddenly in contention to serve as the Boston Red Sox’s primary setup man. He’s an elite option if his late 2016 breakout sticks, so invest in all holds leagues.
Perceived as possessing a smoother path to the ninth, Daniel Hudson has emerged as the Pittsburgh Pirates’ popular middle-relief option. But don’t sleep on Juan Nicasio as a high-end strikeout alternative.
After fizzling as a starter, last year’s Spring Training darling posted a 31.0 strikeout percentage and 2.75 FIP in the bullpen. A .362 BABIP hid his dominance with a middling 3.88 ERA. Expect that to change if he maintains a strikeout rate akin to Alex Colome (31.4) and Kelvin Herrera (30.4).
He’ll also accumulate more of them if Pittsburgh keeps using him as a multi-inning fireman. Last year Nicasio worked two-to-three innings in 13 relief appearances, giving the 30-year-old 100-strikeout upside without making a single start.
And should Tony Watson falter as the closer, Nicasio could feasibly surpass Hudson—a two-time Tommy John recipient who posted a 5.12 ERA and 3.81 FIP last season—as the ninth-inning man. More likely, he’ll procure plenty of punchouts for NL-only and deep-league gamers.
Potential Set-Up Studs
These middle relievers appear stuck behind one or two teammates in the pecking order, meaning they’re unlikely to headline the holds leaderboard. Yet they’re intriguing options with potential for upward mobility, so let’s determine if they’re worth a roster spot.
Joe Biagini could potentially poach a save opportunity or two while Roberto Osuna starts on the 10-day disabled list, but there’s no closer controversy when the Toronto Blue Jays’ relief ace makes his delayed debut.
That doesn’t matter for holds players, where Biagini is the team’s top middle reliever to roster. The 2016 Rule 5 pick locked down his spot by registering a 3.06 ERA, 62 strikeouts, and 19 walks over 67.2 innings, not including his 7.1 scoreless playoff frames.
A 52.2 ground-ball rate and 69.5 first-strike percentage are both excellent indicators of continued success for the 26-year-old righty. Generating soft contact with sharp control should also yield a WHIP far lower than last year’s 1.30.
Others wield higher upside, but Biagini should earn higher-leverage spots this season. Look for him to triple last year’s eight holds with solid ratios and strikeouts.
Mychal Givens squandered an Opening Day opportunity by allowing a runner inherited from starter Kevin Gausman to score. Nevertheless, the goose egg under his walk column should encourage investors.
A popular sleeper heading into 2016, the Baltimore Orioles righty notched 96 strikeouts in 74.2 innings with a 14.9 swinging-strike percentage. Yet 36 free passes inflated his WHIP to 1.27, making him a risky option despite the punchout upside.
From Aug. 1 onward, Givens finished 2016 with 40 strikeouts to 10 walks. Perhaps that’s cherry-picking an arbitrary endpoint, but he demonstrated better control in 2015 with a 5.1 walk percentage (five in 30 innings). A happy compromise of his 2015 and 2016 rates would produce a potent late-inning option for both Buck Showalter and fantasy gamers.
At his best, Hansel Robles looks like a closer in waiting. At his worst, it’s apparent why he hasn’t earned Terry Collins’ full trust.
The New York Mets have already witnessed both versions. On Opening Day, the good Robles vultured a win after shutting down the Atlanta Braves for a perfect seventh. Trusted with a 1-0 lead Wednesday, he allowed two hits, a walk and a hit batter, squandering the edge and forcing Jerry Blevins to bail him out with the bases loaded.
This maddening inconsistency is nothing new. Before surrendering one run all of last September, he allowed 15 throughout August. He also issued a dozen of his 36 walks during the disastrous month. Despite boasting a career 26.6 career strikeout percentage and .216 opposing average, he has an uninspiring 3.55 ERA and 1.22 WHIP.
No pitcher allowed a higher line-drive rate than Robles’ 28.6 last season, so opponents are making hard contact when not whiffing or walking. A reliever dishing up far more fly balls than grounders is also a dangerous formula when working close contests with no margin for error.
He looks poised to fall behind Fernando Salas in the New York Mets’ bullpen hierarchy, limiting his holds potential when Jeurys Familia returns from a 15-game suspension. Better strikeout pitchers are available in most mixed leagues, and Blevins will probably compile more holds as a frequently used left-handed specialist.
Note: All advanced stats courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.
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Andrew Gould is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his archive and follow him @andrewgould4.
