MLB lost its premier setup man when the Cleveland Indians placed Andrew Miller on the disabled list for the second time this season. Since he’s not a closer, fantasy managers in standard leagues can simply cut ties with the elite reliever. Those in holds or saves-plus-holds leagues, meanwhile, face the tough task of replacing a stud.
The simple, yet effective answer could be to fill the void with Cleveland’s replacement, Joe Smith. Now looking like a vital midseason add despite relinquishing three runs on Wednesday, the 33-year-old sidearmer has registered a 2.03 FIP and 12.46 K/9. He’s not Miller, but he’ll help ease the loss.
None of these guys come close to touching Miller, but they all drew attention following a boom in production or opportunities. Let’s see which one can help a fantasy squad searching for holds and ratio help.
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Josh Hader (MIL)
Two months ago, Hader’s recommendation came with skepticism. While the command woes that fueled those concerns haven’t dissipated, the Milwaukee Brewers rookie has nevertheless risen to fantasy relevance with a 1.23 ERA and 38 strikeouts over 29.1 innings.
That upside earned the top starting-pitching prospect recognition when joining Milwaukee’s bullpen. Having registered a 10.1 K/9 through six minor league seasons, it’s little surprise to see him fanning big league batters from the bullpen. While he leans heavily on his heater, nobody has yet to record a base hit off his lethal slider, which according to Brooks Baseball has yielded a 27.69 whiff percentage as of Wednesday night.
At his best, the 6’3″ southpaw resembles Miller on the mound. The major difference, however, lies in the walk column. Hader has already issued 19 free passes, two more than Miller has in nearly double the workload. As good as he looks now, the long-haired 23-year-old can ascend to relief stardom by consistently throwing strikes.
A .224 BABIP, 92.7 percent strand rate and 4.67 xFIP indicate he’s in for a rude awakening otherwise. Yet his stuff looks filthy enough to ease regression’s blow, and he’ll compile more strikeouts with Milwaukee occasionally deploying him for multiple innings at a time.
Considered a flier at last mention, Hader is now a top middle-relief target down the stretch.
Chris Hatcher (OAK)
Sellers usually relocate disposable relievers to contenders during the summer. The Oakland Athletics-who sent Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle to the Washington Nationals in July-turned the tables by acquiring Chris Hatcher from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
A significant part of the Dodgers’ 2015 bullpen, Hatcher wore out his welcome with a 4.66 ERA and 1.34 WHIP this season. After transforming Brandon Morrow into a major relief asset before landing Tony Watson and Tony Cingrani at the non-waiver deadline, they no longer needed the 32-year-old around.
So Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi sent him to his old employer. Formerly an afterthought, Hatcher has handed the ball to closer Blake Treinen with two holds in his last three outings. With few alternatives, he at least has an opportunity to serve as Oakland’s stop-gap setup man for five weeks.
Despite his downfall with the Dodgers, the 32-year-old still wields a 10.58 K/9 and 12.7 swinging-strike percentage. September matters little for the A’s, but Hatcher needs a strong finish to spark any free-agent interest this offseason. The new opportunity gives him a chance to contribute in deep holds formats.
David Phelps (SEA)
Only four more relievers have more holds than David Phelps, who missed over two weeks with a right elbow injury. Since the Seattle Mariners activated him from the disabled list on Wednesday, gamers should grab him in leagues where he was abandoned.
Before getting sidelined, Phelps got situated in Seattle with 11 strikeouts and two runs allowed in seven innings. The former Miami Marlins hurler recorded three holds, upping his season total to 21. Despite a middling 1.30 WHIP, he sports a 3.29 ERA, 10.21 K/9, and 3.32 FIP.
He also returns to a bullpen experiencing possible late-inning turmoil. Just when Edwin Diaz seemed to kick into a higher gear, the closer allowed three walks in two separate outings. While he still controls the ninth-inning gig, one more snafu could lead to adjustments as the Mariners fight in an Anchorman-sized brawl for the American League wild-card spots.
Phelps should regain his setup role for September. Perhaps Diaz’s inconsistencies open the door for a ninth-inning promotion.
Jesse Chavez (LAA)
There’s nothing like a bullpen reassignment to revitalize a faltering pitcher.
The Los Angeles Angels sought solid starts from Jesse Chavez. They instead received a 5.24 ERA after 21 turns. With Tyler Skaggs and Andrew Heaney back in the fold, the 34-year-old journeyman lost his rotation spot. Both he and the Angels are better off for it.
After posting a 6.94 ERA in July, Chavez has relinquished one run in nine August frames. Since shifting to his new role, the righty has 15 strikeouts to no walks over 10 innings.
While he has also yielded a dozen hits from the bullpen, a .478 BABIP has disrupted him during the small sample size. He has proved hittable throughout his unspectacular career as a starter, so nobody should expect an untouchable relief ace. There’s also the pesky matters of having one hold and potentially parlaying his success back to the rotation.
Keep an eye on his progress in mixed formats and add him for ratio help in AL-only leagues.
Craig Stammen (SD)
The cupboard of intriguing middle relievers must be barren to discuss someone with a 4.76 FIP and minus-.0.2 WAR. Then again, the San Diego Padres don’t seem to mind Craig Stammen’s subpar peripherals.
A competent 18-18 since the All-Star break, San Diego has created hold opportunities to reallocate from Ryan Buchter and Brad Hand, who is replacing Brandon Maurer as the closer. Kirby Yates and Phil Maton figured to be the primary benefactors with mixed-league appeal, but both have considerably cooled down from hot spurts.
That has allowed Stammen, a 33-year-old owner of a career 3.87 ERA, to procure seven second-half holds. They’re not empty calories either; he has yielded two runs over his last 17.2 innings while tallying 14 strikeouts. Did a switch flip, or is he still a fringe reliever enjoying a hot streak?
Probably the latter. See the first line about his below-replacement production and a middling 14.5 K-BB percentage. Yet he can succeed when keeping the ball in the park, which too often didn’t happen when dishing up 11 first-half home runs. That’s atypical for a ground-ball pitcher with a 29.7 fly-ball percentage.
Stammen is a somewhat interesting holds compiler if the Padres keep playing average baseball, but don’t expect much more.
Note: All advanced statistics 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.