Each week during the season, I take a look at the reliever landscape to aid with waiver wire and trade decisions. Last week, 101 different pitchers earned a save plus hold (SV+H), with 27 of those pitchers earning more than one.
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Saves + Holds Saves Leaders
Here are the top 14 relievers in SV+H on the season through May 14th.
| Player | Team | SV+H |
| Robert Suarez | SDP | 15 |
| Lucas Erceg | KCR | 14 |
| Andres Munoz | SEA | 13 |
| Kyle Finnegan | WSH | 13 |
| Tanner Scott | LAD | 13 |
| Carlos Estevez | KCR | 12 |
| Cade Smith | CLE | 12 |
| Jason Adam | SDP | 12 |
| Griffin Jax | MIN | 12 |
| Camilo Doval | SFG | 11 |
| Hunter Gaddis | CLE | 11 |
| Mason Miller | ATH | 11 |
| Jose Alvarado | PHI | 11 |
| Abner Uribe | MIL | 11 |
Takeaways
- I’m wondering how long Andres Munoz can go without allowing an earned run. He’s up to 19 scoreless innings with 26 strikeouts (12.3 K/9) to go with his 13 saves. He has given up an unearned run in each of his last two outings. He still struck out batters in two innings.
- Lucas Erceg continues to limit hard contact and keep the runs off the board. His strikeout rate is down 6% from last year, compliments of the 6.5% drop in whiff rate. However, his pitches all look pretty much in line with what was working for him last year. The biggest difference is a one mile per hour (MPH) dip from his sinker compared to last year, contributing to a 16% drop in whiff rate on that pitch. A sinker isn’t generally a swing-and-miss pitch, so this isn’t a big worry, especially when it’s sporting a .091 batting average against.
- Camilo Doval has yet to take over for the Giants as the closer, but he’s been their best reliever lately. He has a 1.37 ERA and 0.76 WHIP with 14 strikeouts in 19.2 innings. He’s relying solely on his slider and cutter, and they’ve combined for a .111 batting average against. Fantasy managers would like to see more strikeouts, but it’s hard to complain.
Saves + Holds Reliever Rankings
Here are my updated top 40 relievers for SV+H leagues.
| Rank | Player | Team | Change |
| 1 | Andres Munoz | SEA | – |
| 2 | Josh Hader | HOU | – |
| 3 | Mason Miller | ATH | – |
| 4 | Emmanuel Clase | CLE | – |
| 5 | Robert Suarez | SDP | – |
| 6 | Tanner Scott | LAD | – |
| 7 | Edwin Diaz | NYM | – |
| 8 | Cade Smith | CLE | +1 |
| 9 | Jason Adam | SDP | +1 |
| 10 | Bryan Abreu | HOU | +1 |
| 11 | Jhoan Duran | MIN | +3 |
| 12 | Lucas Erceg | KCR | +1 |
| 13 | Luke Weaver | NYY | -1 |
| 14 | Jeff Hoffman | TOR | -6 |
| 15 | Ryan Helsley | STL | +2 |
| 16 | Jose Alvarado | PHI | +2 |
| 17 | Raisel Iglesias | ATL | -2 |
| 18 | Devin Williams | NYY | -2 |
| 19 | Kirby Yates | LAD | +1 |
| 20 | Aroldis Chapman | BOS | -1 |
| 21 | Hunter Gaddis | CLE | – |
| 22 | Carlos Estevez | KCR | +1 |
| 23 | Griffin Jax | MIN | +1 |
| 24 | Kenley Jansen | LAA | -2 |
| 25 | Jeremiah Estrada | SDP | +1 |
| 26 | Kyle Finnegan | WSH | +4 |
| 27 | Alex Vesia | LAD | +2 |
| 28 | Abner Uribe | MIL | +3 |
| 29 | Camilo Doval | SFG | +3 |
| 30 | Porter Hodge | CHC | -2 |
| 31 | Ryan Walker | SFG | -6 |
| 32 | Brendon Little | TOR | +1 |
| 33 | Robert Garcia | TEX | +6 |
| 34 | Pete Fairbanks | TBR | – |
| 35 | Tony Santillan | CIN | – |
| 36 | Reed Garrett | NYM | – |
| 37 | Felix Bautista | BAL | – |
| 38 | Bryan King | HOU | UN |
| 39 | Tyler Rogers | SFG | -1 |
| 40 | Emilio Pagan | CIN | – |
Biggest Risers
Robert Garcia has been solid at the back of the Rangers’ bullpen. His 1.53 ERA and 0.96 WHIP lead the way, and his 10 SV+H are tied for the team lead. Luke Jackson and Chris Martin both came down with minor injuries in the past week, and with as well as Garcia has pitched, he deserves more high-leverage looks.
Abner Uribe has a 1.40 ERA and 1.24 WHIP with an 11.1 K/9. His strikeout rate is elite at 30%, but his walk rate (11%) is 3% worse than the league average. While 11% is not a good walk rate, it’s a big improvement from his 15% career average.
On a positive note, Uribe’s slider has a 53% whiff rate, and his ground ball rate is over 62%. He may run higher WHIPs than average, but his potential for strikeouts is among the best.
Biggest Fallers
Jeff Hoffman has been brilliant this season before the calendar turned to May. Since a scoreless outing on May 2nd, Hoffman has allowed runs in three of his past five outings. In those three outings, he combined to allow 11 runs in one inning on 10 hits, but only one walk.
Despite this stretch, Hoffman still ranks fourth, among pitchers with at least 10 innings pitched, in strikeout minus walk rate (K-BB%) at 33.3%.
Chris Martin (RP – TEX) | -13
Chris Martin left his last outing after just one pitch with elbow tightness. His MRI came back clean, and he’s hopeful to avoid the injured list (IL), but an elbow injury is always ominous. Martin has compiled a 1.93 ERA and 0.96 WHIP with 23 strikeouts across 18.2 innings.
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