Fantasy Baseball Closer Report: Aroldis Chapman is dominating in 16th season

NBC Sports

12 hours ago

In this week's Closer Report, Aroldis Chapman has been dominant in Boston as the 16-year veteran is turning in one of his best seasons yet. Dylan Lee has worked his way into a share of the save chances in Atlanta. And there's a pair of relievers to keep an eye on in the NL West. That and more as we run down the last week in saves.
Josh Hader - Houston Astros
Hader took the mound five times in the last week. He surrendered a solo homer to take the loss against the Athletics last Thursday, then picked up a win and three saves. The 31-year-old left-hander has converted 21 saves with a 1.73 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, and a 56/7 K/BB ratio across 36 1/3 innings. Hader is in the midst of one of his best seasons yet.
Andrés Muñoz - Seattle Mariners
Edwin Díaz - New York Mets
Robert Suarez - San Diego Padres
Jhoan Duran - Minnesota Twins
Emmanuel Clase - Cleveland Guardians
Aroldis Chapman - Boston Red Sox
Muñoz made only his second appearance in two weeks on Tuesday as save chances just haven't come for Seattle. He tossed a clean eighth inning with two strikeouts in a tie game before falling in line for a win. Matt Brash pitched the ninth for his first save of the season. Brash has yet to allow a run over 14 1/3 innings.
No save chances for Díaz this week. He tossed a scoreless inning with two strikeouts against the Braves on Monday in his only appearance. The 31-year-old right-hander has recorded a 2.08 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and a 45/12 K/BB ratio across 30 1/3 innings.
Suarez surrendered a run against the Dodgers on Thursday, then tossed a pair of scoreless frames against the Royals and Nationals, picking up a win and a save. He's serving a two-game suspension starting Wednesday for hitting Shohei Ohtani during last week's heated contest against Los Angeles. Adrian Morejon stepped in for a save on Wednesday in Suarez's absence.
Three of Duran's seven runs he's allowed this season have come over his last six outings. He gave up one run on a walk and a hit on Tuesday to take the loss against the Mariners, then bounced back with a clean save with one strikeout Wednesday. Meanwhile, Clase picked up two saves against the Athletics with a pair of scoreless outings.
Chapman is probably overdue in joining the elite tier with his performance this season. The 37-year-old veteran left-hander struck out two in a clean inning against the Giants for a save on Friday, then struck out the side against the Angels in a tie game Tuesday. Chapman is 14-for-15 in save chances with a 1.36 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, and a 48/10 K/BB ratio across 33 innings.
Tanner Scott - Los Angeles Dodgers
Mason Miller - Athletics
Trevor Megill - Milwaukee Brewers
Félix Bautista - Baltimore Orioles
Devin Williams/Luke Weaver - New York Yankees
Camilo Doval - San Francisco Giants
Will Vest - Detroit Tigers
David Bednar - Pittsburgh Pirates
Daniel Palencia - Chicago Cubs
Emilio Pagán - Cincinnati Reds
Ryan Helsley - St. Louis Cardinals
Carlos Estévez - Kansas City Royals
Jeff Hoffman - Toronto Blue Jays
Pete Fairbanks - Tampa Bay Rays
Kyle Finnegan - Washington Nationals
Scott gave up a solo homer against the Nationals on Friday before holding on for the save. He then converted a four-out save in Colorado against the Rockies on Tuesday. The 30-year-old left-hander is up to 16 saves with a 3.65 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and a 40/4 K/BB ratio across 37 innings.
Miller, the top closer to start the season, falls into this tier after taking his third blown save against the Astros on Thursday. It's been an odd season for the 26-year-old right-hander. It's hard to blame the venue in Sacramento when he has a worse ERA on the road. Miller is still throwing 101 mph and generating an elite 19.9% swinging-strike rate, both in line with last season. The issue has been a bloated walk rate and more hits allowed. But with his velocity and whiff rate intact, he can still right the ship and return to form over the second half. He had a better outing Wednesday, striking out two in a perfect inning for his 15th save against the Tigers.
Megill continues to pitch well. He secured three saves this week. The 31-year-old right-hander is up to 18 saves with a 2.60 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and a 33/14 K/BB ratio across 27 2/3 innings. Abner Uribe has been stellar behind Megill in a setup role, he leads the majors with 21 holds while posting a 2.11 ERA over 38 1/3 innings.
Bautista struck out two batters in each of his three appearances this week, giving up just one hit over three innings of work while converting two saves. The 30-year-old right-hander has converted 16 saves with a 2.60 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and a 38/17 K/BB ratio across 27 2/3 innings.
Williams locked down a save against the Orioles on Sunday. He's up to 10 saves and has made seven consecutive scoreless appearances. Weaver made his return from the injured list after missing three weeks with a hamstring strain. He gave up two runs in his first outing, then struck out two batters in a scoreless eighth inning on Tuesday. Manager Aaron Boone has stated both Williams and Weaver will split save chances. Though Weaver may need to work his way back into those opportunities while Williams hasn't done much to warrant a step back.
Doval worked a clean inning for a save against the Guardians last Thursday, then gave up two runs before holding on for his 12th save against the Red Sox on Saturday. Pitching in a tie game Wednesday in the tenth inning, he surrendered four runs, three earned, on two hits and two walks. It's not always easy for the 27-year-old right-hander, but he's generally done a good job with a 2.78 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and a 33/17 K/BB ratio across 35 2/3 innings.
Vest returned to the mound following his exit with a finger issue on June 15. He struck out the side against the Pirates in his only appearance of the week. Vest has taken hold of the primary closer role with seven of the last nine saves for the Tigers.
Bednar recorded the final five outs against the Tigers last Thursday and fell in line for the win. He then tossed a pair of scoreless innings against the Rangers and Brewers, recording his 11th save on Monday in Milwaukee. The 30-year-old right-hander has been outstanding after a rough start. He's posted a 2.93 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and a 39/8 K/BB ratio across 27 2/3 innings.
Palencia made one appearance this week, giving up one run in a non-save situation against the Mariners on Saturday. Porter Hodge was activated from the injured list after missing over a month with a hip injury. Palencia should continue to work as the team's closer as long as he's effective.
Pagán blew a save chance trying to convert a four-out save on Saturday against the Cardinals, giving up a solo homer. He bounced back on Sunday with a clean inning for his 18th save of the season. Meanwhile, after giving up runs in four consecutive outings, Helsley recovered with three scoreless appearances, converting two saves.
Estévez tossed a clean inning for a save against the Rangers last Thursday, then gave up a run before holding on for his 22nd save against the Padres on Friday. The underlying metrics don't exactly support his 2.14 ERA, but Estévez continues to get the job done for the Ryals.
Hoffman tossed a scoreless inning in a non-save situation against the White Sox on Friday, then was charged with a blown save with one unearned run allowed against Chicago on Sunday. And in Tampa, Fairbanks made his only appearance of the week on Wednesday, pitching a clean inning against the Royals for his 14th save.
Finnegan made two scoreless appearances this week but saw no save chances. With the trade deadline a month away and the Nationals falling further out of contention, the 33-year-old right-hander may finally see himself on the move this summer.
Kenley Jansen - Los Angeles Angels
Shelby Miller - Arizona Diamondbacks
Dylan Lee/Raisel Iglesias - Atlanta Braves
Matt Strahm/Orion Kerkering/Jordan Romano - Philadelphia Phillies
Robert Garcia/Luke Jackson - Texas Rangers
Jansen was removed from Monday's contest against the Red Sox with cramping in his right pectoral but was good to go Tuesday as he returned to toss a scoreless inning in a tie game. With Jansen getting the day off Wednesday, Ryan Zeferjahn converted a two-inning save against Boston.
Miller picked up two more saves this week as he operates as Arizona's primary closer. A.J. Puk underwent Tommy John surgery last week, joining Justin Martinez as both relievers will be sidelined into 2026. Expect Miller to continue to get most of the Diamondbacks' save chances.
Lee is emerging as a trusted option in Atlanta. He converted a clean four-out save with two strikeouts against the Mets on Monday. With Lee off on Tuesday, Iglesias stepped in for the final two outs against New York for his ninth save. Lee could be splitting save chances with Iglesias going forward and should be added in deeper leagues for teams looking to supplement some saves. The 30-year-old left-hander is having an excellent season, posting a 1.77 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, and a 37/8 K/BB ratio across 35 2/3 innings.
The committee continues in Philadelphia. Kerkering converted the team's last save on Thursday. The 24-year-old right-hander has been outstanding since the start of May, allowing just one earned run over his last 19 1/3 innings.
With Garcia off for the day, Chris Martin converted a save for the Rangers on Saturday. Garcia stepped back in for a save against the Orioles on Tuesday for his sixth of the season.
Calvin Faucher - Miami Marlins
Seth Halvorsen - Colorado Rockies
Brandon Eisert/Steven Wilson - Chicago White Sox
Juan Morillo could be a name to watch in Arizona. Anyone who can regularly hit 100 miles per hour should be on our radar. The 26-year-old right-hander made his MLB debut with the Diamondbacks this season and has settled in nicely after giving up ten runs over 15 1/3 innings through May. Morillo has made nine consecutive scoreless appearances. While Shelby Miller works as the primary closer, Morillo has a chance to climb the bullpen hierarchy behind him. Elsewhere in the NL West, Michael Kopech has tossed six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts in his return to the Dodgers after missing the first two months with a shoulder injury. With Blake Treinen and Evan Phillips on the injured list and Kirby Yates producing inconsistent results, Kopech could vault himself into the late-inning mix with a lack of right-handed options in Los Angeles.