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NBC Sports
5 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Fantasy Baseball Closer Report: Luke Weaver sidelined, Devin Williams steps back in as Yankees closer
In this week's Closer Report, Devin Williams is getting another ninth-inning audition with the Yankees as Luke Weaver heads to the injured list with a left hamstring strain. And in Chicago, Daniel Palencia is making the most of his opportunity as the Cubs' closer. Josh Hader - Houston Astros Hader locked down two more saves this week, striking out two batters in a clean frame each time out. The 31-year-old left-hander sits alone at the top of the rankings with a 1.38 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, and a 39/6 K/BB ratio across 26 innings while going a perfect 16-for-16 in save chances. Andrés Muñoz - Seattle Mariners Robert Suarez - San Diego Padres Edwin Díaz - New York Mets Jhoan Duran - Minnesota Twins Emmanuel Clase - Cleveland Guardians Mason Miller - Athletics Muñoz surrendered his first runs of the season, giving up three runs to blow the save chance on Friday against the Twins. He followed with another blown save on Sunday, giving up one run on a walk and a hit. Still, he struck out two batters each time out and should get back on track. Suarez had a big week on the mound, picking up two saves and a win over four games. With the night off on Tuesday, Jeremiah Estrada stepped in to pick up his second save in extras against the Giants. Suarez is up to a league-leading 19 saves with a 1.98 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and a 29/8 K/BB ratio across 27 1/3 innings. Díaz added two saves against the Rockies, striking out the side in both appearances. Then, pitching for the third time in four days, he gave up a run on two hits to blow a save against the Dodgers on Monday. Duran made two clean appearances against the Mariners, picking up a win on Friday before pitching in a non-save situation Saturday. The 27-year-old right-hander now has a 0.95 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and a 34/11 K/BB ratio across 28 1/3 innings. Clase continues to chip away at his ratios, tossing two more scoreless innings this week for a pair of saves. The 27-year-old right-hander is up to 13 saves on the season with a 3.96 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and a 26/5 K/BB ratio across 25 innings. Miller made just one appearance this week, striking out one batter in a clean inning against the Blue Jays. He has just three saves since the start of May as the Athletics have completely fallen apart, winning just seven games since May 1. Ryan Helsley - St. Louis Cardinals Tanner Scott - Los Angeles Dodgers Trevor Megill - Milwaukee Brewers Aroldis Chapman - Boston Red Sox Pete Fairbanks - Tampa Bay Rays Camilo Doval - San Francisco Giants Will Vest/Tommy Kahnle - Detroit Tigers Jeff Hoffman - Toronto Blue Jays Devin Williams - New York Yankees Justin Martinez - Arizona Diamondbacks Félix Bautista - Baltimore Orioles Daniel Palencia - Chicago Cubs Kyle Finnegan - Washington Nationals Emilio Pagan - Cincinnati Reds Carlos Estévez - Kansas City Royals Helsley struck out two batters in a perfect inning for a save in his lone appearance this week, picking up his 13th of the season to go with a 3.00 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, and a 23/11 K/BB ratio across 21 innings. Meanwhile, Scott took a loss on Monday, giving up two runs in the tenth inning against the Mets. He then came back with a scoreless frame on Tuesday, striking out two and falling in line for a win. Megill locked down back-to-back saves in a pair of scoreless outings against the Phillies and Reds. The 31-year-old right-hander has converted 12 saves with a 2.21 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and a 22/11 K/BB ratio across 20 1/3 innings. A couple of three-walk outings have inflated his walk rate, but Megill's skills are right in line with where he was last year when he posted a 2.72 ERA with 21 saves. Chapman pitched three times in five days, striking out four batters over three scoreless innings while picking up one save. He's up to nine with a 1.80 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and a 33/9 K/BB ratio across 25 innings. In Tampa, Fairbanks tossed a clean inning against the Rangers in a non-save situation on Tuesday and converted his 11th save on Wednesday. Doval had made 21 consecutive appearances without allowing a run going into Tuesday's contest against the Padres. He broke that streak, giving up two runs to blow the save chance. He had locked down two saves earlier in the week after being named the team's closer going forward. Doval should continue to operate as the primary ninth-inning reliever in San Francisco. With Doval getting the night off Wednesday, Ryan Walker stepped in for the save chance but allowed two runners on with one out before Randy Rodríguez cleaned up the inning for his first career save. Vest converted two save chances for the Tigers in the last week. He gave up a run against the Royals on Friday before working a clean inning for his ninth save on Sunday. Vest then pitched the seventh and eighth on Wednesday against the White Sox, falling in line for a win before Kahnle recorded his eighth save. Hoffman gave up a two-run homer against the Athletics on Saturday but held on for his 13th save before striking out two in a clean inning during a non-save situation on Sunday. In New York, Luke Weaver was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left hamstring strain he suffered while warming up to enter a game on June 1. He's expected to miss 4-6 weeks. Devin Williams is set to step back into the closer role for the Yankees. He's struggled in save situations this year and gave up a run against the Guardians on Tuesday before recording the save. Martinez struck out two in a perfect inning against the Nationals on Sunday for a save. He then worked a five-out save against the Braves on Wednesday, giving up one run on four walks while striking out four batters. Meanwhile, Bautista recorded saves on back-to-back days against the White Sox, then tossed a clean frame in a non-save situation against the Orioles on Tuesday. Palencia has been impressive in his run as the Cubs' closer. He added another save this week with a clean outing against the Reds on Saturday. The 25-year-old right-hander may not give up the role even when Porter Hodge returns from the injured list. He's posted a 1.74 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and a 22/7 K/BB ratio across 20 2/3 innings. Finnegan gave up one run before holding on for a save on Friday against the Diamondbacks, then converted his 17th of the season Wednesday against the Cubs. Meanwhile, Pagán recorded the final two outs against the Cubs on Friday, then pitched a scoreless inning against the Brewers on Tuesday for his 15th save. Estévez worked a pair of scoreless innings to record two more saves. He's up to 17 with a 1.71 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a 25/11 K/BB ratio across 26 1/3 innings. The 32-year-old right-hander has allowed just one run over his last 15 1/3 innings. Raisel Iglesias - Atlanta Braves David Bednar/Dennis Santana - Pittsburgh Pirates Kenley Jansen - Los Angeles Angels Jordan Romano - Philadelphia Phillies Robert Garcia - Texas Rangers Iglesias pitched in two non-save situations. He allowed a run against the Phillies last Thursday before pitching a clean inning against the Red Sox on Sunday. The 35-year-old right-hander has struggled to a 5.79 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and a 25/5 K/BB ratio across 23 1/3 innings. Bednar pitched two clean innings in non-save situations against the Padres, then converted his seventh save with two strikeouts in a scoreless frame against the Astros on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Jansen gave up a run in a non-save situation against the Guardians on Friday, then pitched back-to-back days against the Red Sox for a save and a win. In Philadelphia, Romano worked around three walks and a hit last Thursday before holding on for the save against the Braves. He then gave up one run in a non-save situation against the Brewers on Sunday and took the loss with a run allowed against the Blue Jays on Wednesday. For the Rangers, Garcia continued to be the presumptive closer despite no save chances this week. Calvin Faucher/Ronny Henriquez - Miami Marlins Zach Agnos - Colorado Rockies Jordan Leasure/Steven Wilson - Chicago White Sox Bryan Baker has been excellent for the Orioles all season, posting a 2.67 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and an outstanding 35/6 K/BB ratio across 27 innings. The 30-year-old right-hander is throwing harder than he ever has and generating a career-high 14% swinging strike rate. Baker has two holds and a save in the last week as the Orioles start to string together some wins. He's likely elevated himself to the next-in-line for saves behind Félix Bautista. While Devin Williams is in line to work most save chances for the Yankees in Luke Weaver's absence, he hasn't exactly seen the most success in that role this season. It might be a good idea to keep an eye on Mark Leiter Jr. and Fernando Cruz. Both have recorded a pair of saves this season while generating strong strikeout rates. Cruz was activated from the 15-day injured list on Tuesday after missing a couple of weeks with a shoulder issue. If the Nationals become sellers at some time this summer, we may finally see the team move on from Kyle Finnegan. With Jorge López out of the picture, after he was released, the door would be wide open for someone to step in to close. Cole Henry could be a name to watch over the next two months. The 25-year-old right-hander has posted a 2.08 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and a 22/10 K/BB ratio across 21 2/3 innings.
New York Times
21-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Relievers Daniel Palencia, Brad Keller open Cubs' eyes in Cactus League opener
MESA, Ariz. — Early in camp, the Chicago Cubs' bullpen looks as deep and talented as it has been in years. There are several veterans without options locked in, but there will be some battles for the final few spots. In Thursday's Cactus League opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers, two pitchers, Brad Keller and Daniel Palencia, opened some eyes with their performances, though neither is likely to make the team out of the spring. Palencia has options and is likely to be yo-yoed between Triple-A Iowa and Chicago throughout the season. Keller is being stretched out as a starter, and it doesn't appear a rotation spot is within reach for him. Advertisement Still, the two looked strong Thursday, combining for 2 2/3 scoreless innings with no runs allowed while striking out three total batters. Eight of Palencia's 16 pitches came in at triple digits, and he topped out at 101.3 mph. Palencia wasn't surprised he was touching that velocity consistently this early in the spring as he pitched 12 innings in the Venezuelan Winter League. Daniel Palencia, 101.3 mph ⛽️ — Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 20, 2025 His manager, Craig Counsell, wasn't surprised either. 'That's what he throws,' Counsell said. 'That's an average velocity day for him.' Velocity has never really been a concern for Palencia. The 25-year-old, acquired from the Athletics in the summer of 2021 for reliever Andrew Chafin, has always had the stuff to impress. It's the results that have been inconsistent. Last season, Palencia battled injuries and wasn't effective when he was on the field. The righty posted a 6.14 ERA in 14 2/3 big-league innings, striking out just 23.2 percent of batters while walking 17.4 percent. A diet change and more consistent workout regimen helped Palencia this winter. But he said the biggest change was his mindset. Last summer, coming to the ballpark was a drain for him as he put too much pressure on himself and struggled to have fun playing the game he loves. This year he believes a changed perspective will help lead to better results. 'Daniel was a guy last year, and very well could be this year, on the option crew,' Counsell said. 'How you handle that is important. We can talk about it and be very direct about it, but you have to learn how to go through it. You gotta figure out how to not add that stress to something you can't control. In Daniel's case, it took him a while to learn how to do it. That's ok. Now, hopefully, he's in a better place to learn how to deal with that.' Advertisement Palencia is a part of a group of young relievers — along with Jack Neely and Luke Little — with impressive stuff who could really take the bullpen to another level if things click. Porter Hodge is the example they can look to as to the type of trust that's quickly earned when a young pitcher does his job and gets outs on a regular basis. With Keller, it's a very different situation. The veteran has an opt-out at the end of camp but is seen as having a lot of potential by Cubs staff members. After averaging 93.8 mph with his four-seam fastball last summer, Keller averaged 96.3 mph in his first spring outing, topping out at 97.9 mph. Counsell said what Keller did was 'a little more than we expected,' and even Keller was a little taken aback by his performance. Brad Keller with his second strikeout. 97mph again — Aldo Soto (@AldoSoto21) February 20, 2025 'I've thrown that hard in the past before,' Keller said. 'I've touched 98, even 99 before. To be 100 percent honest, I was kind of surprised coming out of the game when they told me what my velo was.' Towards the end of last season in Boston and this offseason at Maven Baseball Lab in Atlanta, Keller corrected some mechanical flaws that have helped him unleash another level with his velocity. 'One (drill) that has really helped out is the Kikuchi drill, where you go up on your back leg and sit down on the back leg before you go forward,' Keller said. 'A cue I tell myself is drop my belt buckle before I go down. It's a way to engage my back leg. Because as I go down the mound, I don't get on my back leg, I drift and spin out of things.' So is Keller going to be built up as a starter or does a short-burst performance like Thursday's 1 2/3 innings change the way they think about him? 'When you see that — that's the right question,' Counsell said. 'I had that thought, for sure. But I think taking the longer view — this is a pitcher who had big success in the league at a younger age. I always take note of that. It's in there. That's the guy we want.' Advertisement From 2018-2020, Keller tossed 360 1/3 innings of 3.50 ERA ball, with 57 of his 78 outings coming as a starter. Rotation depth is always important and Keller could add to it. But if this type of velocity along with the development of a sweeper he's fine-tuning this spring continues, perhaps at some point in the season he becomes a relief option. These are decisions that don't need to be made now. Neither Keller nor Palencia are likely to be a part of the roster that leaves for Japan in three weeks. But that doesn't mean they won't positively impact the 2025 Cubs. A bullpen that performs well for a full season almost always has a few surprises. Whether it's Keller, Palencia or another name not on the radar, the Cubs will need pitchers who nobody expects to be key pieces to step up this summer. (Photo of Daniel Palencia: Michael Owens / MLB Photos via Getty Images)
