Latest news with #saves
New York Times
5 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Fantasy bullpen report featuring concerns for closers Devin Williams, Raisel Iglesias
Another week has passed, and volatility remains the theme for high-leverage relievers this season. Luke Weaver was placed on the 15-day injured list with a strained hamstring and could miss four weeks or more. This opens the door for Devin Williams as the preferred save option. Can he make the most of this second opportunity? Advertisement Since my last post, David Bednar has recorded his team's past three saves, so the Pirates' leverage pathway has been adjusted accordingly. Cubs manager Craig Counsell has not named a closer and could try easing Ryan Pressly back into save chances, but Daniel Palencia has made his case for an extended look as his bullpen's anchor. Tanner Scott has had some rough outings as a result of his four-seam fastball placement, which was ill-fated timing with a bevy of leverage relievers on the injured list. Reinforcements could be en route in the form of Michael Kopech and Kirby Yates. Both completed live batting practice and may be active this weekend in St. Louis. Kopech posted a 3.00 WHIP with 10 strikeouts versus 11 walks across nine appearances (6.1 innings) during his rehab assignment. With this in mind, the leverage pathways have been updated. Here are our high-leverage pathway identifiers. Each team will receive one of the following labels: Access The Athletic's guide for abbreviations used in fantasy baseball. Reid Detmers (LAA): He's amid a seven-game scoreless streak, during which he has posted four holds and one save, with a 1.142 WHIP and 10 strikeouts against three walks (25.9 K-BB%) through seven innings. Devin Williams (NYY): He converted his first save chance with Luke Weaver on the injured list but allowed an earned run on two hits against Cleveland. He has a 2.37 WHIP and a 12.10 ERA in the ninth inning across 11 games, spanning 9.2 innings, compared to a 0.78 WHIP with a 38.3 K-BB percentage through 10 appearances over nine innings in the eighth. Can he translate his recent gains as a set-up reliever to the closer role with the Yankees? Ronny Henriquez (MIA): He hasn't been scored upon in 11 of his previous 12 appearances with a 0.69 WHIP, recording 20 strikeouts against four walks (32.6 K-BB percentage) through 13 innings since May 7. Randy Rodríguez (SF): He owns a 14-game streak without allowing a run, during which he has two wins, a save and four holds with a 0.54 WHIP, tallying 23 strikeouts versus three walks (40 K-BB%) and a robust 20.3 swinging strike percentage. Advertisement Raisel Iglesias (ATL): Since May 3, he has allowed at least a run in seven of 12 appearances with a 1.63 WHIP across 12.1 innings. He has a 1.37 WHIP through his first 24 games (23.1 IP). His struggles with contact have persisted, even after ditching his slider. His current ERA (5.79) is accompanied by a 2.99 SIERA and a 5.33 xERA. There is time to turn his season around, but the pressure mounts with each sullied appearance. As his rolling graph indicates, this may be as good as it gets: *Multi-inning or bridge relievers who can vulture wins and help protect ratios. Statistical Credits (through games played on May 28): and Check out my work at Reliever Recon and Closer Monkey for daily updates. (Photo of Devin Williams: Dustin Satloff / Getty Images)
New York Times
22-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Fantasy bullpen report featuring Andrew Kittredge, Luke Jackson, Trevor Megill and more
It feels like there is never a dull moment in the high-leverage realm. Since my last post, Porter Hodge has been placed on the injured list, just when it seemed he would emerge as the Cubs' preferred save share. Daniel Palencia has emerged as the preferred option, securing one of two save chances in Miami. Brad Keller was deployed as the highest-leveraged reliever, and Drew Pomeranz could be in the mix against a left-handed heavy lineup pocket in the ninth inning. Ryan Pressly has appeared in the seventh inning in his past two games. Advertisement Meanwhile, a shared save situation has developed under new manager Don Kelly in Pittsburgh. David Bednar and Dennis Santana recorded saves on consecutive days. Availability remains a key component in a situation like this; however, a trend has emerged when looking at which batters in the opponent's lineup the relievers have faced in six games each. Bednar has faced the third hitter in all six appearances, while Santana has faced the bottom third of the lineup in most of his. This makes predicting when each will be receiving the save chance difficult since it's dependent on how the batting order progresses ahead of the ninth inning. Still, it also means each maintains a level of fantasy relevance depending on league size. Last but not least, José Alvarado was suspended for 80 games, leaving Jordan Romano as the primary save option in Philly. However, Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm will be part of Rob Thomson's 'floating closer' concept. With this in mind, our leverage pathways have been updated, and in one situation (Arizona), it anticipates a reliever being activated ahead of his team's series this weekend. Here are our high-leverage pathway identifiers. Each team will receive one of the following labels: Access The Athletic's guide for abbreviations used in fantasy baseball. Andrew Kittredge (BAL): Newly activated from the injured list, he worked a clean seventh inning and might emerge as the eighth-inning reliever for the Orioles. His arrival may be well-timed given the recent struggles by Yennier Cano and the closer (more below). Justin Slaten (BOS): He started the season strong, went through rough patches and has returned to dominant form. He's been scoreless in his past six appearances, recording five strikeouts against zero walks (22.7 K-BB percentage) over 7.2 clean innings. Félix Bautista (BAL): The good news is that he had his first consecutive-day appearance on Wednesday. However, it resulted in Bautista's first blown save, and he has allowed at least a run in four straight contests. Since May 9, he has allowed two home runs among his five hits, five earned runs and five walks, while striking out three. Of more significant concern, he's only thrown 50% of his pitches for strikes in this limited sample. For the season, he has a 43.8 first-strike percentage, down almost 15% compared to 2023, and his 9.4 K-BB% and 1.43 WHIP are hurting his fantasy managers. Luke Jackson (TEX): Jackson recorded his last save on April 25. In the seven games since, he's allowed runs in three, including a walk-off home run against the Yankees on May 21. Across these four innings, he has five strikeouts versus five walks with a 2.75 WHIP and two home runs among his six hits allowed. He's throwing fewer strikes, allowing hard contact and inducing fewer whiffs, which remains a dangerous combination for a closer: His replacement may not be on the active roster, but don't be surprised if Kumar Rocker or Jon Gray receive save chances at some point in June. Abner Uribe (MIL): He owns a 13-game streak without allowing a run, recording 21 strikeouts against five walks (32.7 K-BB percentage) with a 1.083 WHIP. In this sample, he owns a 15.4 swinging strike percentage, is attacking hitters with a 67.2% strike rate, and has produced a 67.4 contact percentage, resulting in a 1.81 SIERA. If this represents a new level of his talent, more save chances could happen before the All-Star break. Huascar Brazobán (NYM): He's allowed one unearned run in his past 10 games, spanning 13.2 innings. In this timeframe, he has recorded 15 strikeouts against four walks (22 K-BB percentage), with a 0.584 WHIP. His change-up and cutter are producing swinging strike percentages over 17 for the season. Trevor Megill (MIL): Megill has posted a 1.24 WHIP with 17 strikeouts over 15.1 innings. When viewing his underlying data at Fangraphs, there are no discernible differences in his contact rates allowed or swinging strike percentage. However, when one notes that his 2.35 ERA has a 3.77 SIERA and a 5.73 xERA, there may be reasons for concern. Since xERA accounts for the quality of contact, noting his good contact rate allowed at 30 percent this year, compared to 15 percent poor contact, combined with his 13.8 K-BB percentage, should cause some concern. His four-seam fastball currently has a .348 xBA and a .462 expected weighted on-base average (xwOBA). His contact struggles will persist if he falls behind in counts and is forced to throw pitches in the strike zone. *Multi-inning or bridge relievers who can vulture wins and help protect ratios. Statistical Credits (through games played on May 21): and Check out my work at Reliever Recon and Closer Monkey for daily updates. (Photo of Luke Jackson: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images)
