Bullpen Report, Week 4: Never Too Soon For Usage

Even being 1/10th of the way through the season, it is never too early to see some trends forming.  The trends I am learning you about are the bullpen usage rates.  Not every team follows an A to B to C type formulas, and it would be nice, but usage rates in certain situations, even 15 games into the season, peak their heads out for fantasy usefulness.  The ancillary stats that no one really notices, and that I use all year, are runners inherited and appearances with the lead.  All key factors for what a reliever is and what they are at sustaining.  The inherited runners stat is a ruiner, not only for themselves but for the pitchers they are replacing.  Basically a sad trombone in the case of reliever sad trombones.  The appearances with the lead factor is what we all eat our Holds and gravy with.  It basically says that they are pitching with a lead, granted, holds are scored the same as a save.  So all that less than four runs runner on deck shenanigans that people made up for it to qualify.  So welcome to the first Holds/bullpens post of the year as we embark on a road far less traveled then it should.  Holds matter, regardless of color.

• I love me some Astros bullpeners.  Will Harris is the boss, Gregerson is the Don of Holds and Chris Devenski is thinking of multi-inning Holds.  He has crazy K-rates and is basically behind the Giles/Harris/Gregerson trio.  Only caveat is that he doesn’t pitch on back-to-back days and probably won’t.  For leagues looking to capitalize on the 12-plus K/9 rate, you need to time his appearances.  Right now, it’s every third game and a win vulture.
• The Rox playing some good ball leads to goodies from the bullpen.  Incumbent closer before the Holland signing, Adam Ottavino, has the lead early on with 7 Holds in 8 appearances.  No complaints in other categories, K’s are there and so everything else is tidy.  Should be rostered most everywhere, but go check no Holds leagues.
• Sneaky holds are what makes the world go round, so does sexy effectiveness out of the pen.  The Brew-ha-ha’s feature two right now.  Jacob Barnes for my money looks the better of any reliever in the Milwaukee pen, but Corey Knebel is getting more leverage situations.  Both are decent adds all around with K-rates at plus per inning.
• Quick name the best reliever in the Cardinals bullpen. Nope.  Nope not Rosey either.  It’s easily Matthew Bowman.  He looks a little bit like Lincecum and a lot like dog the bounty hunter.  I know it’s early but Siegrist owners can ping pong around to someone with a higher K rate then 4 …yikes.
• Sleeper holds guy for the week, check out Tommy Kahnle.  Dude winds up and throws it hard.  His name has bounced around a bit in past years, but looks to be establishing himself behind Jones, Robertson as the next RH.