Here I thought the Brew Crew were a dying entity this year with all this talk of punting and trading all their mid-level talent.  For soothe, they have had an impressive last 30 days in the Holds department.  It isn’t just one guy garnering them either…  It is a multi-syllabic hold dragon with three heads.  Each head is completely different and has a really cool story.  The first is the Fresh Prince of Holds, Will Smith. He has basically been what we all thought Jonathan Broxton would be this year, but probably with more success. Over the last 30 days he has 5 holds, 2 Wins, and a K/9 rate over pushing 14.  That is sassy with a Jor and extra emphasis on the dache.  The next is Michael Blazek, who in some weird way is basically Jeremy Jeffress‘s boy by name only.  I will call them Smoke, and yes please.  Common sense is there for anyone who knows dudes history.  He is my honorary hero and on the Smokey hall of fame wall with Lincecum, Chris Perez, and Dock Ellis.  So to their stats before I teeter out from pure excitement…  Blazek and Jeremy have both garnered 4 holds over the last 30 and form a power/finesse RH combo in front or beside Smith, and in front of K-Rod.  With all the trade talk surrounding basically everyone in baseball, it seems if K-Rod gets bounced out I have them Smith and Jeffress in a tie, then Blazek for saves, with Broxton on ready for that veteran preference.  So let’s see what other  bags of factoidal goodness I can come up with and of course the Holds chart for some good toilet reading…
- As much as we hate Jake McGee for being a cookie stealer from Box, he has 19 straight appearances without giving up an earned run.
- Carter Capps on a better team is basically Dellin Betances.
- If you are digging for anything relevant from the end of the season for saves Arodys Vizcaino is a good bet.
- K-Rod, Papelbon and Andrew Miller are the only three closers with 15 saves or more and no blown saves. Â Two of them could be on new teams in a week.
- Sleeper reliever of the week: Sam Freeman of Texas.
| Player | Holds/BS | App with Lead | IR Runners/IR Scored |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Smith | 22/3 | 28 | 4/0 |
| Kevin Jepsen | 21/4 | 30 | 13/6 |
| Pat Neshek | 21/1 | 28 | 14/1 |
| Tony Watson | 21/2 | 28 | 11/1 |
| Sergio Romo | 20/0 | 25 | 27/6 |
| Justin Wilson | 18/1 | 25 | 30/6 |
| Boone Logan | 17/2 | 23 | 13/4 |
| Kevin Siegrist | 17/3 | 30 | 17/4 |
| Zach Duke | 16/0 | 20 | 22/4 |
| Blaine Boyer | 15/2 | 24 | 21/12 |
| Mike Dunn | 15/0 | 19 | 22/3 |
| Jared Hughes | 15/3 | 24 | 28/4 |
| Joaquin Benoit | 14/3 | 21 | 0/0 |
| Dellin Betances | 14/2 | 30 | 24/8 |
| Wade Davis | 14/1 | 28 | 4/0 |
| Steve Geltz | 14/0 | 19 | 20/2 |
| Kelvin Herrera | 14/3 | 23 | 10/4 |
| Junichi Tazawa | 14/1 | 22 | 16/5 |
| Matt Thornton | 14/1 | 19 | 21/4 |
| Jake Mcgee | 13/1 | 19 | 2/0 |
If Giles becomes a closer and Clippard and Osuna stay as closers, is this the right rank of the following: Osuna, Giles, Soria, Clippard?
@Jack: that seems about right. The variance between Giles and Soria is close
I’ve had Carter Capps as my holds guy since mid-June, and I am satisfied.
@Pouss-Pouss: as you should be, numbers minus holds/saves are phenominal
That’s high praise for Capps. Betances is no. 5 on the ROS player rater.
@Scott: his wins in relief are what sets them really apart, minus the teams ability. K’s and even ERA and expected ERA all favor Capps.
Yahoo says the Cards are shopping Cishek. What’s your take?
@Scott: cards are a smart orginization with good hacking skillz. Cishek would be another RH to throw into the mix with Walden. To be honest they need another RH there would be a good fit and not cost alot
It appears Pomeranz might have lost his holds goodiness in exchange for his starter crapiness
@sniff test: yea and boo all at once.
who’s next in line in Oakland with Pomeranz starting ROS? assuming he keeps that role…
@schlurricane: they have had minimal holds to begin with, Mujica the other F-rod, and Scribner look like the culprits now in that order for now
How do you see walden being used when back? Will he be a solid holds guy?
@Brett: he will be the Rh setup next to sue grist and now cishek.
Do you think Rafael Soriano eventually moves to the Cubs closer role? Although he’s been good, Motte has about a 5.80 k/9 and Soriano has closed for Maddon in TB.
@M: yes. A week at most.
Carter Capps is amazing to own in a K/9 league.
I just wish him and O’Day can get more holds.
@SF: yea Orioles for a team with an ok record have very few holds as a team. Blow outs or lose.
to replace caminero in 20 team with holds. best option. i have g.holland/wade/familia/hoover/pomeranz/caminero.
options: vizcaino/dyson/hudson/mujica/tuivalalalala/freeman
2.should i keep pomeranz over all of these as well?
@goodfold2: holds, net saves over saves, and homers allowed also in this one.
@goodfold2: vizcaino. Pomeranz value as a starter is minimal until he gets stretched out
@Smokey: shortly after i typed the original message vizcaino and bo schultz sucked up. also i don’t want pom as a SP, i wanted him as a holds/saves guy. Grey advises Hudson over Caminero. if you think pom sticks as starter which guy to replace him too?
@goodfold2: Hudson and Mujica seems to be working his way into 7-8th inning sitches.
Is Yimi Garcia expected to recalled by LA soon? He seemed to have great enough potential that I’m still sitting on him in a Holds league.
@Hal Incandenza: don’t waste an active roster spot for a dude with a 3.52 FIP who had been regressing for weeks and was sent down since his own team thought they had better options. Even in 20 team leagues you likely can find a guy like that for holds.
@Good Will Hunting 2: Hunting Season: Give it to me straight, man. Thanks for that; he’ll be gone next waiver auction.
@Hal Incandenza: how does Tehol put it, you gotta be realistic about these things. it’s one thing to hold, say, wade davis on active slot had he been put on 15 day DL, but we know what he is, and his role and value, and it’s much different than here.
What’s up buddy. I was sad when Capps never entered the game tonight
Least the game was not a total wash…yelich made some catches tonight
Would you drop Tony Watson, Tolleson, Motte or Zeigler for Will Smith?
Saves and holds as 1 cat
Thanks
@Slimbo: no hold. Til the Cubs situation settles down.
Considering the movement since this post, who would you like more in a 6×6 league that counts Holds, Justin Wilson NYY or Clippard NYM?