Let’s dust off Grey’s tiers for this first closer report of the season. We’re one day in and the sky is already falling all over the closer landscape.
- We have our first dumpster fire of the season in Arizona. Pudding-brained Toery Lovullo will use the guy with experience in Greg Holland, albeit awful recent experience.
- Bruce Bochy did the right thing and confirmed Will Smith will be the closer. A manager making a sensible decision, be still my heart.
- Taylor Rodgers earned the opening day save in Minnesota. The matchups dictated a LHP so don’t go overboard changing that hierarchy. We need to be aware Rocco Baldeli will mix and match, however.
- An old fashioned 6-out save was on the menu for Josh Hader. He needed Lorenzo Cain to bring a homer back over the wall, but the stuff was nasty as ever with plenty of whiffs.
- Pedro Strop hammy wasn’t a big deal and he’s ready to go. Bump him up a tier with another leap pending his hold on the role of.
- The Reds and Royals bullpens got off on the wrong foot. Both spots need to be monitored to see if roles are changing.
$12 Salads
You know that restaurant your girlfriend/wife/what-have-you likes to go to that charges, like, $12 for a salad? Every time you go there, you have a thoroughly solid meal. No complaints, except you just paid $12 for a salad when you could’ve went to McDonald’s and stuffed you and your woman for ten schmools and had $2 in quarters left over to make the hotel bed vibrate. These closers are $12 salads.
- Edwin Diaz (Jeurys Familia)
- Blake Treinen (Fernando Rodney, Lou Trivino)
- Kenley Jansen (Joe Kelly, Pedro Baez)
- Roberto Osuna (Ryan Pressly, Hector Rondon)
- Brad Hand (Danny Salazar)
- Felipe Vazquez (Keone Kela, Richard Rodriguez)
- Jose Leclerc (Jesse Chavez)
- Kirby Yates (Craig Stammen, Jose Castillo)
Donkeycorns
Imagine you’re following a donkey, who’s wearing a wool cap, through a desert for 1700 miles. Why are you following a donkey? Because he promises you something wonderful and you just need to trust him. Does the donkey talk? Yes. Yes, he does talk. So when you and the donkey in the wool cap arrive at his destination, he removes the wool cap to reveal a horn. The donkey is a unicorn and his gift to you for your trust is saves. These closers are Donkeycorns.
- Aroldis Chapman (Adam Ottavino / Zach Britton)
- Josh Hader (Corey Knebel, Jeremy Jeffress) *Kimbrel’s still possibly looming
- Sean Doolittle (Kyle Barraclough, Trevor Rosenthal)
- Wade Davis (Seung-Hwan Oh, Scott Oberg)
- Will Smith (Mark Melancon, Tony Watson)
- Cody Allen (Ty Buttrey)
- Ken Giles (Ryan Tepera)
- Raisel Iglesias (Jared Hughes, David Hernandez)
Employed
These guys are the men that make the save market go round. They punch in, punch out. Have the job, no real threat to speak of, and are basically just there to collect great benny’s so they can take care of their crippled brother. Who is only really crippled because he is scared of the sun.
- Jose Alvarado (Chaz Roe / Diego Castillo)
- Matt Barnes / Ryan Brasier (Heath Hembree)
- Arodys Vizcaino (A.J. Minter)
- Hunter Strickland (Anthony Swarzak)
- Alex Colome / Kelvin Herrera (Nate Jones)
- Shane Greene (Joe Jimenez)
- Seranthony Dominguez / David Robertson
- Jordan Hicks / Andrew Miller (Carlos Martinez / Alex Reyes)
- Pedro Strop (Steve Cishek / Carl Edwards, Jr. / IL: Brandon Morrow)
Brain Freezes
I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing apples, bananas and Carlos Marmol– Wait, he just gave up 12 earned runs and hit Castro in the head with a pick-off throw. Brain freeze! Make it stop! Use the following closers at your own risk.
Strickland may be injured (stretched shoulder a few times — BoSox announcer said it appeared achy) before giving Moreland’s game winning HR in 9th. Will be dropping him today for Gearen.
Yeah, that’s going to get messy.
I grabbed Gearen. Closer Monkey likes him too.
Who gets the most saves this year on bad teams – W. Smith or Giles?
I think Giles is a timebomb, so Big Willy Style.
12-team auction league, how much for Craig Kimbrel?
$5 less than Jansen?
I liked you’re own tiers better, salads etc are tired.
They’ll be back next week. I wanted the folks just tuning in to see a familiar Donkeycorn.
They’ll be back next week. I wanted the folks just tuning in to see a familiar Donkeycorn.
Who ends the year with the most saves: Brasier, Morrow or Vizcaino?
You’d have to bet Viz. He has the job currently.
Who’s the best option to replace Strickland (if he is out)?
Gearrin is the popular add. It’s probably Swarzak’s jib if he gets back soon.
Could Jeffress emerge as a dirt cheap source of saves and holds? Considering stashing him on IL
If he’s free do it. He was great last year. Should have cost something on draft day if he weren’t ailing.
Yeah he is free, but it will require me to drop Ross stripling (hoping he makes it through waivers and I can pick him back up). I’m curious if Milwaukee will use him as more of a true closer and keep Hader in a high leverage/multi inning role or if he will be splitting time with Hader in the 9th…
Every season is different but there was a long stretch when Jeffress was preferred for the 9th and Hader was the Swiss army knife like you mentioned. But Hader is so good… Hopefully the Brewers will keep him from racking up saves so his price doesn’t go up. That benefits Jeffress. But there’s the specter of Craig Kimbrel looming as well. It’s complicated!
How deep is your league? Also not sure I’d want to give up Stripling unless you have plenty of starters.
10 team league with 2SP, 2rp, and 5P. I currently have flaherty, Marquez, Glasnow, Darvish, Bieber, Verlander, and stripling (with Martinez on the IL). For RP I have Doolittle, Barnes, colome, and Vizcaino (knebel had to go and get TJ).
10 team league I’m guessing there are probably starters you can stream on the wire, so Jeffress is a good stash with the uncertainty around Barnes and maybe Viz both in eventual committees. In a perfect world, the four guys you’ve got will earn enough saves for you but at this stage who knows? You could always try to deal one for a need elsewhere. Good luck!!
I’m in a 12 team daily league with a category for holds and another one for saves. Current relievers. Leclerc Chapman Alex Reyes and Familia. I can pick up one of the following:
Brasier
Kela
Blake Parker
Romo
Holland
Boxberger
Struggling to go for holds or a pitcher who has save chances. Who would you pick up and who would be your second choice?
Brasier if you want to keep focusing on holds, Holland if you want saves.
Roto-Wan hello!
Current MR for holds are Roe, Edwards Jr, and Rondon.
Gearrin, Mrs Garrett, and Alexander best available options for holds currently.
Hold, right? Got a feeling of any from the latter group?
Thanks!
I’d stand pat. Gearrin could see saves.
Wait a second:
The tiers were greys idea originally? So Smokey co-opted then?
Does this mean grey told Tehol to change his name?
Well i missed another draft so i queud up my rankings; i cornered not only the shortstop market but the pitching DL . my draft
H2h league i have some hitting
acuna, trea turner, muchado, stanton, freeman, mondesi, bellinger, ozzia albies, peraza
correa, seager, suarez, dahl, severino, foltynewicz, Kimbrel,
luchessi, buchholz, archer, knebel, astudillo,
its going to be a rough season unless i get a good trade …… i was offered jose alverado for severino but i don’t think that will help much going to reject it
I’d pass on that.
Sergio Romo is the king of brain freeze for 2019 so far. I dropped him like a bad habit for Parker. Ugh.m, my ERA!
Maybe stash Swarzak since he’s close?
Not sure why Knebel is even listed any more for the Brewers …. he is out for the season with TJ surgery.
Get Hader out of the Donkeycorns and create a $15 category just for him. He is “immaculate”, you know!
If Jeffress returns and he’s still getting the lionshare (and they don’t sign Kimbrel) maybe.