SAGNOF Bullpen Report Week 3: Jakob Jun-is The Closer Now

What’s poppin’, Razzpimples?

Week 3 is in the books. SAGNOF Bullpen Report time!

Don’t forget to keep that there Razzball Bullpen Chart bookmarked. It’s been updated with the latest, and I’m usually quick to get it touched up once any type of news drops. And if you’re not a subscriber, I do highly, highly, highly recommend it. If’n you’re of the mind to consider it, you can find all the info here. I’m partial to the Relievonator Game Log Tool. It shows the last two weeks of relief appearance game logs. Every single one. And the inning they were called in. It’s gold.

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Player Rater Top 20 (5×5 Standard)

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Player Rater Top 20 (6×6 w/ Holds)

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2026 SVHD Leaders

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Weekly RP Leaders (By Razz $)

Weekly SVHD Leaders (By Total SVHD)

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Weekly BSV Losers

Weekly Notes:

Note: All stats and Player Rater values are accurate through Sunday’s games.

Jakob Junis of all people headlines a weekly bullpen column?! What a world. So I guess that whole “Robert Garcia and Chris Martin will tag team the ninth” thing was a brilliant smokescreen for their real secret weapon…JUNIS. Guy never could really hack it as a starter. Now that he’s a reliever, though, things are working out pretty nicely. It’s all about opportunity in this game, and Junis has all of it for the foreseeable future. Picked up 3 SV with a 2:1 K:BB this week. Aside from a couple random Tyler Alexander saves and a Cole Winn save, no other Ranger has any. Junis has three of the last four (Winn’s came on a night after Junis had pitched back-to-back). Is Junis for real? Hard to say. He wasn’t on my radar to start the year, if that says anything. Doubt he was on anyone’s, even his own. He’s rocking a paltry 0.50 WHIP with a 6:1 K:BB in 8 IP (3 SV, 2 HLD). The BABIP is low, but the sample is too small to really make much of in that regard. Point is, right now, things are clickin’ and he’s gotta be rostered everywhere you need saves. His overall upside is capped by no strikeout stuff.

Riley O’Brien is the next hot breakout candidate everyone wants a piece of. Had 3 SV and 4 K this week. Best part is he’s yet to walk a batter all year. Peep this shiz:

Courtesy of TJStats, or Thomas Nestico, whose work you can find at tjstats.ca. Really awesome stuff there. But I digress. O’Brien is looking purty good thus far in 2026. Ratios are golden, though the strikeouts won’t knock your socks off. Like Junis, O’Brien is feasting on his opportunities as undisputed closer. Pick him up anywhere you can.

Lucas Erceg 3 SV, 3 K. Not the cleanest week from the interim Royals closer. I didn’t much like what I saw last year and I can’t say I’m overjoyed by this year’s output, despite the nice SV totals so far. His metrics are actually pretty ding dang doggone awful. I’m in sell-high territory with him, cuz I do think Estevez earns looks whenever he’s back, and I’m not even sure he can manage to keep the success he’s having.

Joel Kuhnel 2 SV, 1 HLD, 1 K. Still don’t know who this guy is. But in deeper SVHD formats, he’s looking like an add for now. Boring but effective, and the A’s pen is such that the hottest hand will prevail.

Seranthony Dominguez 2 SV, 4 K. The K-BB% is far from perfect, but converted saves are probably all that the White Sox care about. Wonder whose hat he’ll be wearing come August.

Jhoan Duran 2 SV, 1 K. Overall, Duran is #3 RP in the game according to the fine Razzball evaluation systems you see in the pics above. So far his line pretty much rules: 1-1, 5 SV, 0.74 FIP, 0.75 WHIP, 8:0 K:BB.

Paul Sewald 2 SV, 2 K. Keeps on keepin’ on so far in 2026. Bona fide bounceback badassery.

Bryan Baker 1 W, 2 SV, 5 K. Did balloon your ratios, though (6.75 ERA, 1.50 WHIP). I’m happy with a 7:1 K:BB to this point.

Edwin Diaz 1 W, 2 SV, 6 K. While the 4 SV on the season have been nice, Diaz has not been, as the kids definitely still say these days, “all that and a bag of chips.” Knee concerns and velocity concerns. Something to keep a really close eyeball on, even if Roberts says things are hunky dory.

Ryan Helsley 2 SV, 3 K. Ugly 2.00 WHIP this week, though. Not in love with a 7:4 K:BB on the year, either. My former bae started real hot but has cooled off a bit of late. I mean, it’s still so early, so can’t get your knickers twisted too much. His job is very safe.

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Let’s mosey on over to holds.

Jordan Leasure 3 HLD, 5 K. Really good week from him.

Anthony Nunez 3 HLD, 5 K. Ditto. Climbing the Orioles depth chart in a hurry.

Ryan Thompson 3 HLD, 4 K. He’s only worthwhile in the deepest of pools.

Tanner Scott 3 HLD, 3 K. Has looked like his sexy self that earned him top dollar as a free agent before the start of last year. Really, really loving the 0 BB% and 19.5 SwStr%. That’s the Tanner Scott I know and love.

Gregory Soto 3 HLD, 2 K (and 3 BB). Ahhh here’s the walk-fest Soto I know and don’t love. And looks like he’s not really much for the ninth anymore all of a sudden. Ain’t baseball fun?

Isaac Mattson 3 HLD, 3 K. Like with Thompson, only worth a flip in very deep leagues.

Justin Sterner 3 HLD, 4 K. Less than ideal 1.70 WHIP this week. Still, I like that he’s getting high-leverage looks, one after the other. They’ve leaned heavily on him and he’s managing to get it done. Wouldn’t be shocked to see him start earning some SV pretty soon.

Too many 2 HLD guys to name them all, but I’ll give a shoutout to a few. First buckaroo I wanna pat on the back is Rico Garcia, another Oriole who’s climbing the depth chart. Had 1 SV and 2 HLD with 4 K this week.

Cole Winn 1 SV, 2 HLD, 3 K. Got a vulture save when Junis needed rest, which I told you up above. I like to repeat myself sometimes, sometimes.

Alex Vesia 1 SV, 2 HLD, 5 K. This doesn’t have anything to do with fantasy baseball, but hearing of the passing of his infant daughter earlier this year just broke me. Great to see him out there doing what he loves to do.

Eric Orze 1 SV, 2 HLD, 4 K. I can’t explain it, but over the last 14 days, the Twins are second in the MLB with 12 HLD (behind PIT and ARI with 16, which is also surprising). Of course, can’t really expect a trend like that to continue. It’s as useful as saying a guy who homered on Opening Day is on pace for 162 bombs. All that be as it may, Orze isn’t worth your time in most leagues. AL-only or some crazy 20+ team dynasty league, maybe.

Erik Sabrowski 2 HLD, 6 K. Gangster shiz. Love this dude.

Juan Morillo 2 HLD, 3 K. Absolutely gobbling holds and doesn’t look like he’ll stop any time soon. He doesn’t have much of a track record, so this is either a flash in the pan or a legit breakout.

Griffin Jax 2 HLD, 3 K. Oh my goodness, if Jax is turning it around…he’s worth gambling on already. I’d pounce everywhere you can. Still bonkers upside with the quality of stuff he’s got at his disposal.

Kyle Hart 2 HLD. I don’t know how much longer this dude I’ve never heard of steals holds from the likes of Adrian Morejon, but it’s worth noting at the very least. Morejon has been dog water teeming with mosquito eggs. Hart hasn’t been a whole lot better, to be fair, he’s just still getting holds when Morejon is getting…hit. So many hits allowed. So. Many.

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Injury news this week:

Hunter Gaddis activated. Remains to be seen if he’s eased in or thrown straight into the high-leverage fire.

Jason Adam activated on the same day Jeremiah Estrada hit the IL. What a luxury to lose one stud just to be able to replace him with another.

Hunter Harvey hit the IL, because of course. Caleb Thielbar and Ben Brown are boosted for holds since Phil Maton sucks.

Justin Slaten is starting to get all too familiar with the IL. Spent a fair amount on there last year and it’s not quite mid-April and he’s back on it. Greg Weissert snagged 2 HLD this week and should be boosted while Slaten’s out.

 

That’s all for this week! Thanks for reading. Leave me a comment below so I feel all warm and fuzzy.

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