What’s poppin’, Razzpimples?
Week 6 is in the books. SAGNOF Bullpen Report time!
Don’t forget to keep that there Razzball Bullpen Chart bookmarked. It’s been totally revamped into this awesome, dynamically-updated masterpiece! The calendar view of usage patterns is just pure gold.
Subscribers: Check out the Autopen for today/tomorrow projections (vulture SVHD, anyone?), which also has the same look at the Last 7 Days usage patterns. Another great tool is relief game logs from the last 14 days! Filter/sort/export to your needs.
Player Rater Top 25 (5×5 Standard)
Player Rater Top 25 (6×6 w/ Holds)
2026 SVHD Leaders
Weekly RP Leaders (By Razz $)
Weekly SVHD Leaders (By Total SVHD)
Weekly Notes:
Note: All stats and Player Rater values are accurate through Sunday’s games.
Jacob Latz 2 SV, 2:0 K:BB. Our headliner for the week is another Texas Ranger popping up outta nowhere. First it was Junis, now this guy. I was never too thrilled about Junis, but Latz is really starting to make an impression on me. Over 17.7 IP, he’s allowed just 5 H, 2 ER, 1 HR, and 3 BB while striking out 15. You can see how he stacks up metrics-wise below. Not absolutely lights out by any means, but he’s doing enough. And dat walk rate, doe! Only been three saves by a Ranger in the past 14 days, and they’ve all been by Latz. He’s the head hog now, pard.
Lucas Erceg 1 W, 3 SV, 6:2 K:BB. Welp, I said last week that Erceg had some work to do to get back in my good graces. I got half a mind to think he actually read what I had to say. A dub and three saves in one week is pretty baller work. Wins are random, of course, so can’t really read too much into that. But I must say, that there K:BB makes me happy. Been really worried about the quality of his stuff and the lack of strikeouts. Here’s to hopin’ this trend continues.
Bryan Baker 3 SV, 5:0 K:BB. Who woulda thunked Bryan Baker would be a SV-only league gem? Everybody under the sun thought Griffin Jax would run away with the gig after Fairbanks left.
Cole Sulser 1 SV, 2 HLD, 5:1 K:BB. Givin the dude a shoutout for collecting the counting stats and tossing up a nice K:BB. Might be the last time I write about him all year, though.
George Soriano 1 SV, 2 HLD, 3:2 K:BB. Ditto.
Seranthony Dominguez 1 W, 1 L, 2 SV, 3:1 K:BB. Rare week with a full spectrum of decisions. Overall, he’s been quite good. White Sox are praying he keeps this up so he can fetch a pretty penny come deadline.
Jack Perkins 2 SV, 5:0 K:BB. Three of the last four A’s saves have gone to Mr. Perkins. Clearly, the leader back there now, and the metrics sure are pretty. 89th percentile in both K% and BB%. Don’t see that every day. Add him everywhere you can.
Louis Varland 2 SV, 7:1 K:BB. Huge start to the season, showing no signs of slowing down.
Aroldis Chapman 2 SV, 5:0 K:BB
Cade Smith 2 SV, 3:0 K:BB
David Bednar 2 SV, 3:0 K:BB
Riley O’Brien 2 SV, 3:0 K:BB
Notable fellers with 2 SVHD this week:
Kyle Finnegan 1 SV, 1 HLD, 4:2 K:BB. Jansen, after sucking it up, has been unavailable with a groin injury. Sounds like he’ll avoid the IL, but you never really know. And the dude is 38. Finny’s season so far screams luck, but that was also the case with his time in Washington as one of the best bargain closers you could get. Dude just gets it done…somehow. This year’s 0.54 ERA is contrasted by a 4.17 FIP. And he’s got a yucky 13:10 K:BB.
Gus Varland 1 SV, 1 HLD, 2:0 K:BB. Annoying to see him get the 8th in a game where Lovelady snagged the save, but whatever.
Didier Fuentes 1 W, 2 HLD, 1:1 K:BB. Turned heads in Spring and now put up a nice week as a reliever. Hard to feel confident he sees regular SVHD opps with Lee and Kinley around.
Fernando Cruz 1 W, 2 HLD, 4:1 K:BB. Feels like he should have way more HLD than he does this year. He eclipsed 100 K last year and already has 19 in just 12.2 IP this year. One of the grodiest splitters you’ll ever see: it’s got a 56.7 Whiff% so far.
Brooks Raley 2 HLD, 6:0 K:BB. Always liked him for sneaky holds. Good when healthy.
Erik Sabrowski 1 W, 2 HLD, 4:1 K:BB. The league leader in SVHD keeps on keepin’ on. Up to a 24:6 K:BB now.
Tyler Rogers 2 HLD, 4:0 K:BB.
Rico Garcia 2 HLD, 3:0 K:BB. With Helsley out, Garcia should be owned absolutely ding dang everywhere: 0.61 ERA, 0.34 WHP, 16:4 K:BB in 2026.
Juan Morillo 2 HLD, 5:0 K:BB
Jeff Hoffman 2 HLD, 4:1 K:BB
Garrett Whitlock 2 HLD, 3:0 K:BB
Tony Santillan 1 L, 2 HLD, 2:3 K:BB
Notable bummers for the week:
Ryan Walker 2 BSV, 1 L, 15.88 ERA, 2.94 WHIP. Barf. Hate him again.
Kenley Jansen 1 BSV, 1 L, ??? ERA, ??? WHIP. Didn’t record an out this week. He’s DTD with that groin injury.
Jaden Hill 1 BSV, 25.71 ERA, 2.86 WHIP. Somehow bagged lots of holds recently, but he’s terrible.
Dennis Santana 1 BSV, 1 L, 21.18 ERA, 3.53 WHIP
Adrian Morejon 1 BSV, 1 L, 6.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP. Wasn’t really all that bad, but with Estrada back, he should get knocked down a peg.
Injury news this week:
Daniel Palencia activated!
Phil Maton activated! Don’t know that he’s worth neither a hoot nor a holler.
Jeremiah Estrada activated!
Jhoan Duran might be activated by the time you read this!
Ryan Helsley hit the IL. Elbow inflammation. Probably should just go ahead and expect the worst. Been that kinda year.
Erik Miller hit the IL. Lower back. I can relate to that; my lower back is garbage. While he’s out, I expect Keaton Winn and Caleb Kilian to step up, cuz Walker is doo doo.
Cole Sands hit the IL. Forearm strain. Ruh roh. Justin Topa got the only SV this week. Wager he and Taylor Rogers do the most work fantasy-wise now.
Matt Brash hit the IL. Right lat inflammation. Gabe Speier also hit the IL. Shoulder. Jose Ferrer and Eduard Bazardo get bumped.
That’s all for this week! Thanks for reading. Leave me a comment below so I feel all warm and fuzzy.
Odds are quite good I was drinking either black coffee, dark beer, or some form of bourbon while writing what you just read. In the daylight hours, I’m a high school English teacher. I have completely left X/Twitter, so you can find me on Bluesky: @jkj0787.bsky.social, where I serve up daily bullpen recaps to my loyal tens of followers.
Hey hey, JKJ!
So, I’ve pointed this out to Grey a million times, but there is HUGE value to a closer who qualifies at SP. Latz does (at least in my Y! leagues), and it allows me to have a fifth chance at a save (leagues are 4xSP, 3xRP, 1xP slots) when my opponents only have four. Yummm, latz good stuff!
Anyway, like another commenter in here, I am flush with closers right now and wonder which of them are most likely to lose jobs either when a teammate returns from injury or a trade takes place. Could you rank these guys from MOST likely to stay closer to least?
Erceg
Baker
L. Varland
Yates (not quite in the role yet, but maybe 75% to assume it, no?)
Thanks!!!!
SP as RP can be so clutch! Your question is a tough one. I could see Hoffman getting back in the 9th because he’s been better lately and Varland is so crucial to them that Schneider may want the flexibility to use him as needed.
Erceg (Estevez hurt his shoulder in rehab)
Baker
Varland
Yates
I like Varland the most here and it’s not close, but ranking purely on SV upside ROS, I’m not 100% he has the most. If this were a SVHD question, he’d be in a league of his own.
Thanks for your reply and advice, my over-the-internet friend!!! Much appreciated. Yeah, I hear you on Varland. I have a theory that Hoffman is a head case in the ninth and Varland is the kinda reliever who smells blood and loves it, and they should use Hoff as the anytime high leverage guy and let Varland keep slamming the door . . . just not sure Jays coaching staff agrees with me. Thanks again!!!
Hey JKJ — I think I know the answer from reading the previous comments, but here we go:
SVHD points league, where SV, HD, W all have same value. Points for K’s and IP’s, lose for BB’s and L’s, but no penalty for BS.
I am overweight in RP’s because I keep getting burned by SP’s (and points are points, right?)
Current RP’s are B. Baker, J. Perkins, G. Soto, and J. Adam. Would you drop any for Estrada or Rico Garcia?
Thanks as always!
Indeed, points are points!
You’re flush with options there. I might take Estrada over Adam given the K differential. I like Rico a lot too but hate to drop any of those other names.
Thanks JKJ! I was also thinking that with Estrada back, Adam might see fewer SvHd opportunities…
Adam is higher on the depth chart, but he doesn’t have nearly the K upside that Estrada does. Hold totals will still probably be pretty close, and then Estrada’s Ks push him ahead in a points format.
SVHD league with IP and Total K categories.
I have Gregory Soto and Abner Uribe.
Worth swapping one of them for Estrada for the K’s and any potential for more SVHD?
Yep, Estrada beats both. I guess the weakest link right there is Uribe. Soto getting more IP and has higher K upside.
I roster Pagan. Is it worth dropping him for Latz or Perkins?
Thanks
Yeah I could do either one. Probably Perkins.
Estrada activated, do you prefer him or ashcraft for sv + hld? I had estrada originally and he hurt me more than he helped with a few bad appearances. But I am a sucker for K’s. He is comiing back from elbow tendonitis. His velcoty was better in his first appearance but still down from last year.
Ashcraft’s k rate and been going down after a great start. His whip has been going up. Velocity also has been down a little. Thanks
Estrada easily
So I ened up hoarding closers and now I have too many. Prob overthinking but im in a head to head 5×5 standard cats. Trying to make sure I keep guys that have jobs ROS but I know thats probably dumb in 2026 so
Have to drop 1 RP miller is there just for reference lol..
who is it?
M.Miller
Seranthony
Erceg
J.Latz
T.Scott
Ermmmm I guess Latz. He’s the least likely to remain a closer all year. Well, until Dominguez inevitably gets traded, so I guess if you’re about him being traded to a team that won’t need him to close then you could lose him.
You take Tanner Scott over latz saves only?
Yeah, the upside is similar to what Edwin was supposed to be doing all along.
Crystal ball time…better stash, B.Joyce, Yates, or avoid?
Yates. With fingers crossed.
Saves and Holds as separate categories H2H
Brash on IL but hopefully will return when eligible. Need to drop one of the 3. Duran, Varland (Tor) and Baker. I think I have them in the correct order.
Can you just punt holds and drop Brash? Three closers are probably better than two with one setup man.