What’s poppin, Razzpimples? Bullpen update time!
Don’t forget, the Razzball Bullpen Chart is manned by yours truly and updated like every single second (not really, but I stay on top of thangs for the most part). And directly below, you’ll see a current look at the Top 15 RP (in both 5×5 standard leagues and 6×6 saves/holds leagues) via our Player Rater. Subscribers also get access to the incredibly handy Relievonator Game Log, which tracks every single relief appearance from the last 14 days, including what inning they were called upon and how many batters/pitches they faced/threw.
Alrighty, let’s do it to it. (Note: Monday’s games do not factor in)
Player Rater Top 15 (5×5 Standard)
| # | Name | Team | Pos | $ | $/G | PS | PA/IP | $W | $SV | $ERA | $WHIP | $K | R% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Felix Bautista | BAL | RP | 31.3 | 12.4 | 9.2 | 61 | 6.2 | 13.5 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 4.9 | 100 |
| 2 | Devin Williams | MIL | RP | 23.1 | 9.4 | 6.8 | 49 | 4.7 | 12.4 | 2.4 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 100 |
| 3 | Alexis Diaz | CIN | RP | 21.4 | 5.7 | 6.4 | 57 | 3.2 | 14 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 100 |
| 4 | Camilo Doval | SF | RP | 17.5 | 3.8 | 5.3 | 56 | 1.7 | 14 | -0.2 | -0.1 | 1.1 | 100 |
| 5 | Craig Kimbrel | PHI | RP | 13.7 | 1.5 | 4.2 | 55 | 4.7 | 6.5 | -0.7 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 99 |
| 6 | Jordan Romano | TOR | RP | 12.2 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 47 | 0.2 | 12.4 | 0.5 | -0.8 | -1 | 100 |
| 7 | Kyle Finnegan | WSH | RP | 11.5 | 0.5 | 3.6 | 58 | 3.2 | 8.7 | 0.3 | -0.4 | -1.3 | 99 |
| 8 | David Bednar | PIT | RP | 11.2 | 1.8 | 3.5 | 54 | -1.3 | 10.8 | 1.4 | -0.1 | -0.6 | 100 |
| 9 | Ryan Pressly | HOU | RP | 10.6 | 0 | 3.3 | 56 | -1.3 | 10.8 | -0.8 | 1.5 | -0.6 | 100 |
| 10 | Emmanuel Clase | CLE | RP | 10.5 | -1.1 | 3.3 | 59 | -2.9 | 14 | 0.1 | -0.5 | -1.3 | 100 |
| 11 | Josh Hader | SD | RP | 10.2 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 45 | -5.9 | 10.3 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 100 |
| 12 | Paul Sewald | ARI | RP | 9.6 | -0.6 | 3 | 53 | -1.3 | 10.8 | -0.6 | -0.8 | 0.6 | 100 |
| 13 | Carlos Estevez | LAA | RP | 8.4 | -0.4 | 2.7 | 53 | 1.7 | 10.8 | -0.9 | -4 | -0.2 | 94 |
| 14 | Matt Strahm | PHI | RP | 8.3 | 4 | 2.7 | 75 | 6.2 | -3.6 | -0.3 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 6 |
| 15 | Kenley Jansen | BOS | RP | 7.9 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 42 | -1.3 | 11.3 | -0.1 | -1 | -1.9 | 100 |
Player Rater Top 15 (6×6 w/ Holds)
| # | Name | Team | Pos | $ | $/G | PS | PA/IP | $W | $SV | $ERA | $WHIP | $K | $HLD | R% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Felix Bautista | BAL | RP | 28.5 | 21.1 | 7 | 61 | 6.8 | 13.6 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 5.6 | -4.9 | 100 |
| 2 | Devin Williams | MIL | RP | 20.1 | 18 | 4.4 | 49 | 5.5 | 12.2 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 1.8 | -5.4 | 100 |
| 3 | Alexis Diaz | CIN | RP | 19.6 | 14.4 | 4.2 | 57 | 4.1 | 14.3 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 2.1 | -4.9 | 100 |
| 4 | Camilo Doval | SF | RP | 15.5 | 12.5 | 3 | 56 | 2.7 | 14.3 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 2.1 | -5.4 | 100 |
| 5 | Kyle Finnegan | WSH | RP | 11.8 | 9.4 | 1.8 | 58 | 4.1 | 7.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 | -0.1 | -1.5 | 99 |
| 6 | Jordan Romano | TOR | RP | 11.1 | 13.5 | 1.6 | 47 | 1.3 | 12.2 | 1 | -0.2 | 0.2 | -4.4 | 100 |
| 7 | Craig Kimbrel | PHI | RP | 11 | 9.1 | 1.6 | 55 | 5.5 | 4.5 | -0.1 | 1.7 | 1.8 | -3.4 | 99 |
| 8 | Emmanuel Clase | CLE | RP | 9.1 | 7.4 | 1 | 59 | -1.5 | 14.3 | 0.7 | 0.1 | -0.1 | -5.4 | 100 |
| 9 | Tanner Scott | MIA | RP | 8.9 | 4.2 | 0.9 | 60 | 4.1 | -7.3 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 2.8 | 6.3 | 3 |
| 10 | David Bednar | PIT | RP | 8.6 | 10.1 | 0.8 | 54 | -0.1 | 10.1 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.6 | -5.4 | 100 |
| 11 | Ryan Pressly | HOU | RP | 7.9 | 8.1 | 0.6 | 56 | -0.1 | 10.1 | -0.3 | 2 | 0.6 | -5.4 | 100 |
| 12 | Josh Hader | SD | RP | 7.5 | 11.7 | 0.5 | 45 | -4.2 | 9.4 | 3.5 | 1.8 | 1.5 | -5.4 | 100 |
| 13 | Joel Payamps | MIL | RP | 7.1 | 3.8 | 0.4 | 59 | 1.3 | -7.3 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 1 | 5.8 | 2 |
| 14 | Hector Neris | HOU | RP | 7 | 3.4 | 0.3 | 54 | 4.1 | -7.9 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 6.7 | 1 |
| 15 | Paul Sewald | ARI | RP | 7 | 7.5 | 0.3 | 53 | -0.1 | 10.1 | -0.1 | -0.2 | 1.6 | -5.4 | 100 |
Wellllllllllllllllllllllll dang. Felix Bautista is basically done for the year. No conclusive statements yet, though it doesn’t really take a rocket scientist to figure out how bad a UCL issue is for a professional thrower of baseballs. I’m extra worried about next year’s outlook if I’m being honest. Tommy John is a very real and very likely possibility. Yennier Cano and Danny Coulombe have each already collected a save due to Bautista’s departure. I would figure there’s a timeshare situation ROS with these two. Tough to say. Maybe they lean on Cano like they did Felix; however, I wager both get looks. Always nice to have a capable RHP (Cano) and LHP (Coulombe) back there. By golly, this dadgum blows. Been the #1 RP pretty much since the start, and now come fantasy playoff time, he gone.
David Robertson is gone as well but for different reasons. The sucking at closing kind of reasons. Drop him and add Tanner Scott, who already has a save as the new man in the ninth. Andrew Nardi gets a bump in holds value.
Kenley Jansen gave everyone a scare with a hammy issue, but he got the all-clear back on Sunday, so hopefully that hammy holds up the rest of the way. You know people out there been riding him and Bautista all year and they almost just lost both.
Erik Swanson landed on the 15-day IL over the weekend, so he’s just a safe drop at this point in most cases. Tim Mayza and Jordan Hicks get bumped as a result. I personally like Mayza more given his consistency all year, though the upside edge is still in Hicks’s favor, whose Statcast looks really damn good actually. And I usually don’t include Monday games in these reports, but Hicks got the vulture save while Romano rested after tossing 36 pitches Sunday. Mayza had also pitched, having gone in three of the previous four.
Adbert Alzolay gave owners 3 SV and 3 K this week. Closing the year out as one of the best waiver adds of 2023. Both love to see it (I love underdogs!) and hate to see it (cuck the Fubs!).
Kyle Finnegan also had 3 SV, striking out a pair in 3.1 IP of one-run ball. Tied with Alzolay for the lead in SV (10) over the last month. Hunter Harvey had himself 3 SVHD this week, firing off 3 IP with 4 K and 0 ER.
Andres Munoz struck out eight, collecting 3 SV while even blowing one this week. Man, this dude gonna be a hot commodity in 2024 drafts. Justin Topa all of a sudden seems to have leapfrogged Matt Brash as the holds daddy in Seattle. Brash had just one hold while Topa had two, plus a win. Brash only got 0.2 IP of work, too. Watch the roles completely flip this week…
Trevor May and Kirby Snead are doing their best to remind fantasy owners that there is value to be had from relievers on crappy teams. May earned 1 W and 2 SV this week, striking out three in three scoreless. Snead bagged 3 HLD, also in three scoreless. Mayhap one of these guys can tack on some counting stats for you in these final weeks.
Carlos Estevez had 2 SV in what was kind of another lucky week. Guy has been ridiculously effective in 2023, obliterating my meager expectations; however, he’s done so on pretty weak metrics. This week wasn’t much different: 22.4 CSW% usually means baserunners. Either you’re walking them or they’re putting the ball in play. He allowed two hits but no walks and thus kept runs off the board.
Camilo Doval had four straight blown saves before Sunday’s 34th save of 2023. It was looking like it might be hot seat time for a guy who had been arguably the best closer not named Felix. Good news for his fantasy owners is that the Giants are fighting for a Wild Card spot, so they can’t really afford to give up on the guy who helped get them to this position in the first place.
Speaking of potential hot seats, Gregory Santos has to be on that list. He was doo doo this week: 1 BS, 1.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. Going back two weeks, his line is still bad. Going back a month, it’s…still bad. I don’t even know who would be up next, though. Bummer? Lambert? Shaw? Does it matter? The Shitcago Shite Sux are in full force.
Raisel Iglesias was good in limited work. I do wonder if he gets rested some down the stretch. The Braves don’t need him at all right now; they will most definitely need him in October. I’m playing devil’s advocate here, just thinking out loud. Don’t mind me.
Kevin Ginkel has really come back around. He got really hot, then got pushed aside, and now he’s really hot again. His last 14 days look pretty swell: 2 W, 1 SV, 4 HLD, 7.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 10 K. Metrics on point too (16.2 SwStr%, 33.3 CSW%). I wouldn’t think he’d steal any chances from Sewald, but that dude hasn’t been all that great and the Diamondbacks are flirting with missing the playoffs after their hot start. Did I just talk myself into maybe considering the fact Paul Sewald gets demoted? After I swore an oath he’d see every save chance ROS for Zona?? Sewald does have 5 SV over the last two weeks, second only to Finnegan’s 6 SV, buuut Sewald also has a 1.95 WHIP in that time. Ehhh I dunno, I really don’t see a demotion coming. *Whispers* Or do I…
I don’t quite know what to make of this Texas Rangers bullpen. Will Smith, Aroldis Chapman, and Josh Sborz were all bad this week. Jose Leclerc was the best of the bunch, collecting 2 HLD and 4 K in 3.2 scoreless. Smith got a hold but also 1 BS and 1 L. Chapman took two losses. And Sborz also had 1 L and 1 BS. I mean, if you subscribe to the site, then you could hop on the Relievonator Game Log tool and filter just TEX pitching and look at how many hits, runs, and walks that entire pen has been handing out. It’s bonkers. They were all so good for so long! Woof. Chapman would be my guy to hang my hat on at this point.
Jose Alvarado had 2 HLD and 6 K in 3 IP. No runs and 2 BB. As sexy as that looks, the 9.8 SwStr% and 23 CSW% don’t speak to total dominance. Interestingly, he was the only Phillie all week with a hold. If your league’s forgotten him and you need help there, he might be a good late-season add.
Alex Vesia really gonna go and wait until August to make my 2023 hype come to fruition. He wasn’t totally lights out and only got 1.1 IP of work, but just 1 H and 1 K in 1.1 IP from him this year is a godsend compared to what he looked like back in the early days of this season. Jokes aside, he was also the only Dodger with 2 HLD, so maybe higher-leverage work is in order. In the last two weeks, he’s been called upon three times (8th inning twice, 7th inning once) and had 3 K with no runs/walks (2.1 IP).
I specialize in bullpens, and I used to do some fantasy hockey as well here at Razzball. Find me on Twitter: @jkj0787. DMs are always open for questions, comments, concerns, complaints, etc. Odds are good I’m drinking black coffee, dark beer, or some form of bourbon at any given time of day.
