What’s poppin’, Razzpimples?
Bullpen recap time!
Don’t forget to keep that 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. The tools are — how do you say? — bussin’. 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. Truly a godsend for my nerdy backside.
Welp. Let’s do it to it, pardner.
Player Rater Top 20 (5×5 Standard)
Player Rater Top 20 (6×6 w/ Holds)
2025 SVHD Leaders
Weekly SVHD Leaders
Weekly BS+L Losers
Weekly Notes:
Note: All stats and Player Rater values are accurate through Monday’s games.
Another brief recap this week, pardners. Hope you get a morsel of usefulness from it nonetheless!
Four names I’d consider household at this point led the way with 3 SV this week: Jeff Hoffman, Trevor Megill, Andres Munoz, and Robert Suarez. Suarez was the only one to allow any runs: 2.25 ERA, 1.00 WHIP. All had multiple Ks, and it was Suarez and Megill at the top with 5. I tolt y’all last week that Suarez would get run back out there, and here ya go. Every time he struggles, I see people flip their tops. His job is among the safest, if not the safest.
Abner Uribe and Tim Hill led with 3 HLD. Uribe looked great. Hill less so. I don’t consider Hill a very sexy option, even if he starts to take some more high-leverage innings. Back in San Diego, he had me fooled for a while…he’s just too inconsistent.
Luke Weaver didn’t get those three holds. Instead, he picked up 1 BS and 1 L. Add his ERA and WHIP together, and you get a clean 30.00. I daresay he’s not healthy. Or maybe he’s just bad now.
Bennett Sousa shoutout time! Ninja’ing his way to fantasy stardom with the year he’s having and the SVHD (3 this week) he’s starting to collect. I know the 1.33 WHIP wasn’t stellar this time around, but the metrics painted a prettier picture. I don’t know that Bryan King is completely worthless at this point, but Sousa seems to have claimed the third rung on the ladder.
Tommy Kahnle trifecta! That’s 1 W, 1 SV, 1 HLD. Actually ran the full gambit, also “earning” 1 L and 1 BS, so he’s got a tally in every decision this week. That’s kinda cool? Even if 2/5 are bad? Okay, done trying to sugar coat his week. It sucked. Roasted your ratios, only got 1 K, and the metrics had nothing good to say. Been one of the more reliable dudes all year, so I’m giving him a pass. Will Vest had 2 SV and 6 K. Whatever injury scare that was, looks like it was nothin’.
Yennier Cano is back up and seeing some high leverage. Got 1 SV and 1 HLD this week, but also 1 L. Fwiw, I don’t think he’s worth a flip anymore. Seranthony Dominguez is back in Baltimore’s good graces, also collecting 1 SV and 1 HLD this week, striking out 4 and getting lotsa whiffs. Right after I finally add Soto, this shiz happens. Love it.
Edwin Uceta 1 SV, 1 HLD, 1 L. At times was his filthy ’24 self, other times he was his ugly ’25 self. Did strike out 7 and had luscious metrics: 19.1 SwStr%, 30.9 CSW%.
Nice week for Adrian Morejon: 2 W, 2 HLD, 0.00 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 4 K. Still fourth behind Suarez/Adam/Estrada in the hierarchy, but worth a gander depending on your format.
Grant Taylor 1 SV, 1 HLD, 1 L, 4 K. He’s in the same group as Seth Halvorsen (2 SV this week) for me. Talented but raw closers on really bad teams, so probably not worth your while in most cases. I champion closers on bad teams, but really, really bad teams? Hard sell.
Edwin Diaz 1 W, 2 SV, 8 K. Negative FIP and SIERA, so you know he was on it like a Shakespearean sonnet.
Jordan Hicks snagged a save for Boston. He’s on Boston now. I kinda missed that one. Greg Weissert was bad, and I think he’s pitching himself out of high leverage. Garrett Whitlock notched 2 HLD, striking out 3. Aroldis Chapman had just 1 HLD and 2 K, cuz he only pitched an inning. I expect he’s gonna get traded. Don’t know that I like Hicks as his replacement.
Injury news: First, Shelby Miller also hit the IL…huge oof. Oofiest of oofs for the Diamondbacks, cuz even Ryan Thompson went down. Who they gonna close games with now? Lovullo said it’ll be a mix. That mix could include any one of Kevin Ginkel, Kyle Backhus, Juan Morillo, John Curtiss, and Jalen Beeks. Ginkel got the first save, and it was held by Backhus and Morillo. Backhus has been mostly really good in his short MLB career thus far. Time will tell if that’s just a matter of hitters needing to adjust or if his sidearm southpaw sexiness is the secret sauce. Second, Yimi Garcia came back and then hit the IL again with a different injury. Wooooof. Maybe he has some magic for the second half, but right now he’s hardly even worth an IL stash.
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.
What are your thoughts on Ian Seymour getting called up? Looks like he will be working out of the pen. Long term value?
No thoughts tbh. Not on my radar until he is, ya dig? If they shake things up at deadline (seen Fairbanks as a potential trade chip), then we’ll see.
It would be helpful to clearly label the 2025 Leaders and Weekly Leaders charts as being for Saves + Holds, e.g., “2025 Leaders (Saves + Holds)”. It took me a minute to figure it out, and I almost gave up and just left before I did.
Those charts appear to be sorted by most saves + holds, then most saves, which makes sense … not sure what the next sort criterion is (if any), but there ought to be one (lowest WHIP? most Ks?) and that ought to be identified too.
It’s purely SVHD. The quality is shown more in the metrics in my opinion, so that’s why they’re heat mapped.
Subheaders updated accordingly! Appreciate the suggestion.
Thanks! Yeah, the heat-mapping is definitely useful.
How long do you think Shelby will be on the shelf?
Forearm strain…could be a precursor for serious issues down the road. Three weeks absolute minimum is best case probably. I bet it’s more.