In this week’s Closer Report, Raisel Iglesias extends his scoreless streak to 13 games while locking down five saves in what was an impressive week on the mound for the veteran closer. That and more as we break down the last week in saves across the league.
Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings
Tier 1
Andrés Muñoz – Seattle Mariners
Edwin Díaz – New York Mets
Trevor Megill – Milwaukee Brewers
Muñoz struck out one batter in a clean inning of work against the Mets on Friday for his 29th save of the season to go with a 1.31 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and a 61/23 K/BB ratio across 48 innings. On the other side of that matchup, Díaz gave up a run with two strikeouts over the final two innings against Seattle on Saturday for his 24th save. His two-inning save comes after Ryan Helsley blew late-inning leads on back-to-back days. Helsley then bounced back with a scoreless appearance on Sunday. And Megill joins this tier after picking up his 29th save against the Reds on Friday. He then pitched the tenth inning on Saturday, giving up an unearned run before falling in line for a win. The 31-year-old right-hander has posted a 2.09 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and a 53/16 K/BB ratio across 43 innings.
Tier 2
Aroldis Chapman – Boston Red Sox
Jhoan Duran – Philadelphia Phillies
Robert Suarez – San Diego Padres
Chapman pitched a clean inning before falling in line for a win Friday against the Marlins, then recorded the final out of the game Saturday to earn a save. He then struck out the side in an inning of work against the Orioles on Tuesday. The 37-year-old veteran left-hander has converted 22 saves while posting an incredible 1.13 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, and a 69/14 K/BB ratio across 48 innings.
Duran matches Chapman’s 22 saves after converting two more this week. That makes six this month since joining the Phillies. The 27-year-old right-hander has recorded a 1.80 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and a 58/18 K/BB ratio across 55 innings.
No saves for the Padres this week. Suarez surrendered a solo homer against the Dodgers on Sunday to take the loss before pitching a scoreless ninth with a four-run lead against the Giants on Tuesday. Mason Miller made a pair of scoreless appearances behind Suarez.
Tier 3
Daniel Palencia – Chicago Cubs
David Bednar – New York Yankees
Emilio Pagán – Cincinnati Reds
Pete Fairbanks – Tampa Bay Rays
Kenley Jansen – Los Angeles Angels
Jeff Hoffman – Toronto Blue Jays
Carlos Estévez – Kansas City Royals
Randy Rodríguez – San Francisco Giants
Bryan Abreu – Houston Astros
Cade Smith – Cleveland Guardians
Raisel Iglesias – Atlanta Braves
Kyle Finnegan/Will Vest – Detroit Tigers
Dennis Santana – Pittsburgh Pirates
Palencia surrendered a solo homer against the Pirates on Friday to take the loss and was unavailable due to an illness for the next two days. Brad Keller and Andrew Kittredge stepped in to pick up saves in his absence. Palencia returned to pick up a save with a scoreless inning against the Brewers on Tuesday, then gave up one run Wednesday before holding on for his 18th save.
Bednar locked down two saves for the Yankees this week with a pair of clean outings against the Cardinals before giving up two runs Wednesday in Tampa to blow the lead. Devin Williams stepped in to pitch the tenth with a three-run lead and allowed the runner on second to score before striking out the side for his 18th save. Bednar is still likely to get the next save chance and has had a great season overall, posting a 2.66 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and a 68/14 K/BB ratio across 47 1/3 innings.
Pagán was charged with a pair of blown saves this week. He gave up an unearned run against the Brewers on Saturday, then surrendered two runs on Sunday. Still, he’s been one of the most valuable closers this season, converting 25 saves with a 3.10 ERA over 52 1/3 frames.
Fairbanks locked down a pair of saves against the Giants. He’s up to 22 with a 2.53 ERA over 46 1/3 innings. In Anaheim, Jansen worked around two walks and a hit, striking out two in a scoreless inning against the Athletics on Sunday before falling in line for a win. He then took the loss Tuesday, giving up two runs to the Reds in the ninth.
Hoffman struck out the side in back-to-back outings last week against the Cubs and Rangers, picking up a save and falling in line for a win. He then pitched a clean inning with one strikeout against the Pirates on Tuesday. The 32-year-old right-hander has pitched better in the second half, posting a 1.52 ERA after posting a 5.03 mark in the first half.
Estévez made three perfect appearances this week, picking up two saves. The 32-year-old right-hander brings his total to 32 saves on the season while posting a 2.77 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and a 46/20 K/BB ratio across 55 1/3 innings. With both Estévez and Lucas Erceg unavailable Tuesday after pitching three times in four days, John Schreiber stepped in for a save against the Rangers.
Rodríguez continues to operate at the Giants closer. He took a loss after giving up a run against the Rays on Friday, then bounced back with a scoreless inning against the Padres on Monday for his fourth save. Behind him, Ryan Walker has pitched much better in the second half, working his way back into a primary setup role and likely next in line for saves in the bullpen.
Abreu and the Astros didn’t see a save chance this week. He made a pair of scoreless appearances, including a three-strikeout outing against the Orioles on Saturday. Josh Hader will likely remain out through the rest of the regular season, with hopes of returning during the playoffs. Meanwhile, Smith, another reliever who recently stepped into a closer role, notched two more saves with the Guardians before blowing an opportunity Wednesday, giving up a game-tying solo homer in the ninth against the Diamondbacks. Still, the 26-year-old right-hander has had an impressive season, posting a 2.83 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and a 77/19 K/BB ratio across 57 1/3 innings.
Iglesias had a fantastic week on the mound, extending his scoreless streak to 13 games with five scoreless appearances, picking up five saves. The 35-year-old right-hander goes from 16 saves to 21 in the last week with a 3.86 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and a 58/10 K/BB ratio across 53 2/3 innings.
Finnegan and Vest continue to work in a committee. Finnegan picked up a save against the Twins on Saturday with two strikeouts in a scoreless inning. Vest worked both the eighth and ninth against the Astros on Tuesday before falling in line for a win. And in Pittsburgh, Santana added two saves and a win to his record with three scoreless outings this week.
Tier 4
Jojo Romero/Riley O’Brien – St. Louis Cardinals
Phil Maton/Robert Garcia – Texas Rangers
Blake Treinen/Alex Vesia/Ben Casparius – Los Angeles Dodgers
Ronny Henriquez/Calvin Faucher – Miami Marlins
Jose Ferrer – Washington Nationals
We move on to mostly committees and unfavorable situations for saves, starting with the Cardinals. Romero took the loss against the Yankees on Sunday, then bounced back with two scoreless outings. But it was O’Brien who picked up a save Tuesday against the Marlins. In Texas, Maton’s time with the Rangers hasn’t gone so well. He surrendered a run to take the loss on Friday against the Blue Jays. Shawn Armstrong stepped in for a four-out save. And there continues to be no clear answer for the Dodgers in Tanner Scott’s absence. Jack Dreyer recorded the team’s only save this week, a three-pitch outing to record the final out against the Padres on Friday.
Tier 5
Keegan Akin/Yennier Cano – Baltimore Orioles
Justin Topa/Cole Sands – Minnesota Twins
Sean Newcomb/Tyler Ferguson – Athletics
Juan Morillo/Kyle Backhus – Arizona Diamondbacks
Grant Taylor/Steven Wilson – Chicago White Sox
Victor Vodnik – Colorado Rockies
Read the full article here