No need to overpay for closer roles

When it comes to the BABS philosophy of players being “more alike than they are different,” there is no better demonstration of this than with relief pitchers. There are about three dozen relievers who have a shot at about 10 or more saves; about 20 who are good bets for 30-plus. However, the top dozen or so are all blessed with elite skills, which makes them essentially interchangeable.

The following list includes all the prime candidates to see saves, plus other relievers who have good dual-asset skill sets. The non-save pitchers higher on the list are the better options for “roster filler that won’t hurt you” and could potentially help your ratios. In addition, given the trend of declining innings for starters, that lost playing time has to go somewhere, and that place is here.

MARKETPLACE ASSETS       LIABILITIES
ADP R$ Relief Pitchers Pos Tm PT Er K Sv   Er Inj Ex
37 $22 Jansen,Kenley rp LA   E+ K+ SV        
45 $20 Kimbrel,Craig rp BOS   E+ K+ SV        
65 $17 Chapman,Aroldis rp NYY   E+ K+ SV     inj-  
78 $15 Osuna,Roberto rp TOR   E+ K+ SV        
97 $13 Giles,Kenneth rp HOU   E+ K+ SV        
101 $13 Allen,Cody rp CLE   E+ K+ SV        
90 $14 Rivero,Felipe rp PIT   E+ KK SV        
62 $17 Knebel,Corey rp MIL   ER K+ SV        
90 $14 Diaz,Edwin rp SEA   ER K+ SV       e
133 $10 Doolittle,Sean rp WAS   ER K+ SV     INJ  
365 $(0) Steckenrider,Drew rp MIA   ER K+ sv-       EX
176 $7 Melancon,Mark rp SF   E+ k sv-     INJ  
280 $3 Britton,Zach rp BAL   E+ k sv-     INJ  
207 $6 Miller,Andrew rp CLE   E+ K+       inj-  
277 $3 Betances,Dellin rp NYY   E+ K+          
290 $2 Robertson,David rp NYY   E+ K+          
457 $(2) Kahnle,Thomas rp NYY   E+ K+          
718 $(7) Moya,Gabriel rp MIN   E+ K+         EX
732 $(7) Gallegos,Giovanny rp NYY   E+ K+         EX
102 $12 Iglesias,Raisel rp CIN   ER KK SV        
105 $12 Davis,Wade rp COL   ER KK SV        
115 $11 Hand,Brad rp SD   ER KK SV        
179 $7 Familia,Jeurys rp NYM   ER KK sv-     INJ  
215 $5 Parker,Blake rp LAA   ER KK sv-        
225 $5 Brach,Brad rp BAL   ER KK sv-        
342 $1 Gregerson,Luke rp STL   ER KK sv-        
366 $(0) Soria,Joakim rp CHW   ER KK sv-     inj-  
408 $(1) Jones,Nate rp CHW   E+ KK       INJ  
546 $(4) Harris,Will rp HOU   E+ KK       inj-  
589 $(5) Smith,Carson rp BOS   E+ KK       INJ e
598 $(5) Strop,Pedro rp CHC   E+ KK          
190 $6 Bradley,Archie rp ARI   ER k SV        
195 $6 Treinen,Blake rp OAK   ER k sv-        
268 $3 Reed,Addison rp MIN   ER k sv-        
136 $10 Holland,Greg rp FAN   ER K+          
323 $1 Boxberger,Brad rp ARI   ER K+       INJ  
342 $1 Edwards,Carl rp CHC   ER K+         e
435 $(2) Minter,A.J. rp ATL   ER K+         EX
461 $(2) Yates,Kirby rp SD   ER K+          
614 $(5) Goody,Nicholas rp CLE   ER K+         e
999 $(10) Logan,Boone rp MIL   ER K+       INJ  
144 $9 Neris,Hector rp PHI   e KK SV        
151 $9 Vizcaino,Arodys rp ATL   e KK SV     inj-  
240 $4 Rodney,Fernando rp MIN   e KK sv-        
314 $1 Barraclough,Kyle rp MIA   e KK sv-        
361 $0 Ramos,A.J. rp NYM   e KK sv-        
409 $(1) Hildenberger,Trevor rp MIN   E+ k         EX
649 $(6) Smith,Joe rp HOU   E+ k       INJ  
120 $11 Colome,Alexander rp TAM   e k SV        
205 $6 Herrera,Kelvin rp KC   e k SV        
242 $4 Greene,Shane rp DET   e k SV        
305 $2 Hader,Joshua rp MIL   e K+         EX
707 $(6) Maples,Dillon rp CHC   e K+         EX
999 $(10) Leathersich,Jack rp PIT   e K+         EX
290 $2 Devenski,Christopher rp HOU   ER KK          
292 $2 Green,Chad rp NYY   ER KK         e
332 $1 Bedrosian,Cam rp LAA   ER KK       INJ  
390 $(1) Givens,Mychal rp BAL   ER KK          
459 $(2) Swarzak,Anthony rp NYM   ER KK          
510 $(3) Neshek,Pat rp PHI   ER KK          
527 $(4) Leone,Dominic rp STL   ER KK          
587 $(5) Rondon,Hector rp HOU   ER KK          
630 $(5) Cecil,Brett rp STL   ER KK          
658 $(6) Pazos,James rp SEA   ER KK         e
684 $(6) Romo,Sergio rp TAM   ER KK          
702 $(6) Kelley,Shawn rp WAS   ER KK       INJ  
712 $(7) Simmons,Shae rp FAA   ER KK       INJ EX
999 $(10) Garcia,Yimi rp LA   ER KK       inj- e
999 $(10) Mazzoni,Cory rp CHC   ER KK         EX
999 $(10) Smith,Will rp SF   ER KK       INJ  
421 $(1) Lyons,Tyler rp STL   ER k       INJ  
421 $(1) Madson,Ryan rp WAS   ER k          
567 $(4) Shaw,Bryan rp COL   ER k          
583 $(5) Hunter,Tommy rp PHI   ER k       INJ  
634 $(5) Alexander,Scott rp LA   ER k       inj- e
640 $(6) Stripling,Ross rp LA   ER k         e
999 $(10) Alvarez,Dario rp CHC   ER k         e
999 $(10) Gomez,Anyelo rp ATL   ER k         EX
999 $(10) Paredes,Eduardo rp LAA   ER k         EX
212 $5 Morrow,Brandon rp CHC     k SV        
384 $(1) Ziegler,Brad rp MIA   e   sv-     inj-  
561 $(4) Johnson,Jim rp LAA   e   sv-        
512 $(3) Dyson,Sam rp SF       sv-        
338 $1 Minaya,Juan rp CHW       sv-   -ER inj- EX

ASSETS: PT (Playing time), Er (Pitching Effectiveness), K (Strikeouts), Sv (Saves potential)
LIABILITIES: Er (Pitching Ineffectiveness), Inj (Injury), Ex (Experience)

On average, there have been about six closers who save 40-plus games each year. In 2017, that number dropped to three. This could be a one-year anomaly, but odds are it’s not. The splintering of playing time and roles throughout the game affects saves as well.

There has always been a good amount of turnover in the closers who amass the most saves. Of last year’s 40-saves trio – Alex Colome, Kenley Jansen and Greg Holland (pictured) – only Jansen could be perceived as a near lock to repeat. Heck, Holland doesn’t even have a job yet! But if you want to have Jansen, you are going to pay for that reliability.

Should you? BABS doesn’t think so. There are six relievers in the (E+,K+) asset group and any one of them has the goods to put up mega-saves, given the opportunity. Note that every one of them plays for an expected contender, with the possible exception of Roberto Osuna in Toronto. Since saves are highly correlated with wins, when you buy saves, you’re also buying the team. They are all studs here but at various price points.

You have choices as well at the next step-down in skills. You can save a few rounds by choosing comparably-skilled Edwin Diaz over Corey Knebel, or get bigger discounts by taking on some injury risk with Sean Doolittle, or taking a deeper speculation with Drew Steckenrider. Note that Holland would be elevated into this group if he signs on to be a closer somewhere.

These types of choices are available all through the asset groups with saves expectation. But that’s not the only place to find value.

As I wrote in the Baseball Forecaster, there were only 11 closers in 2017 that earned more roto dollars that comparably or better-skilled middle relievers. For instance, Fernando Rodney saved 39 games, but with a 4.23 ERA. That performance earned just $10 last year; Chad Green earned $12. And given the possible trend towards more multi-inning high-skilled relievers, there could be a ton of value hidden in arms we would not normally pay much for.

So grab an arm with a firm role on Opening Day (or two, depending on the depth of your league), but don’t overpay. Spending $39 on a Jansen/Knebel tandem might yield just as many saves as Osuna/Giles, but cost $11 more. Or go Brad Hand/Colome and save $17. Yes, you give up some skill, but you are buying saves.

Then stock up on speculative skill. There is a ton of that available, and really, just about any one of those arms could end up with 30 saves given the right planetary alignment. Was Hand or Felipe Rivero on anyone’s saves radar a year ago?

 

16 Comments

  1. lou novak on February 27, 2018 at 2:15 pm

    why does rotolab babs show archie Bradley with double KK’s and your market place show him with a single K



  2. Steven Schipper on February 27, 2018 at 7:08 pm

    12 Team 5 x 5 Auction – $260 – Roster: 13 Hitters, 9 Pitchers, 5 Bench (2 DL)……

    In 2017, the league drafted 49 RPs. 2@$20, 1@$19, 4@18, 6@16, 2@15, 1@14, 1@13, 2@11, 2@10, 2@9, 1@8, 3@7, 2@6, 1@5, 4@4, 2@3, 13@$1-2 – total $431. (13.8% of available dollars)

    During the auctions over the past 5 years, it “feels” as though most of my fellow owners are willing to bid up the price for saves to ensure they have at least two viable closers. As you can see, last year there were 15 closers who cost at least $15.
    Of course most of them didn’t earn what they cost, and many $1 RPs, like my guy Knebel, cost $1.

    In today’s article, you’ve listed 5 closers worth us spending at least $15 to draft them.

    Ron and Site-Mates, what can you deduce from all this information that would help me strategize for the auction draft this year?

    Ron, thanks for all your great work, and consideration of this question.



  3. shandler on February 27, 2018 at 7:16 pm

    As noted elsewhere, there are some discrepancies. I have dug into them and determined that the Master Spreadsheet has the correct data. There will be a database update this Friday that will fix the issue.



  4. shandler on February 27, 2018 at 7:20 pm

    Well, for starters, I don’t think there are ever 49 relief pitchers on draft day that have predictable shots at saves. In the experts leagues, there are typically 30-32 pitchers purchased for saves speculation. So immediately, you are paying for upwards of 20 shots in the dark – those are dollars wasted. I do think there are only a handful that are safe bets for larger investments. I’d take a shot at those and then just bottom feed, focusing on skills.



  5. Erik DiNardo on February 27, 2018 at 9:18 pm

    hey ron i am in a 12 team 5×5 AL only keeper league with a 900ip min. Two of my keepers going into the auction are chad green and chris devenski. What do you think of them this season?



  6. shandler on February 27, 2018 at 9:21 pm

    Both could be interesting given that teams may start using relievers for longer stints. But Green is already being stretched out as a possible starter. Devenski ran out of gas late in the year so I suspect he’d be kept in the pen.



  7. Jason Prugar on February 28, 2018 at 11:44 am

    I have a question regarding the targets on the BABS Roster grid. When it says my target in a 12-team mixed league is 14 for PW, is that 14 at PW, or a mix of PW or P+, or just getting 14 players with a rating under PW?



  8. shandler on February 28, 2018 at 12:01 pm

    That’s 14 with any of (p), (PW) or (P+). If you roster a (P+) player, that buys you one player with no power.



  9. Matthew on March 1, 2018 at 1:55 pm

    Hey Ron,
    Love the work you do – Neris and Vizcaino – would you roll the dice with those two as your closers headed into an auction? $260 cap and each of those guys is $5. Or should I let one or both go and just head into my auction needing to get a full closer complement?
    Thanks!



  10. shandler on March 1, 2018 at 2:06 pm

    BABS sees them both about the same, though Vizcaino’s injury risk puts him a little behind. I’d be comfortable going in with Neris and then fishing. It’s a crapshoot, anyway, right?



  11. Matthew on March 1, 2018 at 2:15 pm

    Pretty much! Darn closers. Dislike guessing on them almost as much as I dislike spending on catchers.

    Thanks Ron



  12. Douglas Harvey on March 2, 2018 at 11:39 am

    Any chance Holds might be calculated into BABS as well? I know they are as volatile as Saves, but I am seeing more and more leagues moving to using them.



  13. shandler on March 2, 2018 at 2:09 pm

    Given that BABS is skills-based, it’s tough to justify adding a non-skill-based metric. BABS gave in to Saves as a concession to standard league formats and might be forced to with Holds, but right now there are no plans.



  14. Douglas Harvey on March 3, 2018 at 12:23 pm

    Fair point – and in many ways if a player has Saves at all they would likely be Holds worthy too.



  15. Josh Bogin on March 4, 2018 at 1:56 am

    How is the analysis tweaked for a more traditional 4×4 with only 10 teams, nl or al only?



  16. shandler on March 4, 2018 at 7:24 am

    You have to take more risks in a 4×4 since the top closers can go for $30 or more. But the underlying thought process is the same.