We have a couple new names this week, including a Pittsburgh bullpen arm, so you know things are very 2020 in the reliever realm. I want to lead off with Josh Staumont because he has been electric over the past few weeks. He is up to 27 strikeouts in 13.1 innings and he has been close to unhittable. With 102-mph heat, he is one of the most enjoyable relievers to watch.
There isn’t a whole lot you can do with that if you are a hitter. The spot wasn’t great and the guy still had no chance. It’s unfair.
Reliever Report
Kenley Jansen - Los Angeles Dodgers (#2)
One of the most reliable aspects of the Dodgers organization over the past nine seasons has been Kenley Jansen and he is off to a terrific start in 2020. He currently leads the National League in saves and has a robust 12.5 K/9 while holding hitters to a .130 batting average. It is probably a testament to his remarkable consistency that we hardly notice that Jansen is once again doing his thing but I felt it was worth noting.
Josh Hader - Milwaukee (#5)
I moved Josh Hader out of the number one spot this week, though it is more a product of Milwaukee not giving him as many chances this year. Hader has yet to allow an earned run through seven appearances and he still has healthy strikeout numbers. With rumors swirling that the Brewers might make him available, he makes for somewhat of a buy-low target. Send an offer to the Hader owner in your leagues today to see if you can get him at a discount. If he is moved, that window will slam shut.
Trevor Rosenthal - Kansas City (#9)
I submitted this without Rosenthal being part of it but it sounds like he might be on the verge of being dealt to San Diego. This suggests Drew Pomeranz might be hurt worse than we initially thought but a trade to San Diego would be a boost to Rosenthal’s value. The Padres are one of the best teams in baseball so Rosenthal goes to a situation where save opportunities will be more plentiful. If you are in NL-only leagues, I think you need to unload the bag on Rosenthal when the move is finalized.
Jake Diekman - Oakland (#64)
The Oakland bullpen has been arguably the best in baseball and Jake Diekman is a big reason why. He has yet to allow a run and has struck out 18 over 12 innings. He is also second in the American League in holds, making him a must-own in leagues that reward points for those. But perhaps the most fascinating thing about Diekman is how he took to Twitter to transform his slider grip this year. After seeing Tampa Bay’s Chaz Roe throw a frisbee slider on Rod Friedman’s account (@Pitching Ninja), Diekman tweeted at Friedman to get a closer look at the grip. After seeing how Roe used his grip for his slider, Diekman started working with it playing catch and the next day used it for the first time in a game:
As you can see Diekman’s slider changed shape literally overnight. He added four inches of horitzonal movement to the pitch which has made him almost untouchable against lefties. Diekman makes his top-100 debut this week at number-71 overall.
Richard Rodriguez - Pittsburgh (#68)
It is with cautious optimism that I put a Pittsburgh bullpen arm this high but Richard Rodriguez closed out two wins this week. His second save was a little rocky as he gave up two runs and needed 26 pitches to get the job done against St. Louis in the first game of a doubleheader. Still, Rodriguez has been one of the only steady pieces for the Pirates’ relievers and he could be a cheap option for saves. He has reasonable ratios, his ERA (3.55) won’t destroy you, and he gets over a strikeout an inning. At this point we are all-in on speculative arms and Rodriguez fits the bill.
Tanner Rainey - Washington (#82)
Tanner Rainey has quietly been Washington’s most effective reliever so far this year. He has a 37.7 K% rate to go with seven holds, so much like Diekman, he is a must-own in that format. He has been especially hard on righties holding them to a .111 batting average. He has used his slider over 37% of the time this year- up from 29% last year - but the biggest difference this year has been how well he has spotted his fastball. Here he is painting the corner on three consecutive strikeouts against Baltimore:
SPARP Update
Tommy Milone - Baltimore (#23)
In points leagues, Tommy Milone has value due to his SPARP designation but even without that, he has been pretty good so far. Sporting an ERA of 3.99 and striking out just over a batter per inning, Milone has been a somewhat pleasant surprise for the Orioles. We catch him on a potential two-start week, although one of those starts is against the Yankees. The key for Milone is keeping the ball in the park. Call it a hunch, but I would use him this week.
Alec Mills - Chicago Cubs (#25)
Mills had a strong performance against Detroit last Monday, striking out seven in seven innings of work. He had struggled previously giving up 10 earned runs in just 9.2 innings but was effective against the Tigers. Jose Quintana looks like he will be heading to the bullpen for now so Mills will stay in the Chicago. Keep an eye on both pitchers as Quintana would gain some value if he would become RP eligible.
This Week’s Rankings
As for the rankings, you will see I once again separated traditional relievers and SPARPs. I moved Drew Pomeranz down a bit but some big risers this week are Anthony Bass, Jeremy Jeffress, Jake Diekman, and Richard Rodriguez. One name I didn’t write up but we should keep an eye on in the coming days is Edwin Diaz. He pitched a clean ninth inning yesterday striking out the side against the Yankees. If he finds his groove, he will be much higher on this list. On the SPARP side of the list, I moved A.J. Puk way down and bumped Randy Dobnak up to #7. Pay close attention to prospects who are promoted in the coming weeks as they may have RP-eligibility in your leagues and will see time as a starter for their club.