Reliever Report
We continue to see new names getting save opportunities down the stretch and three of those names are highlighted this week. But first, here is a look at Devin Williams changeup/screwball:
Williams is cooking this year with 39 strikeouts in 19 innings and an absurd 0.47 ERA.
Rafael Dolis - Toronto (#29)
The Blue Jays have Ken Giles back (or nearly back) but Dolis had two saves this week and has yet to allow a run in September. For the season he has a 1.77 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP to go along with 24 strikeouts making him Toronto’s most effective reliever and one of the best in the American League. He’s been mentioned in this space before and it is worth repeating that Dolis has been fantasy viable even without the saves. He is only around 20-25% owned on most platforms so with just three weeks left in the season, he makes for an excellent add across all formats.
Yohan Ramirez - Seattle (#31)
Just 25 years old, Ramirez is a good add in redraft and dynasty leagues, though he might be slightly less available in the latter of the two. Ramirez is a 2-pitch reliever but his slider has been literally unhittable this season as hitters haven’t logged a hit against it. He has a sparkling 31.7% strikeout rate and has given up just one run across his last six appearances in lowering his ERA to 2.87 on the season. He picked up a pair of saves in the last week and has three of the Mariners’ four saves since the trade deadline so I don’t see Yoshihisa Hirano as a legitimate threat to Ramirez the rest of the way. He is owned in under 15% of leagues so he is a sensible add that could help in a big way down the stretch.
Mike Mayers - Los Angeles Angels (#57)
Mayers has come out of nowhere to finally bring some stability to the back end of the Angels bullpen. He was claimed off waivers in November but he’s been a pleasant surprise this year in striking out 14.02 per nine innings. He started throwing a variation of Mariano Rivera’s cutter in the offseason after seeing Rivera show the grip to Roy Halladay on Instagram of all places. The results have been tremendous as hitters are batting just .182 against Mayer’s new offering. He’s been especially tough on lefties, giving up three hits in 33 at-bats. Mayers could be in line for a couple sneaky save opportunities over the last few weeks of the season so he makes for a priority add tonight.
Jeremy Jeffress - Chicago Cubs (#18)
Jeffress becoming the closer in Chicago is a little surprising because he hasn’t regained the velocity he had two years ago. What he has done is develop a split-finger fastball to pair with his sinker, which has led him to a 0.98 ERA so far this season. Jeffress has been one of the best relievers in the National League, only allowing a run in two of his 17 appearances this year. He’s saved three games in September in keeping the Cubs atop the NL Central. Jeffress doesn’t have gaudy strikeout numbers but keeps the ball out of the air and he pounds the zone. His ownership level varies by platform but if he is available, add him now.
Edwin Diaz - New York Mets (#16)
Diaz has been lights out over his last five appearances in not allowing a run and lowering his ERA to 1.89 on the season. He has an eye-popping 39 strikeouts in 19 innings and converted his lone save opportunity last week. He is still giving up too many walks for my liking but his Whiff Percentage and Strikeout Percentage are both in the 100th percentile. He’s also keeping the ball in the park so there are a lot of indicators here to show Diaz has been an elite reliever this year. Over the next few weeks we need to be assessing players that we will want to target next spring and Diaz certainly fits that bill.
SPARP Update
Kenta Maeda has moved to the top overall spot in the rankings. Maeda outdueled Shane Bieber the other night tossing seven shutout innings and improving to 5-1 on the season. Julio Urias went six strong innings last night giving up one run and striking out three against the Astros. The bullpen blew the win for him but he will carry a 3.52 ERA into his next start at Colorado this week. Jesus Luzardo had this third quality start in four outings against Houston on Wednesday. The 22-year old takes the mound Monday and we should get him on a two-start week with juicy matchups against the Mariners and Giants.