Earlier this week we updated our closer rankings, and now it’s time to focus on the guys often pitching the most important innings, the middle relievers. This update is geared towards holds (here’s the preseason rankings), and frankly this list could go on for forever. I had to cut myself off at some point, so I did so at 30 players. Here’s the current holds leaderboard for reference…
Time to adjust our preseason first base rankings for the first time. It’s fantasy’s deepest and most productive position though surprisingly top heavy. It gets a little sketchy after the top three tiers, but that’s nearly 20 players into the rankings.
Our preseason reliever rankings were just that, reliever rankings. I’m going to break things up during the season, looking at closers and non-closers separately. There will be some overlap of course, but middle relievers don’t have much value in most leagues, so these rankings are based on the almighty save. As you’d expect, there’s already been a ton of changes since the season began. Guys have lost their jobs, others have gotten hurt, others have come out of (seemingly) nowhere. That’s just the name of the closer’s game. Let’s start off with three familiar names…
The calendar just flipped to May, so even the most patient fantasy owners among us must start re-evaluating roster spots. Here’s two young players that could help…
Next week I’ll be releasing an updated version of our first base player rankings (here’s the preseason rankings), and will do so on every Thursday closest to the first of the month for the rest of the season. We’ll talk about stock changes and breakout players and what not in between, but for now I just want to throw something out there for discussion: Is is possible that Albert Pujols is no longer the top fantasy first baseman (and by extension, top fantasy player)?
With some help from his defense, Jonathan Broxton blew his first save of the season yesterday, allowing two (unearned) runs to the Marlins for a walk-off loss. Ned Colletti said today that the big right-hander is out as the team’s primary closer, at least temporarily. Take it away, Molly Knight:
Today’s emphasis: versatility. There’s nothing better than a quality player eligible at multiple positions…
Yesterday afternoon we got word that Neftali Feliz was placed on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation, and it’s always scary when a young flamethrower has a shoulder injury. You can expect the Rangers to take their sweet time with Feliz’s rehab, making sure he’s fully healthy before activating him. They’d be stupid not to considering his long-term importance to the franchise. That opens the door for Darren Oliver, who grabbed the first save opportunity (and save) in the Neftali-less era last night.
Managing a bullpen isn’t just something for MLB managers, if you’re in a deep league or one that counts holds, you need to be aware of everyone’s workloads to optimize your roster on a day-to-day basis. Every team has played at least 16 games so far and a few have already played 20, but there are still 29 relievers that have appeared in ten or more games already, including four that have appeared in 11. At some point those workloads will come down, either through a manager’s decision or injury/ineffectiveness. Let’s look at a handful of guys that have been called into more than half their team’s games so far…
The first two or three weeks of the baseball season result in all sorts of funny numbers, especially in standard 5×5 categories. Some guys get off too ridiculously good starts and others slump, but knowing who’s for real and who isn’t is the key this early in the schedule. A pair of fantasy stalwarts and one trendy sleeper pick are off to painfully starts to the season, and now’s the time to cut your losses.