Bullpen Report: August 13, 2013
• Danny Farquhar’s solid run at closer for the Mariners continued tonight as he earned his fifth save of the year. Although his ERA remains less than ideal at , his 2.07 SIERA is the ninth best mark in the league and the only guys who can best him are the four relievers mentioned above along with Jason Grilli, Mark Melancon and Koji Uehara. That’s some impressive company and speaks well to Farquhar’s ability. I don’t need to say you should pick him up if he’s available in your league but if you’re in need of saves, strikeouts or ERA, Farquhar is a guy that could give you top tier production without the cost. Also, if you’re looking for a pre-season closer sleeper for next year’s drafts, Farquhar is your man.
• Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless ninth for his NL leading 37th save of the year. Kimbrel is still two saves behind Jim Johnson for the MLB lead but he’s essentially behind nobody as best closer in fantasy baseball. As Colin mentioned last night, Kimbrel, Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen represent the top tier of closers in fantasy baseball, and likely real baseball as well. However, I might add a fourth to that list in Greg Holland, owner of a 1.36 SIERA and 14.48 K/9.
• After blowing up last night in a non-save situation, it’s nice to see Casey Janssen come back to throw a scoreless inning this evening. Janssen wasn’t pitching in a save situation tonight either (it was a tie game), but he remains the closer. Janssen certainly has his faults but his 3.07 SIERA and closer status still make him a solid option.
• There aren’t any specifics to report but Jason Grilli played catch today (or had a catch if you’re from New York) and plans are in pencil. Those plans or when we can expect Grilli to be back are not yet defined but any news hinting at a Grilli return can only be good.
• Saves don’t come too frequently for the Marlins but Steve Cishek recorded his 25th of the year tonight against the Royals. I questioned the Marlins choice to keep Cishek at the deadline but with a 2.98 SIERA, Cishek’s proving to be a solid late inning option in Miami. Small sample size warnings apply but after lefties had a .340 wOBA against Cishek last year, Cishek’s been able to hold them to a .281 wOBA against in 2013. If Cishek can continue to get out opposite handed hitters like he has of late, the Marlins will have a quality closer on their hands. Also, if they decide to move him in the offseason or next season it’s likely they could get a larger return.
Closer Grid:
[Green light, yellow light, red light: the colors represent the volatility of the bullpen order.]
When he's not focusing on every team's bullpen situation, Ben can be found blogging at Ben's Baseball Bias and on Twitter @BensBias
I think Chia-Jen Lo will get the next Astros save chance… Fields has not pitched well at all while Lo has easily looked the best so far and has the best minor league track record as well.
Nice call, Ralph. He did notch the save today. Hopefully he will get more opportunities to close it out in the future.
Lo is the guy right now… but his minor league record is not very impressive. He just looks like he was in rehab all the time, nothing but low innings totals in the low minors against much younger players.
Anyway, the Astros signed this guy back in 2008 to be their closer, so I guess its about time if he’s finally healthy.
Just saying, you’re a little late to the party:
supershredder says:
August 8, 2013 at 11:30 am
Astros fan here. I’m pretty sure Chia-Jen Lo will get another shot at a save opportunity. I expect a committee with Fields, Lo and maybe Zeid.
Vote -1 Vote +1
The downside of publishing before all the games are over. Lo certainly looks like the Astros flavor of the week and as we know, that can last a lot longer if he continues to pitch well.