Scheming For Relief: Middle Reliever Tiers, Last 30-Days

The trade deadline, trips to the disabled list and suspensions significantly altered bullpens across the league in the last thirty days. Subsequently, fantasy baseballers in holds leagues were likely scrambling to find the “next man in” to continue their quest for the playoffs as each respective domino fell. Still looking to make a late-season surge? Here’s a quick look at my top sixty middle relievers over the past month.

Disclaimer: In developing these rankings I looked for pitchers who appeared in at least six games and earned at least two or more holds in the last thirty days. Additionally, the relievers appear in tiers and are listed in no particular order within their respective tier.

Alright RG faithful, here they are. Firing Squad: once again please report directly to the comments section below.

Tier One: Double India Pale Ales

Mark Melancon | Pirates
David Robertson | Yankees
Trevor Rosenthal | Cardinals

For me, the Double IPA is the cream of the crop and the three relievers above are just that.  Melancon is closing for the moment, so I was hesitant to include him on this list, but with Jason Grilli starting to rehab I felt there may be a chance he falls back into his previous role. Robertson has been incredible over the last month. We’re getting a nice glimpse of the future Yankees’ closer during Mariano Rivera’s farewell tour.

Tier Two: India Pale Ales

Rex Brothers | Rockies
Jordan Walden | Braves
J.J. Hoover | Reds
Brandon Kintzler | Brewers
Luis Avilan | Braves
Heath Bell | Diamondbacks
Joel Peralta | Rays
Jared Burton |Twins
Neal Cotts | Rangers

The IPA is elite, but it doesn’t get the job done as consistently or as quickly as the Double does. Like Melancon in the tier above, Rex Brothers is currently holding down the ninth frame with Rafael Betancourt on the shelf. And there could easily be a case for Brothers, Walden and Hoover in the top tier here, but three hurlers in the top tier seemed to be enough.

Tier Three: Saisons

LaTroy Hawkins | Mets
Ryan Cook | Athletics
Tim Collins | Royals
David Hernandez | Diamondbacks
Nate Jones | White Sox
Tyler Clippard | Nationals
Ronald Belisario | Dodgers
Pedro Strop | Cubs
Santiago Casilla | Giants
A.J. Ramos | Marlins
Casey Fien | Twins
Bryan Shaw | Indians
Sam LeCure | Reds

Saisons tend to be refreshing, but pack a little less punch than those listed above. Hawkins is tied for the most holds in the league over the last month and could see some closing opportunities with Bobby Parnell going to the disabled list, but I’d prefer more strikeouts if I can get them. David Hernandez’s name made this tier, his performance over the last thirty days didn’t. Lots of upside in this tier, so don’t skip out on the Saison.

Tier Four: Porters

Charlie Furbush | Mariners
Chad Qualls | Marlins
Kelvin Herrera | Royals
Jake McGee | Rays
Paco Rodriguez | Dodgers
Seth Maness | Cardinals
Sean Doolittle | Athletics
Yoervis Medina | Mariners
Darren O’Day | Orioles
Matt Belisle | Rockies
J.J. Putz | Diamondbacks
John Axford | Brewers
Blake Parker | Cubs
Joe Thatcher | Diamondbacks
J.P. Howell | Dodgers

I’m not the biggest Porter fan, but there are some variations that get the job done. And I’ll always grab a Porter before reaching for the yellow fizzy stuff when the pickins’ in the cooler are slim. A few former closers and potential future closers litter this tier, so keep them in mind.

Tier Five: Yellow Fizzy Beers

Junichi Tazawa | Red Sox
Tony Watson | Pirates
Dale Thayer | Padres
Jason Frasor | Rangers
Mike Dunn | Marlins
Scott Rice | Mets
Justin Wilson | Pirates
Alex Torres | Rays
Donnie Veal | White Sox
Cody Allen | Indians
Nick Vincent | Padres
Matt Thornton | Red Sox
David Carpenter | Braves
Luke Hochevar | Royals
Logan Ondrusek | Reds
Troy Patton | Orioles
Drew Smyly | Tigers
Luis Ayala | Braves
Tanner Scheppers | Rangers
Chris Withrow | Dodgers

Desperate times call for desperate measures. If I need a fix, I’d gladly grab the yellow fizzy stuff rather than subjecting myself to the shakes. Feel free to dip into the leftovers to do the same, especially if you need to make a late-season push in the holds category. Streaming guys in the tiers above are always fun when a team’s closer has pitched a few consecutive days.

And again, here are my top 60 relievers over the last thirty days sorted by holds:

Name	Team	G	W	SV	HLD	ERA	WHIP	K%	WAR	playerid
LaTroy Hawkins	Mets	12	0	1	7	2.45	1	9.30%	0.1	729
Jordan Walden	Braves	12	1	1	7	0.9	1.1	31.70%	0.5	3271
Luis Avilan	Braves	11	2	0	7	0	1.11	16.20%	0.2	2882
Joel Peralta	Rays	9	0	0	7	2.16	1.08	30.30%	0.4	2332
Tim Collins	Royals	12	0	0	6	6	1.56	27.50%	0.4	3164
Tyler Clippard	Nationals	12	0	0	6	1.5	0.67	32.60%	0	5640
Heath Bell	Diamondbacks	12	0	0	6	0.73	0.73	33.30%	0.6	2080
Trevor Rosenthal	Cardinals	11	0	0	6	3.18	1.15	30.40%	0.5	10745
Ronald Belisario	Dodgers	15	1	0	5	1.38	1	13.50%	-0.1	2203
Pedro Strop	Cubs	13	2	0	5	3.86	1.11	34.60%	0.5	4070
Casey Fien	Twins	13	1	0	5	0.73	0.89	34.10%	0.5	3926
Sam LeCure	Reds	11	0	0	5	5.4	1.4	31.00%	0	4664
Charlie Furbush	Mariners	11	0	0	5	3	1.33	30.80%	0	1370
Chad Qualls	Marlins	11	0	0	5	0.96	1.39	31.70%	0.4	2170
David Robertson	Yankees	11	0	0	5	0	0.84	30.00%	0.5	8241
Kelvin Herrera	Royals	10	1	0	5	2.19	0.97	32.70%	0.3	6033
J.J. Hoover	Reds	10	0	0	5	0	0.58	27.00%	0.3	9037
Seth Maness	Cardinals	13	1	0	4	2.31	1.29	12.50%	0.1	12235
Sean Doolittle	Athletics	12	0	0	4	1.59	0.53	22.50%	0.2	1581
Brandon Kintzler	Brewers	12	1	0	4	0	0.42	19.20%	0.4	9939
Yoervis Medina	Mariners	11	0	0	4	3.14	1.12	22.40%	-0.2	10498
Darren O’Day	Orioles	10	0	1	4	3.6	0.9	22.20%	0.3	3321
Jake McGee	Rays	10	0	1	4	2.79	1.03	30.80%	0.2	7550
Santiago Casilla	Giants	10	2	0	4	0	1.29	12.50%	0	2873
Matt Belisle	Rockies	9	1	0	4	4	1.44	30.80%	0.3	1837
J.J. Putz	Diamondbacks	9	1	0	4	0	1.04	17.90%	0.1	1795
John Axford	Brewers	12	2	0	3	7	1.89	18.20%	-0.2	9059
Blake Parker	Cubs	12	0	0	3	2.61	1.84	24.00%	0	5224
Joe Thatcher	– – –	12	0	0	3	1.23	1.09	27.60%	0	4620
Paco Rodriguez	Dodgers	12	0	1	3	0.96	0.43	27.30%	0.1	13398
J.P. Howell	Dodgers	12	0	0	3	0.84	1.03	17.10%	0.1	8245
Jared Burton	Twins	12	0	0	3	0	0.56	32.40%	0.4	8346
Junichi Tazawa	Red Sox	11	1	0	3	2.08	1.08	23.50%	0.3	4079
Tony Watson	Pirates	11	1	0	3	1.93	1.07	21.10%	0.2	3132
Dale Thayer	Padres	11	1	0	3	1.64	1.55	20.80%	0	5032
Neal Cotts	Rangers	11	0	0	3	0	0.71	20.90%	0.3	1797
Jason Frasor	Rangers	10	2	0	3	3.27	0.82	19.50%	0.2	1906
Mike Dunn	Marlins	10	0	1	3	3	1	22.90%	0.1	9948
Scott Rice	Mets	10	1	0	3	0	0.39	19.20%	0.2	2743
Ryan Cook	Athletics	10	2	1	3	0	0.62	24.40%	0.5	8855
Rex Brothers	Rockies	9	0	4	3	3.12	1.04	23.50%	0.2	9794
Justin Wilson	Pirates	8	1	0	3	3.38	1.5	19.40%	0.2	4301
Alex Torres	Rays	8	1	0	3	2.31	0.94	31.90%	0.2	7038
Donnie Veal	White Sox	13	0	0	2	5	1.22	27.80%	-0.1	4741
Cody Allen	Indians	12	1	1	2	2.53	1.78	30.00%	0.3	12183
A.J. Ramos	Marlins	12	0	0	2	1.2	0.93	34.50%	0.4	8350
Nick Vincent	Padres	11	0	0	2	3.86	1.03	27.70%	0.1	7555
Matt Thornton	– – –	11	0	0	2	1.93	1.5	17.10%	0.2	1918
David Carpenter	Braves	11	1	0	2	1.56	0.81	29.70%	0.5	3959
Mark Melancon	Pirates	11	0	5	2	0.82	0.82	15.80%	0.2	4264
David Hernandez	Diamondbacks	10	0	1	2	8	1.56	26.20%	-0.3	4259
Nate Jones	White Sox	10	0	0	2	0.71	0.63	42.20%	0.6	4696
Luke Hochevar	Royals	10	1	0	2	0	0.77	21.10%	0.2	6943
Logan Ondrusek	Reds	9	1	0	2	3.72	1.66	23.40%	0.2	3677
Troy Patton	Orioles	9	0	0	2	2.08	0.81	12.10%	0.1	8368
Drew Smyly	Tigers	9	0	0	2	2	0.89	30.60%	0.2	11760
Luis Ayala	Braves	9	0	0	2	1.93	1.5	15.40%	0.1	1650
Bryan Shaw	Indians	9	2	0	2	1.8	1	33.30%	0.4	8110
Tanner Scheppers	Rangers	9	0	1	2	0.96	1.07	16.20%	0.2	10267
Chris Withrow	Dodgers	7	1	0	2	0.87	0.77	31.60%	0.4	7161