Checking in on Félix Bautista in his second full MLB season, and the one thing that jumps off the page is the increased walk rate, going from 9.1% last season to 16.3% currently. I’d like to see that get back to under 10% but I’m also not surprised by this development giving that hitters now have a book on him and realize he has no command of his splitter (as is the case with most pitchers who throw a splitter). Despite the high WHIP (1.26), he still remains nearly unhittable with 46% K, and 22.4% SwStr rates and a .144 xBA. So despite the increased walk rate and subsequent WHIP increase, I’m not yet concerned with Bautista as the stuff just remains too elite to fail almost.
Notes
- There’s certainly an argument to be made that Alexis Díaz has been the best closer in baseball this season, as he leads this list in K-BB% and xFIP. The Reds are getting better as a club, but there are still inconsistencies that will limit Díaz upside. He’s still up to 10 saves on the season now, on pace for 30+ which we would all gladly take.
- David Bednar on the other hand is still stuck on 9 saves this season, and has been since April 29th. That’s not to say Bednar has pitched poorly this month, he’s only allowed 2 ER (both coming in a non-save chance Monday), this Pirates team just hasn’t been able to provide any save opportunities this month. It’s tough to hold someone who has just one save over the past month, but remember that he had 8 saves in a three week span prior to this drought. Just be patient.
- Raisel Iglesias has looked much better over the past week, and his velocity is back to normal (even little above last years average), alleviating my concerns from a week ago. We still need to see how this plays out over a longer sample but for now I think it’s safe to call Iglesias a top 10 closer option.
- Ryan Helsley hasn’t pitched poorly this season, he just hasn’t been as dominant as he was last year and is on pace for less than 20 saves again. He’s pitched much better in May for the most part, but Giovanny Gallegos continues to cut into Helsley’s save output, limiting both relievers value in standard mixed leagues.
- My concern with Alex Lange entering the season was his high walk rate, and while that still is an issue, his elite ability to get swings and misses (the changeup is one of the more underrated pitches in baseball) has helped him get off to a dominant start to the season. Lange’s 8 saves lead the Tigers bullpen, and there should be more opportunities moving forward with Detroit playing near .500 baseball right now.
- Clay Holmes may be back in the closer role for the Yankees, or perhaps he is just the “high-leverage guy” now, it’s really tough to tell as the Yankees had FOUR different relievers pick up a save this past week.
- Pierce Johnson is not letting go of the Rockies closer role anytime soon with Daniel Bard still struggling and the rest of this bullpen too inexperienced for Bud Black’s liking. Johnson is kind of like a poor mans Alex Lange, a curveball first reliever with a high walk rate, but Johnson happens to pitch in Coors half the time and his stuff is not nearly as effective.
- Mark Leiter Jr. is coming off a rough week (IP, 3 H, 2 ER), but so is the majority of this bullpen (except Jeremiah Estrada…) as Adbert Alzolay, Michael Fulmer, Keegan Thompson and Brandon Hughes combined to allow nine earned runs as well. We are now almost in June, over a quarter of the way through the season and we still have no read on this bullpen and who may emerge as the teams closer. Perhaps it’s finally time to let Estrada fly in that bullpen.
And if you want more daily reliever updates, please check out our Reliever Ranks series
Watch List
| Rank | Pitcher | Team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Jason Adam | TB | Fairbanks is back, but Adam has pitched well and it’s the Rays |
| 2. | Miguel Castro | ARZ | Chafin won’t face right handed heavy lineups |
| 3. | Adbert Alzolay | CHC | In some sort of committee with Leiter Jr., still worth a look |
| 4. | Giovanny Gallegos | STL | Looking more and more like a split with Helsley |
| 5. | Hunter Harvey | WAS | Best WAS reliever, but how valuable can he be, even in closer role? |
| 6. | Adam Ottavino | NYM | Even in timeshare, becomes a valuable mixed-league reliever. |
| 7. | Michael King | NYY | 4 Yankees had a save last week, but not King… |
| 8. | Brusdar Graterol | LAD | Looks like he still may see the occasional save |
| 9. | Jeremiah Estrada | CHC | only reliever here who pitched well the past week |
| 10. | Wandy Peralta | NYY | still a factor in save situations when lefties are due up |
| Rank | Pitcher | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Devin WilliamsT1 | - |
| 2 | Félix Bautista | - |
| 3 | Josh Hader | - |
| 4 | Alexis DíazT2 | +3 |
| 5 | Emmanuel Clase | - |
| 6 | David Bednar | -2 |
| 7 | Jordan Romano | -1 |
| 8 | Paul SewaldT3 | - |
| 9 | Ryan Pressly | - |
| 10 | Jhoan Duran | +1 |
| 11 | Raisel Iglesias | +3 |
| 12 | Evan PhillipsT4 | -2 |
| 13 | Camilo Doval | - |
| 14 | Ryan Helsley | -2 |
| 15 | Alex Lange | +2 |
| 16 | Kenley JansenT5 | -1 |
| 17 | David Robertson | -1 |
| 18 | Scott Barlow | - |
| 19 | Carlos Estévez | +1 |
| 20 | Will Smith | -1 |
| 21 | Pete FairbanksT6 | - |
| 22 | Andrew Chafin | +2 |
| 23 | Clay Holmes | +UR |
| 24 | Craig Kimbrel | -2 |
| 25 | Pierce Johnson | +3 |
| 26 | Dylan FloroT7 | - |
| 27 | Mark Leiter Jr. | -2 |
| 28 | Kendall Graveman | -1 |
| 29 | Kyle Finnegan | - |
| 30 | Trevor May | +UR |
Garrett Acton has 0 saves and has pitched 4.1 innings. Why would he be #30?
With Oakland, we may see 0 SVs from here on and out lol. I do wonder who is the closer between Pruitt, Lovelady and Acton. My bet is on Lovelady
HOw is Clase not the top closer? I read that his stuff is down a little but he still gets the job done almost always — I saw he had 5 blown. Is this just that he gets more chances? thanks, James