There are a bunch of new names in Tier 5 this week (eight to be exact), and as we start to get some more data, expect this list to fluctuate over the coming weeks, especially around this tier. For most of you, this tier would be more of a “watch list”, unless you are playing in a very deep league. While Tyler Rogers represents the safe and reliable holds option, these guys are moreso the shoot for the moon, risk/reward types who have either flashed in the past or gotten off to a hot start this year. The risk is the important term there because while you shouldn’t be dropping Devin Williams for Trevor Stephan, I can see dropping someone like Brad Boxberger for him. I guess the point here is that you can treat Tier 5 more like Tier 3/4 (for the aggressive, give me upside types) or more like Tier 6 (for the more conservative managers), depending on your style. Everyone’s style is different, which is important to keep in mind when using rankings such as these, and to me, that’s what makes this process fun.
Notes
- Ryan Helsley has been arguably the best reliever in baseball to begin the year, and while the last two seasons have been disappointing, this doesn’t feel like a complete shock giving the stuff he has. So far this season, Helsley’s fastball velo is up over a MPH (to 98.7) while he’s also throwing his secondaries more, leading to a ridiculous 47.4% Whiff rate over his first 6.1 innings of work. He and Genesis Cabrera seem pretty locked into the setup spots in St. Louis, so if Helsley is still available in your SV+HLD leagues, look into adding him now.
- Steven Wilson has been one of the fastest risers on this list this year, and for good reason as the rookie reliever has already worked himself into a setup role within the first 10 innings of his MLB career. Injuries to multiple Padre relievers have been a factor in his rise, but he’s still taking advantage of the opportunities. Wilson doesn’t have a big upper 90’s fastball like a lot of the names high up on this list, but his slider has big-time swing and miss potential. He feels similar to Giovanny Gallegos almost in that regard.
- Yankees Michael King looks like just another weapon in that bullpen full of them for Aaron Boone to choose from on a nightly basis. King’s stuff plays up big time out of the pen, and his sinker has an absurd amount of movement on it. For now, he seems like an early game, multi-inning option but with the way Jonathan Loaisiga has been struggling, perhaps we’ll see consistent hold chances for King moving forward.
- Andrew Chafin returned from the IL this week and should be a name on your radar in holds leagues. The top two relievers in this bullpen seem pretty set in stone, but Chafin should give them that lefty reliever to turn to prior to Gregory Soto in the ninth.
- The Rays bullpen, as predicted, has still been totally unpredictable but I wouldn’t have thought they would diminish some of their better relievers value. They really love to use their best relievers as openers, so J.P. Feyereisen and Matt Wisler have not had a ton of opportunities for holds in the past two weeks, with the two relievers only totaling 3 holds on the year so far. There’s upside here if they go back to their traditional roles, but for now, that’s up in the air.
- Rafael Montero has been another surprise this early in the season, and perhaps the Astros have unlocked another reliever’s full potential here. With his fastball/changeup combo, he’s been used mostly as a lefty specialist, and with Brooks Raley gone, could be the top “lefty” reliever in their bullpen now. Whether or not that results in more holds going forward is still a question mark, however, even with Ryan Pressly out, he still only has two holds on the season.
Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)
