The Hold Up 8/30: Ranking the Top 80 Relievers for Holds Every Thursday

[holds_list list_id=”24808″ include_stats=”1″ season=”2018″]

Today we will take look at the updated non-closer reliever market as there are some changes to the list since our previous installment. Keep in mind, just because a player is ranked below another player (especially when in the same tier), that doesn’t mean you need to rush to drop them for a higher ranked player. These rankings are mostly to be used on a tier by tier scale and apply towards the pitcher’s value for the rest of the season.

• Hector Neris has been quite impressive since returning to the big club, and we could possibly even see him start mixing in with Seranthony Dominguez and Pat Neshek for saves soon. His ability to miss bats is one quality that has never gone away and he’s shown that with 18 K’s over 8 innings since being called a few weeks ago. What’s even more impressive is the fact he only has allowed 1 walk and 3 hits over that span, given him a WHIP of .5 to go with his clean 0 ERA. He’s clearly throwing the ball better than anyone else in that bullpen right now, so keep an eye on how his role progresses in the coming weeks.
• In other former closer news, Mark Melancon did actually convert two save chances this past week, however, I don’t think Will Smith has been ousted from the role quite yet. Melancon has pitched better as of late, even striking out a batter per inning this past month, but I still see him finishing the year in a setup role while seeing the occasional save chance if Smith is unavailable.
• Joakim Soria and Ryan Madson are two notable relievers returning from the DL this past week, with Soria in prime position to finish the year strong working in front of Josh Hader and Jeremy Jeffress. Trying to figure out how Madson will be used in that volatile Nationals bullpen is much harder to predict, but I get the feeling he may not be used in any save situations.
• Andrew was the only reliever to pick up 3 holds this past week, doing so in just 1.1 innings of work. Mark Melancon had 2 saves and a hold, but as mentioned above, I still don’t consider him in a committee with Will Smith.