The Oakland Athletics have only been able to muster up a league-low one save opportunity this season, with that chance going to Lou Trivino earlier this week. He converted the save and should be in line to see the bulk of the team’s save chances moving forward. Trivino has seen an increase in velocity to his pitches this year (not quite at his 2018-19 levels yet) and features an interesting pitch mix with three different fastballs. The lack of whiffability has me hesitant to place him any higher on the list, but he’s certainly trending upward.
Jake Diekman’s value on the other hand is trending the other way. The biggest reason for the drop here isn’t because he isn’t the team’s closer, or because his velocity is down a tick but more so related to his lack of command which was bound to come back to hurt him. Walks haven’t been an issue, the opposite in fact as he’s been leaving too many pitches over the middle of the plate. He could right the ship but it’s tough to get excited about him right now.
Notes
- It’s been a particularly rough week for the Toronto bullpen, as they’ve lost both Julian Merryweather and Jordan Romano to injuries. That should bump Rafael Dolis into the closer role for the time being, with David Phelps and Ryan Borucki behind him. After a rough couple of outings to begin the year, Dolis has settled down, allowing just one hit and one walk over his past three innings.
- I touched on the Seattle closer situation a bit in yesterday’s “The Hold Up” but we actually saw change yesterday afternoon when Rafael Montero pitched in front of Kendall Graveman, who earned his first save of the season. I love the changes Graveman has made but I’m not ready to declare him a top 40 reliever in all of baseball just yet. 41 still makes you a pretty darn good pitcher though.
- I feel like a may have been a little too harsh on Evan Marshall last week and he’s been much better of late while pitching in some tough spots. He isn’t gathering the whiffs he did last year (yet), but he’s going to continue being a big part of that White Sox bullpen despite the depth there.
- Adam Ottavino also continues to struggle inducing whiffs and continues to cough up runs for the Red Sox. With how well others in that bullpen have been pitching, I wonder how long Alex Cora plans to stick with Ottavino as the team’s top setup option.
- Nick Wittgren dropped a lot this week because he is no longer in the closer discussion. He’s still going to get some holds and probably won’t completely wreck your ratios like others on this list but the upside is pretty limited.
- Jake McGee and Tyler Rogers led all relievers this past week with a whopping four SV+HLD’s, with both currently on pace for 81 saves (or holds). Obviously, that won’t happen and the Giants will cool off, but it’s great to McGee and Rogers excel in their defined roles that Gabe Kapler of all people has implemented.
EDIT 4/18: Added Joely Rodriguez and removed Wander Suero
| PITCHER | TIER | INJURY (EST. RETURN) |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Anderson | 1/2 | Elbow (All-Star break) |
| Trevor Rosenthal | 2/3 | Shoulder (July at earliest) |
| Jordan Romano | 2/3 | Arm (???) |
| Julian Merryweather | 3 | Oblique (May) |
| Seth Lugo | 3/4 | Elbow (May) |
| Pete Fairbanks | 4 | Rotator Cuff (May) |
| Zack Britton | 4/5 | Elbow (June) |
| Archie Bradley | 5 | Oblique (May) |
| Chris Martin | 5 | Shoulder (late April) |
| Wander Suero | 6/7 | Oblique (May) |
| Pedro Baez | 7/8 | COVID (early May) |
| Will Harris | 7/8 | Arm (late April) |
Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)
