Camilo Doval and Dylan Floro each had three SV+HLD’s this past week. Doval has been on a heater the past two weeks while Floro is filling in for injured closer A.J. Puk. Floro will never be a help in the strikeout category (9.2% SwStr rate) but he keeps finding ways to keep hitters off balance while inducing tons of weak ground balls. If you aren’t able to strike hitters out, weak ground balls would probably be the next best thing.
Notes
- Bryan Abreu is not exactly near the top of the leaderboard in SV+HLD’s with 9 on the year, but he is establishing himself as one of the best non-closer relievers in baseball, picking right up from last year’s postseason performance. Abreu’s current 43.6% K, 38.7% CSW and 21.2% SwStr rates each rank in the top six in all of baseball right now, and his 2.15 xFIP is also good for sixth best amongst qualified relievers. Abreu’s upped his slider usage by 14% this season, leading to more whiffs and better overall numbers.
- With Pete Fairbanks returning to the Rays bullpen this past week, we were hoping to see a dominant 1-2 punch at the back end of that bullpen, instead, we saw both Fairbanks and Jason Adam blow saves in the same game. Adam has been more or less effective over his 18 innings so far, and I’m not too worried about him yet. Fairbanks on the other hand is still throwing with decreased velocity and while it’s only 8 innings, has poor 10.7% SwStr and 8.8 K-BB rates to go along with a bloated 4.54 xFIP.
- Mark Leiter Jr. may be the next Paul Sewald or at least Sewald-lite perhaps? It’s been a very impressive start for Leiter Jr., with 37.8% K, 34.4% CSW, and 17.9% SwStr rates over his first 18 innings. That also comes with a 2.58 xFIP but is it sustainable, PLV does not approve of his stuff after all as his 4.66 PLV ranks 324th. In a league that has emphasized velocity and spin rates on pitches, Leiter Jr. does the very opposite with some of the lowest spin rate/velocity combinations in baseball. That complete contrarian approach may do him well, as the key to spin isn’t necessarily to be at the top of the leaderboard, more so just not to be in the middle of it.
- Joel Payamps may not be wowing anyone right now, but things are slim in that Milwaukee bullpen at the moment, and the sinker/slider specialist has at least done a great job limiting hard contact and walks. While he doesn’t produce a ton of swing and miss, the slider has been an effective pitch for him so far with a 37% Whiff rate and impressive spin rates over 2700 RPM’s. He’s more of a watch-list guy right now, but he’s been the team’s second-best reliever for a while now, and hopefully can start factoring into some more holds chances.
And if you want more daily reliever updates, please check out our Reliever Ranks series.
Injured List
| PITCHER | TIER | INJURY (SURGERY DATE). NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Liam Hendriks | 1/2 | NHL. Is back with the team and could return next week. |
| José Alvarado | 1/2 | Elbow. Should begin throwing this week and could return in a few weeks. |
| Andrés Muñoz | 1/2 | Deltoid. Has resumed throwing and could start rehab assignment shortly. |
| A.J. Puk | 2/3 | Elbow/Nerve. Is already throwing again and could return by the end of May. |
| Daniel Hudson | 5/6 | Knee. Moved to 60-day IL and won’t return until June now. Still no timetable. |
| John Schreiber | 6/7 | Lat. No timetable to return yet, and lat strains can be tricky. |
| Tommy Kahnle | 6/7 | Bicep. Started his rehab assignment and should return by early June |
| Robert Suarez | 6/7 | Elbow. Shut down from throwing after experiencing pain in the elbow. |
| Jonathan Loáisiga | 6/7 | Elbow. Underwent surgery and will be out until August. |
| Joe Mantiply | 6/7 | Hamstring. No word on the severity yet so no timetable. |
| Matt Bush | 7/8 | Shoulder. Shut down for 2-4 weeks before being reevaluated. |
| Caleb Thielbar | 7/8 | Oblique. Moderate oblique strain will keep him out for a few weeks. |
| Codi Heuer | 8 | TJS (3/7/22). Should begin a rehab assignment soon. |
thanks as always for the content! do you think adbert alzolay has the potential to lock down the cubs closing job? he seems to have the best stuff in the bullpen and leiter, like you said, has some wonky metrics.
How on earth is Tyler Rogers not ranked here? He has 10 S+H, a 1.03 WHIP, and 2.22 ERA. His Savant metrics place him in the top 20 among all qualified pitchers.
No Danny Coulombe on here? Last 30 days he’s had 6 hlds w/ a 4.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 13.0 K/9. His ratios won’t blow you away, but 6 hlds and 13ks in 9 IP on a pretty strong team. Especially when comparing against (to nit pick based on a personal gripe) a Steven Wilson (#53) who has far worse… everything in a crowded bullpen
Appreciate the work you all do, but figured I’d try and validate my Danny C love!