This week in saves and steals, Ryan Helsley and Kyle Finnegan led baseball with 13 stolen bases. Josh Hader had a good week on the mound and is starting to get back into his groove. And Pete Fairbanks is coming back to the Rays. And in the steals department, Brenton Doyle is a solid home streamer with interesting gains in power and speed.
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Fantasy Baseball Closer Ranking
Tier 1: Reach the top
Emmanuel Clase – Cleveland Guardians
Mason Miller – Oakland A’s
Edwin Diaz – New York Mets
For the first time this season, Clase has surpassed Diaz as the No. 1 closer in the rankings. The 26-year-old right-hander has been on a roll, allowing no hits and just one walk in his last six games. Clase has a 0.42 ERA, 0.66 WHIP, 22 strikeouts and 12 saves in 21 1/3 innings pitched.
Miller also moved up to second place. He didn’t have a save this week, but against the Astros he pitched two scoreless innings and struck out five batters. From a skill standpoint, there may not be a better reliever in baseball.
Diaz pitched a shutout in the first inning against the Braves, but then allowed two runs and missed his second save opportunity in two weeks. He has allowed four home runs this season, compared to only three in 2022. That’s probably due to missing the season, which reduced his four-seam fastball velocity by 2 mph. Still, the veteran closer’s impressive strikeout ability could put any doubt to rest.
Tier 2: Elite
Clay Holmes – New York Yankees
Ryan Helsley – St. Louis Cardinals
Josh Hader – Houston Astros
Robert Suarez – San Diego Padres
Camilo Doval – San Francisco Giants
Joan Duran/Griffin Jacks – Minnesota Twins
Holmes made his 12th save in Sunday’s game against the Rays, striking out three batters with two walks and one hit. He maintains a perfect ERA with 18 1/3 scoreless innings and 21 strikeouts.
Helsley added two saves for his 13th save of the season. He had an outstanding 1.35 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, and 23 strikeouts in 20 frames. His walk rate improved significantly, and he only gave up two free passes.
Hader had a great week on the mound, recording two saves and a win. He is turning things around, conceding just one goal in his last seven games. Still striking out 38 percent of batters, Hader was bound to experience some regression.
Suarez didn’t make a save this week, but pitched a shutout in Friday’s win against the Dodgers. He has only allowed one run this year, posting a 0.49 ERA, 0.60 WHIP, and 16 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings. Doval struck out two batters in a scoreless inning against the Dodgers on Wednesday, earning his seventh save.
A tighter committee is certainly not what fantasy managers want in Minnesota, but that’s what we’ll be watching after the Jacks make another save this week. The Jacks have scored five points this season, while Duran has scored three points in seven games without allowing a point since returning from the injured list.
Tier 3: Solid options
Kirby Yates – Texas Rangers
Kenley Jansen – Boston Red Sox
Jordan Romano – Toronto Blue Jays
Raisel Iglesias – Atlanta Braves
Kyle Finnegan – Washington Nationals
Paul Swald – Arizona Diamondbacks
Andres Munoz/Ryne Stanek – Seattle Mariners
Heading into Tuesday’s game against the Guardians, Yates hadn’t seen a save opportunity all week. He appeared in a no-save situation and gave up one run with a hit and a walk. It was his second run of the season, allowed in 17 1/3 innings while going 7-for-7 on save chances.
Jansen continues to have strong seasons in his age 36 season. He made two saves this week, posting seven saves, a 2.45 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and 19 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings.
This week was a mixed bag for Romano. He recorded a save with two strikeouts against the Twins on Saturday, and pitched two scoreless innings against the Orioles on Monday. Romano then had a chance to make a save on Wednesday, but was hit with a two-run home run and lost the game.
I want to continue to give Iglesias the benefit of the doubt, but his strikeout rate remains low due to his lack of whiffs. He still has 10 saves and a 2.76 ERA in 16 1/3 innings and is on track to be on one of the best teams in baseball. However, his lack of strikeouts remains a concern.
Finnegan continued his scoreless streak with a save against the White Sox on Tuesday. He has 13 saves, a 1.56 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 17 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings. Finnegan hasn’t given up a point in 16 consecutive games since March 31, when he allowed three goals.
Sewald earned his second save of the season against the Reds on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Kevin Ginkel was charged with two missed saves this week. Since coming off the disabled list, he has pitched four innings, allowing one run with four strikeouts.
Munoz recorded five outs and three strikeouts on Wednesday, earning his second save of the week and sixth of the year. The 25-year-old right-hander posted a 1.47 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and 24 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings.
Level 4: Here are the benefits
Jose Alvarado/Jeff Hoffman – Philadelphia Phillies
David Bednar – Pittsburgh Pirates
Alexis Diaz – Cincinnati Reds
James McArthur – Kansas City Royals
Pete Fairbanks – Tampa Bay Rays
Jason Foley – Detroit Tigers
Trevor Megill – Milwaukee Brewers
Tanner Scott – Miami Marlins
Alvarado threw three perfect frames this week and picked up his eighth save against the Mets on Monday. Strikeout numbers are still significantly down for the 28-year-old left-hander, who has a career-low swinging strike rate of 9.3 percent versus a strikeout rate of 23.2 percent.
Bednar made two saves this week, his eighth game of the season. He continues to post an 8.44 ERA. Diaz has struggled to limit his runs in Cincinnati as well. He missed a save and suffered a loss against the Diamondbacks on Monday.
MacArthur allowed a solo home run in both games this week, but made two saves and finished the season with 10 wins, a 4.58 ERA, a 1.37 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings. In Tampa Bay, Fairbanks had pitched two scoreless innings since coming off the disabled list, but Jason Adam picked up his third save this week. Fairbanks should return to the closer role, but is still at high injury risk.
Foley returned to the save column with his 10th save of the season against the Marlins on Monday. He remains the frontrunner in Detroit to lead the team in save chances going forward. Megill, meanwhile, took command in Milwaukee and made two more saves this week, giving him his fifth of the season. And Scott has been pitching well lately, going 10 games in a row without giving up a run. He earned the win and recorded his fifth save. AJ Puk recorded a save in the 10th inning on Tuesday, coming out of the bullpen for the first time since returning from the disabled list on Monday.
Level 5: Just get on with it.
Hector Neris – Chicago Cubs
Michael Kopech – Chicago White Sox
Carlos Estevez – Los Angeles Angels
Daniel Hudson/Alex Bashear – Los Angeles Dodgers
Craig Kimbrel/Ienye Cano – Baltimore Orioles
Nellis contributed to Sunday’s victory against the Pirates by allowing no runs, with two hits and one walk. He has just two shutout appearances all season as he allows base runners and continues to work under pressure. Adbert Alzolay made the save, but was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right flexor strain.
Kopech had two strikeouts and made his fifth save against the Nationals on Wednesday, avoiding two walks. Jordan Leasure and John Brebbia also had saves this week, but Kopesh remains the primary closer. He has a 3.32 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 29 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings.
Estevez gave up two runs in the ninth inning of Friday’s game against the Royals, making a save and losing the game. In the game against the Cardinals, he recovered from a no-save situation with no points allowed. He currently has a 5.68 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 15 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings. On the bright side, his underlying peripherals look strong as he has yet to walk a batter this season.
The committee was in full force this week in Los Angeles, with JP Feyereisen notching a save. Evan Phillips pitched a bullpen session Wednesday as he continues to rehabilitate from a hamstring injury.
Kimbrel appeared in three scoreless innings this week, two in the seventh and one in the 11th, recording two holds and one win as he looks to return to his role as a closer. Yenye Kano made a save on Friday and blew a save chance on Monday.
Level 6: If required
Jalen Beeks – Colorado Rockies
Beeks took on the closer role at Colorado State and had three saves this week. However, his 2.21 ERA may be deceptive. He struck out just 14 batters and walked 11 in 20 1/3 innings.
I was injured
Devin Williams – Back
Evan Phillips – Hamstring
theft department
Elie Delacruz extended his lead in MLB in stolen bases this week, stealing seven and stealing 26 bases this week, nine more than Jose Caballero’s 17 stolen bases on the leaderboard. Brenton Doyle was on base and stole four bases. The 26-year-old outfielder is having a great season at the plate, hitting .281/.337/.464 with five home runs, 28 RBIs, 13 RBIs, and eight stolen bases in 169 at-bats. His batting average is up by a .376 BABIP, which will help if he plays home games in Colorado. However, it helps him achieve a high hard hit rate of 42.1%. Doyle also improved his strikeout rate, dropping from 35 percent last season to a manageable 27.8 percent. He is available in over half of all Yahoo leagues and should be registered and start as a streamer at home. Cardinals shortstop Macin Wynn had two steals this week, giving him seven points on the year. The 22-year-old batted leadoff for the first time on Tuesday against a left-handed starting pitcher. Although he has yet to pitch for any yards this season, he has shown good contact and on-base skills, hitting .281/.346/.364 in 138 at-bats with a strikeout rate of less than 20 percent. If he continues to lead against southpaws, he may have more chances to steal bases.
