Fantasy Baseball: Week 9 Closer Depth Charts & Bullpen Report
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Securing saves is an ongoing battle, strategic pursuit, and savvy managers know the waiver wire can be just as important as draft day. Here’s a breakdown of the bullpens currently facing the most turbulence:
Fantasy Baseball Closer Report Week 9
Arizona Diamondbacks
After two successful rehab appearances (no runs, one hit, and two strikeouts over two innings), the Diamondbacks activated Justin Martinez from the injured list on Saturday. He is 3-for-3 save chances with a 2.70 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 11 strikeouts over 10.0 innings.
Shelby Miller has five saves in seven opportunities in May. Unfortunately, he allowed five runs, 11 hits, and six walks over this span over eight innings with seven strikeouts. His ERA (2.18) remains favorable, but Miller is trending away from the ninth innings even if Martinez didn’t return.
Baltimore Orioles
Felix Bautista allowed a run or more in his last four appearances, leading to five runs, five hits, two home runs, and five walks over 3.2 innings with three strikeouts and one blown save. He has seven saves in his eight tries.
The Orioles activated Andrew Kittridge off the injured list this week. Over his seven innings between AAA and the majors, he allowed one run, eight baserunners, and seven strikeouts. Despite his short resume of success this year, Kittridge could be next in line for saves in Baltimore due to Seranthony Dominguez and Yennier Cano struggling.
Bryan Baker (2.11 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 27 strikeouts over 21.1 innings) has been the Orioles’ best reliever this season. He’s worth a flier this week in deep formats.
Chicago Cubs
Since his disastrous outing (eight runs, five hits, and one walk while failing to record an out, Ryan Pressly tossed 4.1 shutout innings with five baserunners and four strikeouts. The injury to Porter Hodge gives him a small crack to pitch in the ninth again.
Chicago gave Daniel Palencia their last two save chances (1-for-2). Over his last 12.0 innings, he allowed two runs, 11 baserunners, and 13 strikeouts. His fastball has triple-digit upside, Palencia had a below-par resume in the minors (4.77 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, and 261 strikeouts over 188.2 innings.
Drew Pomeranz has yet to allow a run over 10.1 innings with six baserunners and 11 strikeouts while converting his only save try.
Cincinnati Reds
After struggling over four games (five runs, nine baserunners, and one home run over 4.2 innings with five strikeouts), Emilio Pagan secured three saves this week while allowing no runs, two hits, and four strikeouts over three innings. He is 12-for-14 in save conversions with a 3.52 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and 26 strikeouts over 23.0 innings.
Tony Santillan remains the top closer-in-waiting for Cincinnati. He has a 0.90 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, and eight strikeouts over his last 10.0 innings with five holds before allowing a three-run home run on Friday night.
Colorado Rockies
Seth Halvorsen pitched his way back into save contention over a 10-game stretch (two runs, nine baserunners, nine strikeouts, and one save over 9.1 innings). Unfortunately, he gave back his gains in his next outings (four runs, five hits, and a home run over two-thirds of an inning) in a blown save, putting him back in the risk column.
The last closing chance for Zack Agnos came on May 1st. He pitched two no-hit shutout innings over his last two appearances with strikeouts. Agnos remains the Rockies’ top closing arm (1.38 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and seven strikeouts over 13.0 innings).
Chicago White Sox
The White Sox gave Jordan Leasure a save opportunity this week, which he converted by tossing one shutout inning with two strikeouts. Over his last seven appearances, he allowed one run, six baserunners, and eight strikeouts over five innings. His ERA (3.71) moved into a favorable area, but he must clean up his damage in home runs (four over 17.0 innings) and his WHIP (1.47). Chicago should give him more chances in the ninth until his arm backs up.
Detroit Tigers
Will Vest extended his shutout string to 9.2 innings with 11 baserunners, 12 strikeouts, three wins, two saves, and one blown save. He is 5-for-7 in save chances with a winning ERA (1.59) and WHIP (1.06) over 22.2 innings with 26 strikeouts.
Over the past week, Tommy Kahnle earned his sixth save in eight tries. He continues to pitch at a high level (1.37 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, and 20 strikeouts over 19.2 innings). The closing job for Detroit will remain a coin flip until one arm seizes the lead role.
Miami Marlins
The front end of the Marlins’ bullpen has struggled over the past week or so, highlighting the need for a fresh arm for saves. Ronny Henriquez is riding a 9.1 scoreless string with six hits, three walks, and 14 strikeouts. His fastball (96.0 mph) is his second-best pitch behind his slider (51.6% usage). The key to a high-leverage opportunity for Henriquez is better command.
Philadelphia Phillies
The 80-game suspension to Jose Alvarado gift-wrapped the closer role for Jordan Romano, who found his rhythm over his last nine innings (no runs, four baserunners, and 13 strikeouts). Over this span, he converted all five tries with two holds.
Matt Strahm pitched three shutout innings over the past week with one hit and four strikeouts. His success over the past three seasons (2.70 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 212 strikeouts over 170.0 innings) gives him a chance at saves if Romano trips up.
Over his last five games, Orion Kerkering pitched four shutout innings with two hits, one walk, and three strikeouts. He’s yet to record a major league save, and his form remains below his rookie season. Kerkering is the future closer for the Phillies, so keep an open mind when following his progress.
Texas Rangers
Over the last month, Luke Jackson has lost his closing luster. He allowed six runs, eight hits, two home runs, and six walks over 5.2 innings with seven strikeouts, leading to three losses, one save, and two blown saves. Even with eight saves in 10 chances, Jackson doesn’t belong pitching in the ninth inning.
Shawn Armstrong gave away his early advantage over the past week when he allowed four runs, four baserunners, and one home run over one inning with one strikeout. His career path doesn’t paint a winning arm in closer situations.
The Rangers called up Cole Winn over the past week. He’s yet to allow a run over 25.2 innings with 14 hits, 11 walks, and 21 strikeouts. Winn doesn’t have a closing resume, but Texas drafted him in the first round in 2018.
Jacob Webb and Robert Garcia are viable short-term closing options for the Rangers.
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With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
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