Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais went with his best relief pitcher to try and escape the seventh inning against the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night. He then stuck with him for the eighth inning. Now, this pitcher was not his nominal closer, Rafael Montero (who happens to appear on ESPN Fantasy's most-dropped RP list). No, it was Kendall Graveman, who appears among the most-added relievers. Thus, some fantasy baseball managers could wonder if they were making a mistake, assuming their main goal is to accrue saves.
Even though Graveman earned his second hold on Monday -- and notably, not his third save -- he remains the preferred Seattle relief pitcher, for both Servais and for fantasy managers. Graveman has made a remarkable conversion from an ordinary (and overly hittable) starting pitcher for the Oakland Athletics to his current version in Seattle, one of the harder throwers in the sport and extremely hard to hit. Graveman has faced 26 hitters. A Jose Abreu line-drive single to center field on April 7 is the lone hit against him thus far.
Servais did the right thing and sometimes this is not the right thing for fantasy, but patience is key here. Keep adding Graveman. Montero handled the ninth inning on Monday with some issues, walking Edwin Rios and hitting Mookie Betts with a pitch, barely escaping a blown save when Corey Seager grounded into a game-ending, 4-6-3 double play. Skills usually win out. Graveman is one of the top relief pitchers in the sport right now and Montero, with nary a strikeout in any of his last three appearances, is not. Great innings are coming with Graveman, and with them, the saves should come as well.
From the cradle ...
It is hardly unusual for a middling starting pitcher to emerge into a reliable reliever, as these players tend to adjust their pitch mix, needing just one off-speed pitch to go along with an effective fastball -- and throwing that fastball consistently harder. Graveman once offered the promise of being an innings-eater for Oakland, but a benign tumor near his neck necessitated a role change to one with a more limited workload. Servais summoned him to retire Justin Turner in the seventh inning, with two men on base. Turner struck out on the seventh pitch. Oh, and the Mariners, by the way, are in first place.
Graveman appears to be an excellent fantasy investment -- whether he gets the next save chance or not. Go for it, fantasy managers! There is no rule that a team's top reliever must pitch the ninth inning, and Monday showcased that the highest-leverage situation sometimes arrives a few innings sooner than the final frame. Graveman handled it. Other teams may have better relief pitchers setting up their closer -- both the Dodgers and Padres, for example -- and the Rays often use their bullpen in this way. However, whether you play in a points or roto format, the best pitchers tend to offer the most value. Go figure!
Other reliever musings from around the league
Last week's relief report led with average Hector Neris and the average Philadelphia Phillies. Now that hard-throwing left-hander Jose Alvarado has joined Archie Bradley on the injured list, it secures his role even more. Connor Brogdon is likely next in line for saves over Brandon Kintzler, but Neris, who will never quite look dominant, appears to be rather safe.
Two of the top Toronto Blue Jays right-handers are on the injured list and actually lead ESPN most-dropped RP list (Julian Merryweather, Jordan Romano), leaving right-hander Rafael Dolis in a seemingly secure role, at least temporarily. Dolis, a late-bloomer who debuted in 2011 but did not pitch in the majors from 2014-19, is hard to hit. That said, it's not particularly tough to draw walks against him. Romano may return from his minor elbow issue this weekend. Add Dolis for this week, but keep expectations in check. I still think Merryweather will ultimately end up leading this club in saves.
Summing up a common narrative from our Fantasy Focus Baseball podcast, the Dodgers should win so many games this season that Kenley Jansen can continue as their primary closer and save more than 35 games -- and yet that may still leave another 35 or more saves for others. This is so rare. Continue to roster Corey Knebel, Blake Treinen and left-hander Victor Gonzalez because they are all really good. Any or all of them could end up with double-digit saves. Perhaps David Price will as well. Jansen has issued a walk in five of his six appearances. There could be a "surprising" IL stint headed his way at any point, just to rest him.
St. Louis Cardinals RHP Jordan Hicks continues to be the hardest thrower in the sport, but because his save total remains at zero, he is also among the most-dropped relief pitchers at ESPN. It's a fair move, really, because I think Alex Reyes keeps the closer role. Then again, you want good pitchers. Hicks is hard to hit, but a 7.7 BB/9 rate is far too high and should keep him in a setup role.
San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler has gone with submarining right-hander Tyler Rogers and wild lefty Wandy Peralta for saves over the past few days with left-hander Jake McGee on the COVID-19 list. Even so, McGee is the closer when healthy. He may be back pitching as early as today, so do not drop him.
The situation with the Arizona Diamondbacks remains a bit of a mystery. Stefan Crichton saved Sunday's win, but his profile is hardly "special" as he's a sinker-slider fellow relying on ground balls over strikeouts. Is there a special reliever in this bullpen, with Crichton, Chris Devenski and Joakim Soria? Not really. Watch Kevin Ginkel get a save chance this week and become a viable fantasy addition, just to make things more unclear.
The highest-scoring relief pitcher in points formats is actually Milwaukee Brewers RHP Freddy Peralta, who is missing tons of bats as a starter but carrying dual-eligibility. Fantasy managers looking for an edge in leagues that differentiate starting and relief pitcher roles know his name. Arizona's Taylor Widener, Cincinnati's Jeff Hoffman and Seattle's Chris Flexen are among the other starting pitchers who offer dual-eligibility that are off to fine starts, should that matter in your league.