Kansas City Royals RHP Scott Barlow has hovered around the Wins Above Replacement leaderboard for relief pitchers all season, so it seemed to be merely a matter of time before both saves and fantasy baseball love would come his way. Despite solid (if unappreciated) numbers, Barlow saved only two games over the first three months of the season, as manager Mike Matheny mostly chose Josh Staumont (reasonable) and Greg Holland (not reasonable!) for ninth-inning work.
This past holiday weekend, however, Barlow did get the call for a pair of finishing efforts and now he has four saves! Woo-hoo! Barlow inched up the most-added list in ESPN standard leagues thanks to the weekend saves, but he still has a long way to go to become properly rostered by most fantasy managers.
Saves matter in roto leagues a bit more than in points formats but still, we generally advise everyone to roster the good relief pitchers. Entering Tuesday, there are four relief pitchers with a higher WAR than Barlow -- and all of them made the All-Star team (Josh Hader, Craig Kimbrel, Matt Barnes, Ryan Pressly). Frankly, Barlow is certainly deserving of a place on the All-Star team himself, with a 1.99 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings. Barlow ranks in the top 20 among relievers in K% and K/9, with only Barnes and James Karinchak enjoying more strikeouts.
Sure, the Royals are hardly playoff contenders and just because Matheny gifted Barlow a few save chances against the floundering Minnesota Twins, that hardly means he will do so again this week against the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians. He could go right back to Holland, he of the 1.38 WHIP and four blown saves in nine chances. It probably will not be Staumont, since his most-recent work came in the sixth inning of games. Anyway, add Barlow in fantasy. He is worthy of rostering even without the saves, but perhaps more of those are pending.
Stock rising
Ranger Suarez, Philadelphia Phillies: Well, when all else fails, go to the long reliever with the best numbers! Suarez is hardly the typical "closer," as his fastball tops out in the 93-mph range. He throws strikes and avoids home runs, and since left-hander Jose Alvarado cannot throw strikes and right-hander Hector Neris cannot avoid home runs, here we are. Suarez has a realistic 3.18 FIP to go along with his fancy, unsustainable 0.85 ERA (and .156 BABIP), so you should know how this story is likely to end. Still, opportunity is key and, at least for this week, here is Philadelphia's closer!
Heath Hembree, Cincinnati Reds: Hembree was part of the record-breaking Phillies bullpen from 2020, as he came over from the Boston Red Sox and posted a 12.54 ERA and a 2.36 WHIP (with seven home runs in 9 1/3 innings) for his new team. That's hard to do! His current team needed someone healthy for the ninth inning, and Hembree is healthy. He saved a few games this weekend. Serving up eight home runs in 26 2/3 innings is a big problem, though. So again, enjoy some saves, but do not expect many. Right-hander Lucas Sims and left-hander Tejay Antone may both return to active duty later this month and each is a better pitcher than Hembree.
Paul Sewald, Seattle Mariners: If Suarez and Hembree being on this list did not remind you of how volatile relief pitching is, check out the journeyman Sewald, who has 40 strikeouts and nary a home run allowed in 22 2/3 innings. In parts of four seasons with the New York Mets, Sewald had a 5.50 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. In his past three appearances for Seattle, he has a save and two holds. Sewald is throwing harder than ever before and flummoxing lefties with his slider. This could be for real, at least in the form of one of those one-season wonder things. In fact, you know I heart Kendall Graveman, but Sewald may be one injury away from accumulating saves.
Stock falling
Aroldis Chapman, New York Yankees: He has to be hurt, right? How else do you explain a reliable closer all of a sudden struggling to this extent? Chapman has pitched twice since June 23, retiring just 1-of-8 hitters and permitting two hits (both home runs), four walks and seven runs, spiking his ERA to 4.71. Over his last four outings, he has issued eight walks and retired a mere seven hitters -- not to mention the nine earned runs. No, you cannot drop the All-Star lefty, but something is definitely amiss, either physically or mechanically. Add right-hander Chad Green because he is good. Plus, with left-hander Zack Britton (hamstring) out, saves for Green may be pending.
Yimi Garcia, Miami Marlins: A rough weekend outing against Atlanta spiked his ERA from 2.61 to 3.66, and the fact remains that Anthony Bender, who saved Monday's victory, is younger and having the better season. Really, it would be a bad break for Garcia investors were he to lose the closer role based on just one outing. Prior to Sunday, when he issued three walks, Garcia pitched well. Garcia throws hard but allows many fly balls, and some tend to leave ballparks. He is a risk. He may also be July trade bait. Adding Bender in fantasy seems wise.
Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland: Other than Philadelphia's Neris and Alvarado, Clase is the most-dropped saves candidate, but that's probably a mistake. Yes, Clase lost a pair of weekend tilts, but one of them came with the silly, extra-inning runner thing, sullying what were two perfect innings. Monday's failure was indeed ugly, with walks and runs. Still, there is little reason to believe manager Terry Francona adjusts his Clase/Karinchak time-share at closer to favor the latter.