So you want the Cliff Notes version of the current landscape of closers? Greg Holland is still awful, no one can close for the Angels, the White Sox are still annoying, and AJ Minter is still good. Get it? Got it? Good! See ya next week! Just kidding, but if these columns are starting to sound like broken records, I do apologize. Technically all of those things are still true even if I have been talking about those things for most of the year. Think of all the extra time you'll save if you just remember those four items and never read another column of mine for the rest of the year. That was another joke, please don't do that. If you stop reading, you'll stop subscribing. If you stop subscribing, I won't get paid. If I don't get paid, I'll have to move my family into a cardboard box. If I move my family into a cardboard box.......well, you get the idea. See, look at that! The Cliff Notes version basically turned into the full version with commentary. Kind of like a bad podcast. Enough with the fluff, let's hit it (but like, don't actually hit it, because that's assault. I don't want any of you to be the next Roberto Osuna). Too soon? Tasteless? Fair enough.
Save Leaders This Week:
Alex Colome - 3
Blake Treinen - 3
Rasiel Iglesias - 3
Shane Greene - 3
Fernando Rodney - 3
Brad Ziegler - 3
Blown Saves This Week:
Wade Davis - 1
Arodys Vizcaino - 1
Jim Johnson - 1
Hector Neris - 1
Around the League:
-So, Greg Holland. Oh, Greg Holland. What can be possibly say about Greg Holland? We warned you. I shouted it from the rooftops of XM. I shouted it out of the sunroof of my car (got plenty of side looks, too). So I ask you, I plead with you....why is Greg Holland still on your roster? He isn't good this year, he wasn't even technically good last year, just lucky. This week, Bud Norris had to bail Holland out of an 8th inning jam with a four run lead and ended up allowing two runs on two hits and two walks against the Twins. On the season, Holland has more walks than hits (13:8 - I mean, come on man, that's not even close!) and has a 6.17 ERA, yet somehow, he xFIP is actually higher! He's rarely getting groundballs (GB% down 7%) and he's not generating swing and misses (SwStr% down 5%). It's literally like he took everything good in his life and lit it on fire. While I'll be the first to take credit for predicting the failure of Holland to live up to his 2017 self, not even I can take credit for seeing the magnitude of his collapse. Jordan Hicks has most certainly leap-frogged him in my latest handcuff ranking.
-Keynan Middleton made his return last Thursday, but never looked quite right. He ended up back on the disabled list earlier this week and on Thursday, was giving the numbing news his elbow will require UCL reconstructive surgery. It's a huge blow for a guy that actually looked like he had the makeup to succeed in the 9th inning. You know who probably wishes they still have Bud Norris on their team? Probably the Angels. Jim Johnson blew the lead in the 7th inning on Thursday, so right now we're tentatively putting Justin Anderson at the head of this committee. If you remember from a couple weeks ago, we aren't too confident in Anderson's ability to consistently miss bats over the course of the entire season and his elevated walk rate is a concern. He doesn't profile as the answer at closer for the Angels, so don't go too crazy in FAAB. Former closer Blake Parker has allowed just 2 hits and is yet to allow a run in six appearances in the month of May.
-Nate Jones got the last save for the White Sox, the day after Joakim Soria took the loss in Pittsburgh on a pair of hits and a walk. Jones may have an opportunity to pull away with the job, but given how few the White Sox are likely to win, it's challenging to see a place for him on your rosters where bench sizes are limited and injuries are piling up.
-Arodys Vizcaino blew another save this week and his manager hinted that others might be used in a save situation, but he wound up throwing Viz back out the following day for his eighth save. Nonetheless, Vizcaino has done little to solidy himself as the closer for this team and AJ Minter is ready and waiting in the wings.
-You know who else has 8 saves? Brad Zeigler has eight saves! Bet you didn't even realize the Marlins have even won 8 games. Ziegler remains a strong candidate to be shopped at the trade deadline, so keep that possibility in the back of your mind, but that situation is still likely at least a month or two from coming to fruition.
-Brad Brach nabbed his sixth save of the season on Friday night and looks like he has fully re-established himself as the leader in that bullpen with the injury to Darren O'Day.
-We probably can't close out this week's report if we don't at least partially address the mess that's happening in Philadelphia. Manager Gabe Kapler is taking "playing the matchups" to the extreme. Early this week, Edubray Ramos (who some think has forced his way into a committee with Hector Neris, was pitching in the 9th inning of a save situation and struck out the first two batters he faced. Instead of letting his reliever finish the inning, Kapler called in Neris to get the final out. After the game, he told reporters it was because he liked Neris' repertoire of a splitter against lefty Chris Davis. It worked, so that reinforced that decision. Good luck to fantasy owners as you try to untangle this woven disaster. For now Neris remains "the guy" but my level of confidence in that title is wavering.
Handcuff of the Week:
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Closer Rankings & Handcuffs:
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