Fantasy rankings: Here's how relievers stack up
Paul Casella
@paul_casellaMLBIt's never easy to decide when to start picking relief pitchers in fantasy baseball drafts -- or who to select when the time comes.
With so many factors contributing to the number of save opportunities a reliever might get, plus the continuing emergence of managers deploying a closer-by-committee approach, this is one of the toughest positions to evaluate for fantasy purposes. But it's also the one that singlehandedly decides the saves category, while also impacting the rest of the pitching categories.
With that in mind, we take a closer look at this year's relief pitchers below -- and check out the overall Top 300 rankings.
Díaz and Clase are obvious choices after winning the Reliever of the Year Award in their respective leagues last season -- and there's no reason to believe they can't have repeat performances in 2023.
Sure, it might be difficult for Díaz to replicate his 1.31 ERA, but he should once again have impressive strikeout numbers (118 K's in 62 innings in '22) and he should see ample save opportunities on a Mets team that hopes to contend for a World Series. As for Clase, he put up a 1.36 ERA over 77 appearances last season -- and that was actually up from his 1.29 ERA over 71 appearances in 2021. He's a safe bet to help in the ERA and save categories, though he won't help as much as some of the other top relievers when it comes to strikeouts.
But that duo has plenty of company in the top tier this year.
Hader had a disastrous start to his time with the Padres following a midseason trade last year, but he looked like his old self down the stretch. He didn't allow an earned run over his final 15 appearances (including the postseason) in 2022, all while racking up 23 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings.
Romano (36 saves in 2022) and Pressly (33 saves) should once again rack up solid save numbers handling the ninth inning for a pair of AL contenders in the Blue Jays and Astros, respectively. And don't sleep on Williams, who has provided solid production in strikeout and ERA categories over the past two seasons, and should now get his first full season as a closer with Hader out of the picture in Milwaukee.
Helsley had a breakout season in 2022, posting a 1.25 ERA over 54 appearances with the Cardinals. He eventually took over the closer role from Giovanny Gallegos -- and promptly established himself as one of the most dominant closers down the stretch. With a full season of save opportunities, Helsley (94 strikeouts in 64 2/3 innings last season) could play himself into the top tier if he maintains that dominance.
Iglesias is another high-upside option given his situation. Though he struggled with the Angels last season, he was nearly untouchable after being traded to the Braves (0.34 ERA in 28 appearances), albeit in a setup role ahead of Jansen. But with Jansen leaving in free agency, Iglesias now has the inside track to the closer role on a team that could push for another 100-win season.
Elsewhere, Bautista had an impressive rookie season and will look to replicate that success for an O's team that hopes to take a step forward in 2023. Doval (Giants) and Bednar (Pirates) also put up strong numbers for teams that didn't finish with winning records, while Jansen (NL-leading 41 saves last season) is hoping to help the Red Sox turn things around.
Tier 3: Clay Holmes, Jhoan Duran, Daniel Bard, Scott Barlow, Andrés Muñoz, Alexis Díaz, Paul Sewald
This is definitely a major risk-reward tier. Holmes will enter Spring Training as the closer for a Yankees team that won 99 games last season and figures to push for 100 victories yet again in 2023. Though he was hampered down the stretch by a shoulder injury, Holmes -- who is fully healthy entering camp -- has flashed his potential dominance when healthy over the past two seasons.
Elsewhere, the 25-year-old Duran (1.86 ERA in 57 appearances) uncorked one of the nastiest pitches of the year during a sensational rookie campaign in 2022 and he should get the first crack at securing the Twins' closer job. The same goes for the 26-year-old Díaz (1.84 ERA in 59 outings) in Cincinnati.
Meanwhile, the 24-year-old Muñoz is another rising star to keep an eye on, though he has some competition at the back end of the Mariners' bullpen. It's unclear if Seattle will use a committee or defer to the 32-year-old Sewald out of the gate, but either Muñoz or Sewald could provide solid fantasy contribution if one manages to win the job outright.
All of these names are worth keeping an eye on during Spring Training, especially as we move closer to the regular season. Though none of these guys jump off the page at the moment, some could quickly find themselves with plenty of save opportunities if things break the right way.
Domínguez, for example, proved he's fully healthy down the stretch after an injury-ravaged couple of seasons. He has the stuff to be a shutdown closer, but Phillies manager Rob Thomson prefers to use a closer-by-committee approach. That could limit Domínguez's opportunities, especially in a bullpen that also features José Alvarado, Gregory Soto and Craig Kimbrel, but if Thomson changes course and names Domínguez -- or any one of those guys -- his closer, he becomes a top option.
The same applies to Fairbanks with the Rays and Phillips with the Dodgers.
Leclerc has the inside track to earning saves for a Rangers team that expects to be improved from 2022, but he's far from a lock to handle the ninth inning. The same goes for Floro with the Marlins.