RADIO
We are gathered here today for April's final edition of my 2021 Relief Pitcher Baller Ranks, where we take a weekly peek at my top 70 relievers moving forward. This is geared towards traditional 5x5 roto leagues with the understanding that RPs are as volatile as it gets.
I decided to leave off most injured players because throwing darts at potential return dates and roles is usually a poor use of time. As the season goes on, I'll provide the table you see below with brief notes on a few arms followed by more analysis on movers, but here you get notes on everyone.
This article comes complete with a Baller Ranks google sheet where you'll find the usual 5x5 categories, strikeout rates, Called + Swinging Strike rates, and so on. Please note that those stats are exported from Fangraphs and are good through April 27, and that late games on Wednesday may not be reflected because I just got my second vaccine shot and am fading fast! Cheers, all.
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Top 70 Relief Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball - Week 5
| Rank | (+/-) | $ | Tier | Player | EV | PV | Trend | Notes |
| 1 | 0 | $15.0 | 1 | Josh Hader | $3.6 | $15.0 | 0.0 ▬ | Cruising with 50% strikeout rate, >40% CSW rate |
| 2 | 0 | $13.5 | 1 | Liam Hendriks | -$1.8 | $13.5 | 0.0 ▬ | Elite swing-and-miss stuff, early HR bumps; 1.40 SIERA! |
| 3 | 0 | $13.5 | 1 | Aroldis Chapman | $4.1 | $13.5 | 0.0 ▬ | 7 scoreless, a quartet of saves, absurd K rate. Enjoy |
| 4 | 0 | $13.0 | 2 | Craig Kimbrel | $3.7 | $13.0 | 0.0 ▬ | Hasn't pitched since 4/22, only one hit through 9 IP |
| 5 | 0 | $12.0 | 2 | Raisel Iglesias | -$0.1 | $12.0 | 0.0 ▬ | .421 BABIP so far, 12/1 K/BB ratio has my trust |
| 6 | 0 | $11.5 | 2 | Edwin Diaz | $1.8 | $11.5 | 0.0 ▬ | Only 9 Ks through 8 IP is un-Edwinlike, but innings are clean |
| 7 | 0 | $10.0 | 2 | Kenley Jansen | $0.5 | $10.0 | 0.0 ▬ | Tagged for 1st HR of '21 Monday, he'll be fine |
| 8 | 0 | $9.5 | 3 | Matt Barnes | $4.6 | $9.5 | 0.0 ▬ | 2 perfect IP saves after 3-ER appearance, great |
| 9 | 1 | $8.0 | 3 | Ryan Pressly | $3.3 | $7.5 | 0.5 ▲ | Only one save opp through April 25, then B2B SVs. How it goes |
| 10 | -1 | $7.5 | 3 | Brad Hand | $0.6 | $8.0 | -0.5 ▼ | No appearances since April 21, but scoreless season so far |
| 11 | 5 | $7.0 | 3 | Mark Melancon | $5.1 | $5.0 | 2.0 ▲ | Issued his 1st BB of '21, only 4 baserunners through 11 IP |
| 12 | 2 | $6.5 | 3 | Diego Castillo | $0.3 | $6.0 | 0.5 ▲ | 3 ER between last 2 games, faith in the 15/4 K/BB ratio |
| 13 | 4 | $6.0 | 3 | Richard Rodriguez | $3.7 | $4.5 | 1.5 ▲ | Scoreless 10 1/3 IP; only 1 hit and 1 walk allowed so far! |
| 14 | -3 | $6.0 | 3 | William Smith | $2.3 | $7.0 | -1.0 ▼ | Looks sharp, Chris Martin returning soon though |
| 15 | -3 | $5.5 | 4 | Jake McGee | -$0.3 | $6.5 | -1.0 ▼ | 3 HRs in last 4 games, 6 R (4 ER) in last 5. He's fine, but notable |
| 16 | -3 | $5.0 | 4 | Hector Neris | $2.1 | $6.0 | -1.0 ▼ | 2 clean saves after taking a loss, he's the guy for PHI |
| 17 | 2 | $4.5 | 4 | Cesar Valdez | $4.0 | $3.5 | 1.0 ▲ | Valdez is Baltimore's closer, proceed accordingly |
| 18 | 0 | $4.0 | 4 | Yimi Garcia | -$0.4 | $4.0 | 0.0 ▬ | García is Miami's closer, proceed accordingly |
| 19 | 29 | $3.5 | 4 | Taylor Rogers | $4.0 | $1.0 | 2.5 ▲ | Steps up for deserved crack as closer as Colomé chills |
| 20 | -5 | $3.0 | 5 | Emmanuel Clase | $2.7 | $5.5 | -2.5 ▼ | No SVs since 4/18, still great but Karinchak is a demi-god |
| 21 | -1 | $2.5 | 5 | Alex Reyes | $0.6 | $3.0 | -0.5 ▼ | 3 SVs 4/5-8; 0 SVs 4/9-22; 3 SVs 4/23-27. Life as a closer |
| 22 | 9 | $2.5 | 5 | James Karinchak | $5.3 | $2.0 | 0.5 ▲ | After slower start, a nice 69.2% K rate over last 8 games |
| 23 | -1 | $2.5 | 5 | Ian Kennedy | $0.6 | $2.5 | 0.0 ▬ | It's his 9th in TEX, at least until they flip him |
| 24 | 4 | $2.5 | 5 | Lou Trivino | $0.1 | $2.5 | 0.0 ▬ | Don't love Trivino's Savant profile but he's the 1A for OAK |
| 25 | -4 | $2.0 | 5 | Rafael Montero | -$0.3 | $2.5 | -0.5 ▼ | Steady member of SEA's committee, numbers are healthy |
| 26 | -3 | $2.0 | 5 | Daniel Bard | -$0.9 | $2.5 | -0.5 ▼ | At least 1 ER in 4 of his last 5; Givens is a stash |
| 27 | -3 | $2.0 | 6 | Lucas Sims | $1.7 | $2.0 | 0.0 ▬ | The favorite in CIN, but Doolittle can complement him |
| 28 | 10 | $2.0 | 6 | Gregory Soto | $0.4 | $1.0 | 1.0 ▲ | Soto is good enough to hold as DET's sparsely-used closer |
| 29 | -4 | $2.0 | 6 | Jake Diekman | $2.2 | $2.0 | 0.0 ▬ | Only lefty used flexibly by OAK in late frames |
| 30 | -4 | $2.0 | 6 | Giovanny Gallegos | $1.5 | $2.0 | 0.0 ▬ | Elite fireman who will chip in a handful of SVs |
| 31 | 30 | $2.0 | 6 | Josh Staumont | $1.4 | $0.5 | 1.5 ▲ | Collected 2 SVs vs. DET, he's KC's current 1A but it's fluid |
| 32 | 3 | $1.5 | 6 | Rafael Dolis | -$0.3 | $1.5 | 0.0 ▬ | 3 straight perfect frames; Romano is back, doesn't look 100% |
| 33 | -6 | $1.5 | 6 | Tejay Antone | $1.9 | $2.0 | -0.5 ▼ | Multi-inning RP hard for CIN to tether to 9th, still a target |
| 34 | -5 | $1.5 | 6 | Drew Pomeranz | $1.7 | $2.0 | -0.5 ▼ | The K's are rolling, only 1 ER, but it's Melancon's 9th |
| 35 | -3 | $1.5 | 6 | Stefan Crichton | $1.7 | $1.5 | 0.0 ▬ | Hit by comebacker last week, still 1A in ARZ with JB lurking |
| 36 | -2 | $1.0 | 6 | Greg Holland | -$4.1 | $1.5 | -0.5 ▼ | Not out of 9th mix entirely, tough to hold when not sharp |
| 37 | 0 | $1.0 | 6 | Devin Williams | -$2.9 | $1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | 4 straight holds, rounding back into form |
| 38 | 1 | $1.0 | 6 | Kendall Graveman | $3.3 | $1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | Has been perfect in 7 of 8 appearances, K's picking up |
| 39 | 1 | $1.0 | 6 | Mychal Givens | $0.2 | $1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | Looks like COL's most reliable RP (for now), stash if needy |
| 40 | 5 | $1.0 | 7 | Mike Mayers | -$0.8 | $1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | 5.24 FIP but 3.71 SIERA, still viable insurance for Iglesias |
| 41 | 5 | $1.0 | 7 | Chad Green | $3.0 | $1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | Has career 32.7% K rate so I'm expecting a few more |
| 42 | 25 | $1.0 | 7 | Garrett Whitlock | $3.0 | $1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | They'll go lightly post-TJS but he looks electric |
| 43 | 7 | $1.0 | 7 | Sean Doolittle | $1.1 | $1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | Picked up SV on Tuesday, only a desperate dart to me |
| 44 | 7 | $1.0 | 7 | Jose Alvarado | $2.4 | $1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | Looked sharp with 99-100 mph sinker in return |
| 45 | 7 | $1.0 | 7 | J.B. Bukauskas | $0.7 | $1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | Eventually should earn shot at 9th and run far with it |
| 46 | 7 | $1.0 | 7 | Joely Rodriguez | $1.7 | $1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | My favorite for the 9th if Kennedy gets hurt or traded |
| 47 | 8 | $1.0 | 7 | Victor Gonzalez | $0.5 | $1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | 69.4% career groundball rate, needs to curtail BBs |
| 48 | 22 | $1.0 | 8 | J.P. Feyereisen | $2.0 | $1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | 12 shutout IP, 6 HLDs, this is what MIL does |
| 49 | 0 | $1.0 | 8 | Emilio Pagan | -$2.0 | $1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | Good results but SD 'pen is chock full of talent |
| 50 | 9 | $1.0 | 8 | Tyler Rogers | $1.1 | $1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | 10 SV+HLD makes up for fewer strikeouts |
| 51 | 6 | $1.0 | 8 | Dylan Floro | $2.7 | $1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | Looks like MIA's insurance policy for García |
| 52 | 8 | $1.0 | 8 | Austin Adams | $1.0 | $1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | Ignore early ratios; 2.29 FIP, 2.15 SIERA, elite K's in that arm |
| 53 | 19 | $1.0 | 8 | Jonathan Loaisiga | $2.9 | $0.5 | 0.5 ▲ | Snuck in a SV, earned it with 16/2 K/BB ratio thus far |
| 54 | -12 | $1.0 | 8 | Jordan Hicks | -$0.2 | $1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | Walks in 6 straight, 5 ER in last 4 games. Clear No. 3 for STL |
| 55 | -12 | $1.0 | 8 | Trevor May | $2.3 | $1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | Díaz's track record means you need to track the backup |
| 56 | -2 | $1.0 | 8 | Daniel Hudson | -$0.2 | $1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | Like Hand, hasn't been deployed since 4/21 |
| 57 | 18 | $1.0 | 8 | Jordan Romano | -$0.6 | $0.5 | 0.5 ▲ | Returned on 4/24, walked 2 of 3 batters faced. Ease into it |
| 58 | -17 | $1.0 | 9 | Tyler Duffey | -$1.9 | $1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | Shaky in early going, 7/7 K/BB; can he regain form? |
| 59 | -15 | $1.0 | 9 | Tanner Scott | $0.2 | $1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | Back-to-back 3-walk outings is bad, Valdez's grip strengthens |
| 60 | -4 | $1.0 | 9 | Adam Ottavino | $0.9 | $1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | Erring very close to losing backup status to Sawamura |
| 61 | -25 | $0.5 | 9 | Alex Colome | -$3.1 | $1.0 | -0.5 ▼ | Removed from high-leverage spots, no guarantee to return |
| 62 | -29 | $0.5 | 9 | Amir Garrett | -$5.2 | $1.5 | -1.0 ▼ | There's a mess, hot mess, fiery mess, then AG's current state |
| 63 | -1 | $0.5 | 9 | Keynan Middleton | -$1.2 | $0.5 | 0.0 ▬ | SEA has shown willingness to let him finish games |
| 64 | 11 | $0.5 | 10 | A.J. Minter | $2.3 | $0.5 | 0.0 ▬ | Should still be strong HLD source when Martin returns |
| 65 | -1 | $0.5 | 10 | Hansel Robles | $1.2 | $0.5 | 0.0 ▬ | Gets a small boost with Colomé's demotion |
| 66 | -1 | $0.5 | 10 | Chris Rodriguez | $1.3 | $0.5 | 0.0 ▬ | Strong whiffs but still needs more consistency |
| 67 | 0 | $0.5 | 10 | Jorge Alcala | -$0.9 | $0.5 | 0.0 ▬ | Another steady late arm for MIN with the shake-up |
| 68 | 0 | $0.5 | 10 | Craig Stammen | $0.2 | $0.5 | 0.0 ▬ | Good ratios, K's, but few SV/HLD opps down the SD totem pole |
| 69 | 6 | $0.5 | 10 | Hirokazu Sawamura | $0.4 | $0.5 | 0.0 ▬ | Adapting well to MLB, could be No. 2 in BOS |
| 70 | 0 | $0.5 | 10 | Kyle Zimmer | $1.7 | $0.5 | 0.0 ▬ | Looks good and KC is running a wide committee |
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