X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Relief Pitchers and Closers - Overvalued and Undervalued

Now that the first day of Spring has passed, we are now entering the prime season for fantasy baseball drafts.

Before you enter your draft room this year, it would behoove you to check out our ADP analysis pieces here at RotoBaller. This will ensure you have a good working knowledge of how players are being viewed, when to grab your targeted guys, and when to let your league mates jump on a guy going too early. In the end, you will look like a genius.

I have been obsessed with relief pitchers my whole life, and always end up drafting more than I probably should. But with that being said, I have grown quite a knack for sniffing out value in the late innings. So let's take a look at what relievers are currently going too early and too late in 2017 fantasy drafts.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball draft tools and resources:

 

Overvalued Relief Pitchers

Mark Melancon, San Francisco Giants          

2017 ADP: 78, RP4

This isn't a huge overvaluation on Melancon, because he certainly is a top five closer in baseball. He has been incredible over the past four years, posting ERA's of 1.64, 2.23, 1.90, and 1.39. But in fantasy, you are trying to win based on specific categories, and drafting the 58th ranked RP in strikeouts as the fourth best RP seems like a stretch. I am not against drafting Melancon at all, as I do love using a heavy RP approach to drag down my ERA and WHIP. But I am not passing up Seung Hwan Oh and Wade Davis (RP5 and RP6) who will also give me elite ERA/WHIP help while assisting my K totals moreso than Melancon. To me, Melancon is more of an RP7 after Oh, Davis, and a player to be named later.

 

David Robertson, Chicago White Sox          

2017 ADP: 134, RP17

Robertson had his worst season since 2010 last year. His ERA rose for the third straight season, finishing at 3.47. He experienced a huge increase in walks and a significant drop in strikeouts. It is popular belief that he will be traded this season, which seems like it would boost his value getting away from a rebuilding roster. But when you see that he owned a 4.73 ERA away from Cellular Field last year, and a 4.57 ERA away the previous season, it seems a bit scary. Then there is Nate Jones, who has been phenomenal the past two years and will be a threat to steal saves from Robertson all year. He is still a good source of strikeouts out of the RP position, but I would rather take all three of my undervalued options listed below instead of DRob in 2017.

 

Adam Ottavino, Colorado Rockies          

2017 ADP: 191, RP24

After his dominant performance returning from Tommy John surgery in 2016, Ottavino seems to be a popular sleeper pick heading into 2017. He boasted a 2.67 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and an 11.67 K/9 last season. With those type of numbers for a closer, he would certainly not be considered overvalued with his 16th round ADP. But the Colorado Rockies went out and signed Greg Holland this offseason, a reliever two years removed from two consecutive campaigns with at least 46 SV and a sub-1.50 ERA for the Kansas City Royals. Holland could be a nice flip at the trade deadline, but the Rockies could be in the thick of a playoff race. Holland should lead the Rockies in saves in 2017. A 10 SV RP at Coors Field doesn't entice me enough to pass up someone like Cam Bedrosian or Hector Neris, both of whom are in similar situations, but much closer to sea level.

 

Undervalued Relief Pitchers

Ken Giles, Houston Astros          

2017 ADP: 107, RP11

Ken Giles will be a top five closer in 2017. After the All-Star break he owned the highest K/9 and swinging strike rate in baseball. A spike in his HR/FB% saw his ERA rise to 4.11, but he had pitched to the tune of a 1.80 and 1.18 ERA in back to back seasons in Philly previously. He is not going to share saves with the likes of Will Harris and Luke Gregerson again, which means the Astros' 44 total saves from 2016 (12th most in the league) could be all his, to go along with over 100 K and an ERA that should drop back down in the 2.00's. Give me that over Mark Melancon all day, every day.

 

Francisco Rodriguez, Detroit Tigers          

2017 ADP: 144, RP19

In this range of RP, job security can play a huge role. Which is why I think it's crazy that A.J. Ramos and David Robertson, two guys who aren't even the best relievers on their own team, are being drafted ahead of KRod. Even at the age of 35, Rodriguez is still getting it done on the mound, and earned 44 SV with a 3.24 ERA in his first season as a Detroit Tiger. He has managed to pitch over 55 innings three straight years, and has no competition for the closing gig in Detroit. He can no longer miss bats like he used to in his prime, but at this point in the draft I will gladly take the decorated veteran pitching in a better situation.

 

Shawn Kelley, Washington Nationals          

2017 ADP: 195, RP25

Shawn Kelley is the Nationals' closer. Joe Blanton and Koda Glover are going to be Holds League sleepers, but I don't see either of the two taking the job away from Kelley. The Nats aren't going to have to sell out for a closer at the deadline either. By then, they will have realized they have a pretty darn good one already. For two consecutive years now, Kelley has owned a sub-3.00 ERA. Last season he cut down his walks, and increased his strikeouts to an impressive 12.41 K/9. Even with a bit of expected regression in the ERA due to a low BABIP and high LOB%, 75 K with a 3.00 ERA out of a closer for a World Series contender should be drafted way before his current ADP. I view Kelley as a RP15 for 2017, in Cody Allen and Alexander Colome territory.

*Since writing this article, Koda Glover has earned a lot of hype due to Dusty Baker repeatedly rolling him out in the ninth. Reportedly, he is testing the youngster to see if he is ready to take on the closer role this year. This obviously would make Kelley far less desirable. So, if any concrete news revolving this bullpen breaks before your fantasy draft, replace Kelley's name with Glover above. But until then, I continue to put my faith in the veteran.

 

Cam Bedrosian, Los Angeles Angels          

2017 ADP: 210, RP27

The son of a legendary closer that won a Cy-Young Award, Cam Bedrosian could very well have the Angels closer gig sealed up by the end of spring training. After his call up last year, he threw 40.1 innings in which he earned a 1.12 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP, along with an 11.38 K/9. Huston Street is still owed salary, but no amount of money should keep a man in a closer role after suffering through a 6.45 ERA and 5.64 K/9 last season. Plus, Street is currently shut down for a lat strain. There is way too much upside here to be going this late. Don't let Bedrosian slide folks.

 

More Undervalued & Overvalued Picks




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Los Angeles Chargers11 mins ago

Something Has To Give With Joey Bosa
José Soriano3 hours ago

Jose Soriano Set To Pitch On Tuesday
James Wood3 hours ago

Sitting Out On Saturday
Triston McKenzie3 hours ago

Starting Spring Opener
Will Benson3 hours ago

Could Open The Season In The Minors
Spencer Steer3 hours ago

To Serve As Designated Hitter Early In Spring Training
Bryan Hoeing4 hours ago

Still Not Throwing
EDM4 hours ago

Matt Savoie Set To Make Team Debut
SEA4 hours ago

Cale Fleury Promoted To NHL
Evander Kane4 hours ago

Resumes Skating
Sidney Crosby4 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision
Elias Pettersson4 hours ago

Considered Day-To-Day
Quinn Hughes5 hours ago

Not Expected To Play On Saturday
Jacksonville Jaguars14 hours ago

Jaguars Hire James Gladstone As New General Manager
Donald Parham Jr.14 hours ago

Steelers Sign Donald Parham Jr. To One-Year Deal
Philadelphia Eagles14 hours ago

Nolan Smith Has Surgery For Torn Triceps Muscle
George Kittle14 hours ago

Discussing Extension With 49ers
Matthew Stafford14 hours ago

Rams Give Permission To Matthew Stafford's Agent To Talk To Other Teams
Patrick Williams15 hours ago

To Miss At Least Two Weeks
Jarrett Allen15 hours ago

Won't Return On Friday
Fred VanVleet15 hours ago

Nearing Return
Nick Kurtz15 hours ago

Unlikely To Make Opening Day Roster
Josh Giddey15 hours ago

Considered Probable For Saturday
Cole Young15 hours ago

Likely To Begin At Triple-A
Jalen Smith15 hours ago

Unavailable Saturday
Jabari Smith Jr.15 hours ago

Will Come Off The Bench On Friday
Nikola Vučević15 hours ago

Nikola Vucevic Probable For Saturday
Bubba Chandler15 hours ago

Could Break Camp With Big-League Club
DaQuan Jeffries15 hours ago

Remains Out On Saturday
Mike Conley15 hours ago

Back In Action Friday
Mark Williams15 hours ago

Removed From Injury Report
Rudy Gobert15 hours ago

Will Not Play Against Rockets
LaMelo Ball15 hours ago

Expected To Play On Saturday
Anthony Edwards15 hours ago

Good To Go Friday
St. Louis Cardinals15 hours ago

Drew Rom Shut Down From Throwing
Ayo Dosunmu15 hours ago

Questionable To Play On Saturday
Aaron Gordon16 hours ago

Labeled As Probable For Saturday
JoJo Romero16 hours ago

Throws Live Batting Practice
Jamal Murray16 hours ago

Likely To Play Against Lakers
Jarred Vanderbilt16 hours ago

Available On Saturday
Erik Swanson16 hours ago

Throws Off The Mound
LeBron James16 hours ago

Considered Probable For Saturday
Evan Sisk16 hours ago

Dealing With Illness
Nikola Jović16 hours ago

Nikola Jovic Active Against Raptors
Dwight Powell16 hours ago

Remains Out Against Pelicans
Travis Jankowski16 hours ago

Signs Contract With Cubs
P.J. Washington16 hours ago

Available Friday
Jacob Misiorowski17 hours ago

Is One To Watch
Kyle Teel18 hours ago

On The Cusp Of The Big Leagues
Aaron Schunk18 hours ago

Outrighted To Triple-A
Ernie Clement18 hours ago

Expected To Open The Year At Third Base
Ricky Tiedemann18 hours ago

Encouraged With His Progress
Brett Baty18 hours ago

Getting Work At Shortstop
CJ Abrams18 hours ago

To Stick In Leadoff Spot
Skyy Moore19 hours ago

Could Be Salary Cap Casualty
Arizona Cardinals19 hours ago

Cardinals Plan To Be Active In Free Agency
Carolina Panthers19 hours ago

Panthers Release Dane Jackson
New Orleans Saints19 hours ago

Saints Officially Hire Brandon Staley As Defensive Coordinator
Aaron Rodgers19 hours ago

Looking To Join A Contender
Gerald Everett20 hours ago

Bears Releasing Gerald Everett
Henry Cejudo23 hours ago

Set For Bantamweight Clash
Song Yadong24 hours ago

Faces A Legend At UFC Seattle
Anthony Hernandez24 hours ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Brendan Allen24 hours ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Jean Matsumoto1 day ago

Looks To Remain Undefeated
Rob Font1 day ago

An Underdog At UFC Seattle
Melsik Baghdasaryan1 day ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Christian Kirk1 day ago

Jaguars To Cut Christian Kirk?
Jean Silva1 day ago

A Favorite At UFC Seattle
Indianapolis Colts1 day ago

Colts Likely To Go In Another Direction With Braden Smith
Alonzo Menifield1 day ago

Opens Up UFC Seattle Main Card
Julius Walker1 day ago

Makes His UFC Debut
Houston Texans1 day ago

Denico Autry An Obvious Cut Candidate
Detroit Lions1 day ago

Lions May Be Forced To Cut Za'Darius Smith
Denver Broncos1 day ago

Alex Singleton Could Be Let Go This Offseason
Dallas Cowboys1 day ago

Donovan Wilson A Potential Salary Cap Casualty?
Cleveland Browns1 day ago

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo A Cut Candidate
Cincinnati Bengals1 day ago

Sheldon Rankins Likely To Be Let Go
New England Patriots2 days ago

Patriots Re-Sign Ben Brown, Demontrey Jacobs
Jeremy Lauzon2 days ago

Ruled Out For Rest Of Season
Kyle Connor2 days ago

Scratched On Thursday
Josh Morrissey2 days ago

Will Not Play On Thursday
Igor Shesterkin2 days ago

May Be Available Against Sabres
Bryan Rust2 days ago

Ready To Return To Penguins Lineup
Evgeni Malkin2 days ago

On Track To Return Saturday
Seth Jarvis2 days ago

Rejoins Canada's Lineup Thursday
Brady Tkachuk2 days ago

Good To Go Thursday
Jared Spurgeon2 days ago

Battling Illness
Nico Hischier2 days ago

Targeting Saturday Return
Thatcher Demko2 days ago

Deemed Week-To-Week
Kirill Marchenko2 days ago

Could Return On Saturday
Adam Lowry2 days ago

Set To Return On Saturday
Charlie McAvoy2 days ago

Develops Shoulder Infection
PGA3 days ago

Kris Ventura A Strong Value Pick At The Mexican Open
Sam Ryder3 days ago

A Player To Watch At The Mexican Open
Aldrich Potgieter3 days ago

An Intriguing Option At The Mexican Open
Mac Meissner3 days ago

Looking To Regain Form At The Mexican Open
PGA3 days ago

K.H. Lee A Player To Avoid At The Mexican Open
Stephan Jaeger3 days ago

Aims For Consistency At Mexican Open
Nicolai Hojgaard3 days ago

Poised For Strong Performance At Mexican Open
Joel Dahmen3 days ago

Difficult To Trust At Mexican Open
Michael Thorbjornsen4 days ago

Looks To Get Things Going In The Right Direction At Mexico Open
Davis Riley4 days ago

An Unlikely Candidate For Success At Mexico Open
Luke List4 days ago

A Risky Play With Upside At Mexican Open
Carson Young4 days ago

A Volatile Option At Mexican Open
Ryan Fox4 days ago

A Boom-Or-Bust Play At Mexican Open
Alex Smalley4 days ago

A Solid Play At Mexican Open
Kevin Yu4 days ago

A Risky Play With Upside At Mexican Open
Taylor Moore4 days ago

An Intriguing Option At Mexican Open
Rasmus Hojgaard4 days ago

Eyeing A Major Bounce-Back At Mexican Open
Michael Kim4 days ago

Looks To Keep Momentum Going At Mexican Open
Sam Stevens4 days ago

Continues His Excellent 2025 Season At Genesis Invitational
Patrick Rodgers4 days ago

Finishes Tied For Third At Genesis Invitational
Thorbjorn Olesen4 days ago

Makes First PGA Tour Start In 2025 At Mexico Open
Nathan MacKinnon5 days ago

Pots Two Goals In Monday's Win
William Byron5 days ago

Trusts His Instinct To Win Second Straight Daytona 500
Jimmie Johnson5 days ago

Has Unexpected Emotions After Podium Finish At Daytona 500
John Hunter Nemechek5 days ago

Gets First Career Top-Five Finish At Daytona 500
Gregory Rodrigues5 days ago

Gets TKO'd At UFC Vegas 102
Jared Cannonier5 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Nazim Sadykhov5 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Ismael Bonfim5 days ago

Suffers Fifth Career Loss At UFC Vegas 102
Rodolfo Vieira5 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Vegas 102
Andre Petroski5 days ago

Extends His Win Streak
Ryan Blaney5 days ago

Strong Daytona 500 Performance Falls Short Of Victory
Kyle Larson5 days ago

Continues To Struggle At Daytona After Underwhelming Result
Chase Briscoe5 days ago

Scores First Top-Five Finish With Joe Gibbs Racing At Daytona 500
Tyler Reddick5 days ago

Quietly Finishes The Daytona 500 As The Runner-Up
Ross Chastain5 days ago

Daytona 500 Effort Ends In An Early Crash
Connor Matthews5 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Vegas 102
Jose Miguel Delgado5 days ago

Jose Delgado Gets Quick Win In Debut At UFC Vegas 102
Dylan Budka5 days ago

Suffers First-Round Knockout Loss At UFC Vegas 102
Edmen Shahbazyan5 days ago

Gets Knockout Win At UFC Vegas 102
Calvin Kattar5 days ago

Suffers Fourth Straight Loss At UFC Vegas 102
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

Fights For The Win But Gets Eliminated In Last-Lap Crash
Austin Cindric5 days ago

Has Best Run At Daytona 500 Until Last-Lap Crash
Justin Allgaier5 days ago

Earns First Top-10 Finish Since 2015
Martin Truex Jr5 days ago

.'s Sour Luck Continues With Early Daytona 500 Crash
Helio Castroneves5 days ago

Eliminated From Daytona 500 In Crash With Teammate
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Jaxon Smith-Njigba - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Targets: Top Wide Receivers to Buy Low or Sell High in 2025

Even though the NFL season is officially over, the offseason is one of the best times to upgrade your team in dynasty formats. That could mean buying several star players or trading away a young superstar for multiple first-round picks. Those decisions should be made based on how your team currently looks.  In this article, […]


Jaydon Blue - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Picks, NFL Draft

NFL Draft Predictions (2025): Fantasy Football Sleepers to Target in Dynasty League Drafts

I'll keep this intro short. This year's draft has a ton of late-round steals that will be league-winners in redraft if they go to good situations and don't get injured. This is especially true in the running back position. It's a stacked RB class, and the position is valued less in the NFL than every […]


Early 2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers and Draft Targets - RB

Running back was an interesting position in fantasy football in 2024. Most of the top backs in the league were unusually healthy for most of the season. That left little room for waiver-wire darlings and late-round picks to perform well for your fantasy squad. Given how injured running backs usually are, it is reasonable to […]


Rome Odunze - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injuries

Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Targets: Four Backup Wide Receivers To Buy (2025)

Depth charts are constantly shifting in the NFL, and on the offensive side of the ball, wide receivers are constantly breaking out, falling off, or displaying all the precursors for an increase in production the next season. The third group of players are the ones we'll be discussing today. It's easy to be pessimistic about […]


Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: Early 2025 Fantasy Football Mock and Draft Takeaways!

Michael F. Florio participated in a way too early 2025 mock draft and is bringing his lessons to you! How did the first two rounds shake out? Where did QBs and TEs go? Are rookies already being pulled up? Florio discusses all of this and many more of his takeaways to get you thinking ahead […]


Dylan Sampson - Fantasy Football Rankings, Dynasty, Rookie Prospects

NFL Combine (2025): NFL Draft Rookies to Watch and Target for Fantasy Football

The 2025 NFL Combine is coming up soon. It's strange to think it happens not long after the Super Bowl, but the league never sleeps. And it's a time of excitement for teams, incoming rookies, and most importantly for us, dynasty fantasy football managers. How every player who attends performs is important, but you should […]


Chuba Hubbard - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Dynasty Fantasy Football: Top NFL Quarterbacks And Running Backs To Target in Drafts (2025)

If you play dynasty fantasy football, then you know how difficult winning a dynasty title is. A lot more goes into it than a standard redraft league. Injuries happen, players disappoint, and finding viable replacements on waivers is a lot harder. Depth becomes very important. Running backs are always in demand in dynasty leagues. We […]


Chase Brown - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire Pickups, Draft Sleepers

Five Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Targets - 3rd Year Players To Buy

The dynasty fantasy football world is focused on the upcoming class of rookies. Yet, let’s look to the past. The 2024 class was one of the best in recent memory, with Jayden Daniels, Bucky Irving, Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr., Ladd McConkey, and Brock Bowers having massive fantasy value as rookies. However, the 2023 class […]


Josh Allen - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 12-Team, PPR, Superflex Dynasty Leagues (2025)

Are you looking to take part in a start-up Superflex dynasty fantasy football league? Know that quarterbacks are kings but those early selections push the best running backs and receivers down the board, allowing a wide variety of drafting strategies. Today, we're going to do a two-round mock draft. It's a 12-team, full PPR, Superflex, […]


Davante Adams - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football NFL Wide Receiver Age Cliff: When Should You Fade Aging WR Veterans?

The age cliff comes for all players, but importantly, what age it arrives is very dependent on the position played. While running backs rely heavily on raw athleticism and explosive bursts, wide receivers can also win with nuance and subtlety in their games. Naturally, this would lead you to believe that the age cliff for […]


Matthew Stafford - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

The Quarterback Age Cliff: When Should You Fade Aging Fantasy Veterans?

No human on earth can avoid the aging process. For athletes, especially those in the NFL, one of the most competitive sports leagues on earth, we get to see it play out in real-time and how it affects different position groups differently. The most famous position group is obviously quarterback. Part of the reason QBs […]


Shedeur Sanders - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Quarterback Rankings - Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Jalen Milroe, Jaxson Dart, Quinn Ewers, Will Howard, Dillon Gabriel

Rookie draft season in fantasy football is almost here, and while the 2025 quarterback class isn't necessarily loaded, there are a few signal callers who have significant upside. To help your rookie draft efforts, our NFL team has released its early 2025 fantasy football rookie quarterback rankings before the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. Navigate the […]


Tyler Warren - College Football Rankings - NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks - NFL Draft

2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Tight End Rankings - Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, Elijah Arroyo, Harold Fannin Jr., Mason Taylor, Gunnar Helm, more

A handful of rookie tight ends have had productive seasons over the last few years, and the 2025 group of rookie TEs is promising at this point in the pre-draft process. To help you prepare for your rookie drafts, our NFL team has released its early 2025 fantasy football rookie tight end rankings before the […]