The Baller Ranks: Weekly Top 70 Relief Pitcher Rankings

Join me for the first May edition of my 2021 Relief Pitcher Baller Ranks, which provides a weekly peek at my top 70 relievers moving forward. This is geared towards traditional 5x5 roto leagues with some mentions for hold candidates and ratio anchors. I decided to leave off most injured players because throwing darts at […]

Fantasy Baseball Trade Targets for Week 6

Sometimes fantasy baseball can resemble the stock market. You want the best portfolio of players without having to pay too much for them. Sometimes to achieve the optimal team, you need to make trades. The best way to gain added value is to trade away an over-performing player for one in a rut. This way, […]

Lou Trivino Implodes In Five-Run Inning

Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Lou Trivino had an outing to forget on Wednesday as he let five runs cross the plate while only recording one out versus the Blue Jays. There was a two-week stretch where it looked like Trivino was the undisputed closer in Oakland, but those days seem to have passed. Jake Diekman […]

Top 50 Fantasy Baseball Prospects for Week 6

Things are about to get interesting. This week marks the highly-anticipated return of the Minor League Baseball season for 2021. Prospects around baseball have spent more than a year working out at clubs' alternate training sites, extended spring training sites, and/or at their homes. Some players have flourished while others have… well, we don’t really […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the May 6th edition of Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox. Discussing baseball is as fun as the game itself. It has a way of bringing people together to share different opinions about the sport we all love. A similar action can be done with fantasy baseball where we not only discuss topics […]

Bullpen Report: Struggling Closers Leading to Changes?

I have been playing a lot of MLB The Show lately and the one thing I have learned playing is - relievers are very important if you are going to play anything other than a standalone game! You need to not only have multiple options you can trust but the depth of many teams' bullpens […]

Ian Kennedy Earns Ninth Save On Wednesday

Texas Rangers closer Ian Kennedy recorded his ninth save of the year in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Minnesota Twins. Kennedy pitched a scoreless ninth inning, allowing one walk and no hits while striking out three. His nine saves have him tied with Alex Reyes for second in the Majors, behind Mark Melancon's MLB-leading 11 […]

Jose Alvarado Records Second Save On Wednesday

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jose Alvarado pitched a scoreless ninth inning against the Brewers on Wednesday to record his second save of the season. Alvarado walked one and struck out two in his first game back from a two-game suspension stemming from a benches-clearing incident on Friday night. This is the second day in a […]

James Karinchak Locks Down Save

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher James Karinchak locked down his third save of the season in Wednesday night's 5-4 win over the Kansas City Royals. Karinchak threw a perfect ninth inning and struck out two of the three hitters he faced. The back and forth for saves between him and fellow reliever, Emmanuel Clase continues in […]

Austin Bibens-Dirkx Signs Minor League Deal With Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed relief pitcher Austin Bibens-Dirkx to a minor league deal. He is set to report to the team's Triple-A affiliate. Bibens-Dirkx, who just turned 36 years old in April, last pitched in the Majors with the Texas Rangers in 2018. He made 13 appearances that year (including six starts) and […]

Mark Melancon Slams The Door Again

San Diego Padres closer Mark Melancon gathered his 11th save Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Spotted a two-run advantage, the wily veteran required 11 pitches to retire the side while allowing a harmless single. Leading the majors in saves, Melancon owns a stellar 0.60 ERA, 0.47 WHIP and career-best 30 percent strikeout rate in 15 […]

Alex Colome Pitches Two Scoreless Frames

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Alex Colome turned in another effective outing despite his team's loss Wednesday. Colome tossed two scoreless frames, walking two batters and recording a pair of strikeouts. The veteran reliever has pitched three clean innings since being ousted from high-leverage situations- and could slowly be working his way back into those scenarios. […]

Lewis Thorpe Solid Despite Loss

Minnesota Twins pitcher Lewis Thorpe pitched well in a spot start despite being charged with the loss. Thorpe tossed five innings, allowing three runs on five hits with a pair of strikeouts compared to one walk. The Australian southpaw still hasn't quite found the velocity gains he made in the spring- but that hasn't stopped […]

Alex Reyes Saves Another Game On Wednesday

St. Louis Cardinals closer Alex Reyes picked up his ninth save of the season and maintained a perfect 0.00 ERA in Game 1 of Wednesday's double header. Reyes pitched a perfect seventh inning, recording one strikeout to record an easy save in a three-run game. Reyes has yet to allow an earned run this season, […]

Jordan Holloway Earns His First Big League Win

Miami Marlins rookie pitcher Jordan Holloway pitched well on Wednesday and earned the first win of his major league career. Holloway came in to pitch second in a bullpen game for the Marlins and contributed three scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out three. Holloway has been excellent in his […]

Aroldis Chapman Converts Seventh Straight Save

New York Yankees relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman notched his seventh straight save in Wednesday's victory over Houston. Another game, another easy ninth inning for Chapman, who recorded two more strikeouts in the frame to give him 26 on the season against just three walks. The flamethrowing lefty still has yet to allow a run in […]

Jonathan Loaisiga Picks Up Third Win Wednesday

New York Yankees relief pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga earned his third victory of the season in a 6-3 defeat of the Astros on Wednesday. Loaisiga entered the game in the eighth inning with the score tied and worked a 1-2-3 frame on just 13 pitches, recording a strikeout in the process. The starter-turned-reliever has thrived in […]

Daniel Bard Earns Third Save In Close Call On Wednesday

Colorado Rockies right-hander Daniel Bard earned his third save of the season on Wednesday when he allowed one run (unearned) on two walks with two strikeouts over one inning in a 6-5 win over the Giants. Bard entered in the top of the ninth inning to preserve a two-run Rockies' lead. He promptly walked Brandon […]

Julian Merryweather Transferred To 60-Day IL

Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Julian Merryweather (oblique) was transferred to the 60-day injured list on Wednesday, according to Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun. Merryweather looked to be breaking out as one of the top closers in fantasy early on, recording two saves and a 0.00 ERA with seven strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings […]

Pete Fairbanks Activated From IL Wednesday

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Pete Fairbanks (shoulder) was activated from the injured list on Wednesday, according to Adam Berry of MLB.com. Fairbanks has been out since the beginning of April with a rotator cuff strain, having recorded a 3.38 ERA and two strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings of work prior to the injury. With […]

Diego Castillo Placed On Injured List Wednesday

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Diego Castillo (groin) was placed on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday with right groin tightness, according to Adam Berry of MLB.com. Castillo had taken over as the team's closer early on following injuries to Pete Fairbanks and Nick Anderson, as he has recorded seven saves with a 3.10 ERA […]

Reyes Moronta To Be Re-Evaluated On Thursday

San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Reyes Moronta (forearm), who experienced right forearm tightness on Saturday, will be evaluated by team orthopedist Dr. Ken Akizuki on Thursday. Moronta missed all of last season while rehabbing from right shoulder surgery before he went on the injured list on April 11 with a right flexor strain. Just when […]

Richard Rodriguez Earns Fifth Save Of Year Tuesday

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Richard Rodriguez earned his fifth save of the season on Tuesday, pitching a perfect ninth inning to close out a 2-1 win over the Padres. Rodriguez has looked great on the mound to open the year, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out 10 in 12 1/3 innings […]

Liam Hendriks Suffers Loss On Wednesday

Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks suffered his first loss of the season on Wednesday versus the Cincinnati Reds. Hendriks entered the game in the bottom of the ninth and recorded one out, but then came extra innings. Hendriks was then brought back out for the bottom of the tenth inning. With a runner starting […]

Sam Howard Picks Up Sixth Hold

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Sam Howard earned his sixth hold of the season on Tuesday, getting the only batter he faced to ground into a force out to end the sixth inning. Howard is looking like a great option in SV/HLD formats right now, with six holds in 15 appearances along with a 3.27 ERA […]

Michael Kopech Walks Four Batters In Relief

Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Michael Kopech went 1 2/3 innings in relief and allowed one hit, no runs, four walks and struck out four on Wednesday versus the Cincinnati Reds. Kopech has made two starts for the Pale Hose, but most of his work has been out of the bullpen. Regardless of the role, […]

Keynan Middleton Lands On Injured List With Biceps Strain

The Seattle Mariners have placed relief pitcher Keynan Middleton (biceps) on the 10-day injured list with a right biceps strain. Fellow relief pitcher Wyatt Mills was called up in a corresponding move. Middleton was lifted from the ninth inning of Tuesday's game after facing just one batter and feeling discomfort. He has had a solid […]

Lewis Thorpe Recalled Ahead Of Start Wednesday

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Lewis Thorpe was recalled from Triple-A St. Paul ahead of his spot start on Wednesday against the Rangers. Thorpe was pressed into service due to Michael Pineda's sore wrist- and the team sent pitcher Brandon Waddell down to the minors to make room for Thorpe on the roster. The 25-year-old southpaw […]

Sam Coonrod Earns First Save For Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Sam Coonrod pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his first save of the season Monday against the Brewers. Coonrod allowed two hits, but managed to preserve the one-run lead he was entrusted with. Hector Neris has been the primary closer for the Phillies and he may not have been available […]

Anthony Bass Unable To Get An Out On Tuesday

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Anthony Bass had a terrible outing in Tuesday's game, facing four batters without recording an out. Bass allowed one run on two hits and a walk, but it could have been much, much worse if he hadn't been bailed out by an amazing performance from Richard Bleier. Bass left the bases […]