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Welcome to the Week 4 Relief Pitcher Baller Ranks, where we take a look weekly at where the top 101 RPs stand moving forward in this strange sprint season. You can check out my weekly Top 101 Starting Pitcher Baller Ranks as well.
David Emerick rolled out an introduction to our Baller Ranks here -- I suggest you read for a full explanation of our purpose, but the TL;DR is here we're providing a one-stop-shop for SP, RP, and hitter valuation. We'll explore value produced to-date, their current standing, and provide context with analysis.
And for those who want stats like the usual 5x5 categories, strikeout rates, Called + Swinging Strike rates, xwOBA and more on a decked-out spreadsheet, we've got you covered - you can view the full Week 4 Top 101 RP Baller Ranks core sheet here.
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Top 101 Relief Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball - Week 4
| Rank | $ | Tier | Player | EV | $ | Trend | Notes |
| 1 | 14.0 | 1 | Josh Hader | 1.3 | 15.0 | -1.0 ▼ | Strong stuff remains, limited deployment hurts. |
| 2 | 14.0 | 1 | Kenley Jansen | 0.9 | 14.0 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 3 | 14.0 | 1 | Liam Hendriks | 2.1 | 13.0 | 1.0 ▲ | |
| 4 | 13.0 | 1 | Kirby Yates | -0.6 | 14.0 | -1.0 ▼ | |
| 5 | 11.5 | 1 | Taylor Rogers | 1.9 | 11.5 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 6 | 11.0 | 2 | Brad Hand | 1.2 | 11.0 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 7 | 10.5 | 2 | Aroldis Chapman | 0.0 | 10.5 | 0.0 ▬ | He'll face live hitters this week, working back slowly. |
| 8 | 10.0 | 2 | Nick Anderson | 2.0 | 10.0 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 9 | 8.0 | 3 | Hector Neris | 0.7 | 8.0 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 10 | 7.5 | 3 | Alex Colome | 2.2 | 7.5 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 11 | 7.0 | 3 | Raisel Iglesias | 1.9 | 7.0 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 12 | 6.5 | 3 | Archie Bradley | 2.5 | 6.5 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 13 | 6.0 | 3 | Mark Melancon | 0.9 | 6.0 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 14 | 5.5 | 4 | Brandon Workman | 1.0 | 5.5 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 15 | 4.5 | 4 | Joe Jimenez | -0.2 | 4.5 | 0.0 ▬ | Wheels coming off after early start, hope he recovers. |
| 16 | 4.0 | 4 | Daniel Hudson | 0.6 | 4.0 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 17 | 4.0 | 4 | Drew Pomeranz | 3.4 | 3.5 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 18 | 3.5 | 4 | Seth Lugo | 1.2 | 2.0 | 1.5 ▲ | |
| 19 | 3.0 | 5 | Trevor Rosenthal | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.5 ▲ | |
| 20 | 2.5 | 5 | Rafael Montero | 1.4 | 0.0 | 2.5 ▲ | Coming out swinging after delayed start to season. |
| 21 | 2.0 | 5 | Jairo Diaz | 1.2 | 2.0 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 22 | 2.0 | 5 | Ryan Pressly | 0.0 | 4.0 | -2.0 ▼ | Early turbulence should settle, but it's tough to stomach. |
| 28 | 2.0 | 5 | James Karinchak | 2.9 | 1.5 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 23 | 1.5 | 5 | Edwin Diaz | -0.2 | 2.0 | -0.5 ▼ | |
| 24 | 1.5 | 5 | Zack Britton | 1.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 ▲ | Elite play as long as Chapman's unavailable. |
| 25 | 1.5 | 5 | Ty Buttrey | 0.1 | 1.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 26 | 1.5 | 5 | Emilio Pagan | -0.9 | 1.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 27 | 1.5 | 5 | Chad Green | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 29 | 1.5 | 6 | Anthony Bass | 1.9 | 1.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 30 | 1.5 | 6 | Tyler Duffey | 2.8 | 1.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 31 | 1.5 | 6 | Giovanny Gallegos | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 ▲ | Who knows when STL plays again, but Helsley's out. |
| 32 | 1.5 | 6 | Matt Barnes | -3.4 | 1.5 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 33 | 1.0 | 7 | Cole Sulser | -0.1 | 1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 34 | 1.0 | 7 | Craig Kimbrel | -2.3 | 2.5 | -1.5 ▼ | I don't know what else to say but "oof". Crumbling stock. |
| 35 | 1.0 | 7 | Sergio Romo | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 36 | 1.0 | 7 | Will Smith | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 ▲ | Back in action, will see if he earns piece of the 9th. |
| 37 | 1.0 | 7 | Trevor Gott | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 ▲ | |
| 38 | 1.0 | 7 | Jeremy Jeffress | 2.2 | 1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | My favorite RP on CHC w/ Kimbrel flailing. |
| 39 | 1.0 | 7 | Ian Kennedy | -2.9 | 1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | Working too early for 5x5 formats despite decent results. |
| 40 | 1.0 | 7 | Diego Castillo | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 41 | 1.0 | 7 | Adam Ottavino | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 42 | 1.0 | 7 | Taylor Williams | -0.2 | 1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 43 | 1.0 | 7 | Joakim Soria | 4.1 | 1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 44 | 1.0 | 7 | Yusmeiro Petit | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 45 | 1.0 | 7 | Brandon Kintzler | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | Looking strong early - need to see more to fully buy. |
| 46 | 1.0 | 7 | Mychal Givens | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 47 | 1.0 | 7 | Corey Knebel | -1.6 | 1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 48 | 1.0 | 7 | Jose Alvarado | 0.1 | 1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 49 | 1.0 | 7 | Rowan Wick | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 50 | 1.0 | 7 | Oliver Drake | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 51 | 1.0 | 7 | Jonathan Hernandez | 3.2 | 1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 52 | 1.0 | 7 | Miguel Castro | 3.3 | 0.0 | 1.0 ▲ | Entering the committee for BAL w/ strong starts. |
| 53 | 1.0 | 8 | Dellin Betances | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.0 ▬ | |
| 54 | 0.5 | 8 | Hansel Robles | -3.5 | 3.0 | -2.5 ▼ | Looks lost, will work low-leverage innings to reset. |
| 55 | 0.5 | 8 | Ken Giles | -0.5 | 1.0 | -0.5 ▼ | Shut down indefinitely, tough to hold in most formats. |
| 56 | 0.5 | 8 | Tyler Rogers | 0.7 | 1.0 | -0.5 ▼ | |
| 57 | 0.5 | 8 | Jeurys Familia | 0.3 | 1.0 | -0.5 ▼ | |
| 58 | 0.5 | 8 | Jordan Romano | 2.9 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | Crushing it behind Anthony Bass right now. |
| 59 | 0.5 | 8 | Tanner Rainey | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 60 | 0.5 | 8 | Rafael Dolis | -0.1 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 61 | 0.5 | 8 | Andrew Miller | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 62 | 0.5 | 8 | Carlos Estevez | 1.6 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 63 | 0.5 | 8 | Greg Holland | 1.1 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 64 | 0.5 | 8 | Pedro Baez | 1.7 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 65 | 0.5 | 8 | Trevor May | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | Resembles his strong form flashed in 2018. |
| 66 | 0.5 | 9 | Nick Wittgren | -0.3 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 67 | 0.5 | 9 | Matt Magill | 0.8 | 1.0 | -0.5 ▼ | |
| 68 | 0.5 | 9 | Trevor Richards | 0.8 | 1.0 | -0.5 ▼ | |
| 69 | 0.5 | 9 | Luke Jackson | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 70 | 0.5 | 9 | Dan Altavilla | -0.1 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 71 | 0.5 | 9 | Sean Doolittle | -2.2 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | Looks more lost than Robles, can't roster right now. |
| 72 | 0.5 | 9 | Richard Rodriguez | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 73 | 0.5 | 9 | Daniel Ponce de Leon | -0.1 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 74 | 0.5 | 9 | Tony Watson | -0.6 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 75 | 0.5 | 9 | Tyler Clippard | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 76 | 0.5 | 9 | Steve Cishek | -2.6 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 77 | 0.5 | 9 | Blake Treinen | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 78 | 0.5 | 9 | Dennis Santana | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | Some amazing arms in this tier that help w/o Saves |
| 79 | 0.5 | 9 | Matt Foster | 2.1 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 80 | 0.5 | 9 | Tyler Kinley | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 81 | 0.5 | 9 | Evan Marshall | 2.6 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 82 | 0.5 | 10 | Amir Garrett | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 83 | 0.5 | 10 | Alex Reyes | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 84 | 0.5 | 10 | Adam Morgan | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 85 | 0.5 | 10 | Chaz Roe | 3.6 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 86 | 0.5 | 10 | Josh Staumont | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | Rising quickly in my ranks, great to see him steady. |
| 87 | 0.5 | 10 | Peter Fairbanks | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 88 | 0.5 | 10 | Marcus Walden | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 89 | 0.5 | 10 | Carl Edwards Jr. | 1.6 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 90 | 0.5 | 10 | Josh Tomlin | 2.7 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 91 | 0.5 | 10 | Caleb Ferguson | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 92 | 0.5 | 10 | Blake Taylor | 3.7 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 93 | 0.5 | 10 | Yency Almonte | 1.7 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 94 | 0.5 | 10 | Joe Kelly | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 95 | 0.5 | 10 | Cody Stashak | -0.7 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 96 | 0.5 | 10 | Brusdar Graterol | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 97 | 0.5 | 10 | Felix Pena | 2.2 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 98 | 0.5 | 10 | Scott Barlow | 1.6 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 99 | 0.5 | 10 | Keynan Middleton | -0.8 | 1.0 | -0.5 ▼ |
Would've liked to see more consistency, hard to see him rising.
|
| 100 | 0.5 | 10 | Justin Wilson | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ | |
| 101 | 0.5 | 10 | Kevin Ginkel | -0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 ▲ |
Relief Pitcher Movers of Note
Josh Hader (RP, Brewers): This is a simple note, but he's only worked three innings so far as Milwaukee doesn't want to overwork him. It's hard for him to be the elite, top-tier RP if this deployment plan holds even if he looks like his usual Hader self by the end of August. I'm only inching him down to be even with the rest of the top class for now, but the trend is definitely falling. He'll need to produce more volume to stay in Tier One, plain and simple.
Trevor Rosenthal (RP, Royals): And just like that, Rosenthal posted back-to-back saves on Aug. 7 and 8, striking out five over those 2 ⅓ innings. In seven total innings, Rosenthal has allowed a single run on a solo homer next to his 10 K’s and get this, zero walks! With Ian Kennedy working earlier in games and Greg Holland being Greg Holland, Rosenthal is the reliever to roster here. Even without 100% of the save opportunities, his current command and strikeout stuff warrants starting in 12-team formats.
Rafael Montero (RP, Rangers): One of my favorite preseason targets, Montero has come out hot after missing the early going with right elbow tendinitis. His first two appearances have resulted in two perfect saves, as Texas deals with a Jose Leclerc-sized hole in their bullpen. Montero never panned out on the Mets as a starter before missing all of 2018, but he found new life in the ‘pen for the Rangers in ‘19. He’s picked up where last season’s 2.48 ERA/0.97 WHIP left off, thanks in large part to this beauty:
Rafael Montero's Wicked 95mph Two Seamers vs Trout.
Love the confidence.
Then again, if my 95mph Two seamers moved like that, I'd be confident too. ? pic.twitter.com/X89qVkw1Xb
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 8, 2020
Ryan Pressly (RP, Astros): Normally, Pressly’s stock would’ve sharply risen with Roberto Osuna’s injury. But Pressly doesn’t look normal right now. His velocity is right there, with his heater sitting comfortably in the 95-96 mph range, but he blew the save in dramatic fashion on Aug. 6. Arizona plated two runs on three hits and a walk without recording an out against Pressly, and his only previous appearance had seen him allow a run on two hits and a walk on Aug. 1. If it’s any solace, he pitched a perfect rebound ninth inning on Aug. 7 at Oakland during a tie game. I still believe, and if he’s been dropped anywhere then scoop him up.
Ty Buttrey (RP, Angels): With Hansel Robles lost on the bump, the Angels turned to Buttrey for a four-out save on Aug. 5. While Buttrey stepped up from early struggles to deliver, his overall numbers are still rough. He has just one strikeout over 6 ⅓ IP, with a terrifying .437 xwOBA behind it. I’d prefer Felix Pena get the next save, or even Keynan Middleton; however, Buttrey’s successful conversion likely buys him some leash.
Jeremy Jeffress (RP, Cubs): Jeffress isn’t consistently seeing the ninth as the Cubbies flex him against the heart of the opponent’s order, but he’s their best reliever right now. Follow the skills. He’s only allowed one baserunner through six innings, racking up one save and three holds in the process. If you want to roster Rowan Wick instead, I’ll understand but respectfully disagree with the priority.
Tyler Kinley (RP, Rockies): The Rockies pitching is churning out greatness right now, but Kinley is quietly on another level. His 44.9% CSW rate through Aug. 8 leads the Majors (min. 50 pitches) with an absurd .149 xwOBA alongside it. He’s not on the closer hierarchy, even with Wade Davis and Scott Oberg out. It’s Carlos Estevez behind Jairo Diaz, but I just wanted to put Kinley on your radars.
*And let me just state this regarding St. Louis speculation with Ryan Helsley reportedly out with COVID-19: You’ll want to roster Giovanny Gallegos first rather than Andrew Miller’s potential southpaw platoon of the closer role, as well as Alex Reyes’ huge range of outcomes.
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