Getting A Grip: Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Holds

September 21, 2014

Ryan Nakada analyzes the best waiver wire pickups for leagues that reward holds. These sleepers for holds are potentially also closers in waiting down the line.

While the holds statistic is even harder to predict than saves for closers, the players we highlight today feature some sleeper setup men and some looking to reclaim glory they once had. The more likely an MLB team is to win, the more likely these following relief pitchers will be eligible to earn the holds that could be the difference between winning or losing in your fantasy league.

This week, a couple of these relievers no longer play on teams in contention, so their playing time may be limited in order to preserve them for future seasons. Other relievers are on teams deep in the postseason hunt. They will likely see a lot of usage as each win could mean the difference between playing October baseball or packing up and going home for the winter.

Jeremy Jeffress, Milwaukee Brewers

6 holds, 1.42 ERA, 25.1 innings (25 games), 21 strikeouts, 1.03 WHIP

The Milwaukee Brewers are borderline contenders after leading their division for much of the season. Reliever Jeremy Jeffress will look to help bring the Brewers back into contention by carrying over wins from starter to closer. He has only appeared in 25 games this season but he has held opponents to a .269 batting average.

Part of the reason he succeeds is because he generates 62.0% ground balls when the opponent puts it in play. He mostly depends on a fastball that he throws 78% of the time, averaging around 96 MPH. Eleven of his 25 appearances have been in the seventh inning, so the Brewers are expecting him to be a good part of the bridge to a potential win.

Roman Mendez, Texas Rangers

8 holds, 2.45 ERA, 29.1 innings (26 games), 18 strikeouts, 1.13 WHIP

The Texas Rangers are eliminated from postseason contention, but that does not mean a reliever like Roman Mendez will not succeed in situations that he is put in. Depending on a fastball that averages around 94 MPH a majority of the time, Mendez has managed to make opponents hit just .168 against him.

Mendez is split closely between ground ball (47.1%) and fly ball (44.7%) rate. He does not strike out a lot of batters with just 6.5 K/9, but he is called upon in the later third of the game, with 17 appearances in the seventh or eighth inning.

Charlie Furbush, Seattle Mariners

18 holds, 3.57 ERA, 40.1 innings (63 games), 47 strikeouts, 1.19 WHIP

The Seattle Mariners have made a strong push into the hunt for a postseason spot, and the bullpen is one of their strengths. Charlie Furbush is one of the arms in the bullpen that starters can count on to help preserve a win along in the latter part of the game.

Despite Furbush being a lefty specialist, with just 40.1 innings despite appearing in 63 games, he is a balanced pitcher on the platoon splits. Opponents are batting .252 against Furbush, and he keeps left-handed batters to a .240 average while right-handed batters have a .263 batting average against.

He has made 27 appearances in the eighth inning and 15 appearances in the seventh inning. He has 18 holds to this point in the season, and he is likely going to be busy as the Mariners make the final push for postseason baseball.

Al Alburquerque, Detroit Tigers

17 holds, 2.70 ERA, 53.1 innings (69 games), 60 strikeouts, 1.24 WHIP

A frequent contributor to the Detroit Tigers, Al Alburquerque is having another good season in the Tigers bullpen. Primarily a slider pitcher, Alburquerque is holding opponents to a .228 batting average. He has spacious Comerica Park to call home, but he still manages to keep ground balls coming often with a 45.3% rate.

He pitches multiple innings and often finds himself in the last third of the game, with 25 appearances in the seventh inning and 17 appearances in the eighth inning. The Tigers are still in a tight race so expect Alburquerque to continue trying to be a reliable presence in the often struggling Tigers bullpen.

Evan Marshall, Arizona Dbacks

18 holds, 2.80 ERA, 45.0 innings (53 games), 51 strikeouts, 1.40 WHIP

The Arizona Diamondbacks are out of the postseason race, but reliever Evan Marshall is having a good first season in the majors. He has kept opponents to a .277 batting average. A great part of Marshall’s success has been the 60.2% ground ball rate. He generally depends on a fastball and mixes in a changeup and an occasional curveball.

He hit some bumps in the road towards the middle of the season but has improved in August (0.96 ERA) and September (1.42 ERA) so far. Despite being a rookie, Marshall has had 25 appearances in the seventh inning and 11 of them have come with just a one-run lead.

The Diamondbacks are counting on Marshall to deliver in high leverage situations. His 18 holds indicate he has succeeded in many situations so he would be valuable despite playing on a last place team.