In this week’s saves and steals, Josh Hader remains on track, Andres Muñoz finds some stability in his role, and Edwin Díaz takes a break in the ninth inning while facing some struggles on the mound. In the speed department, Kevin Pillar is making the most of his opportunities and two lightly rostered White Sox are contributing on the bases.
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Closest Fantasy Baseball Rankings
Layer 1: On top
Emmanuel Clase – Cleveland Guardians
Mason Miller – Oakland A’s
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt certainly doesn’t hesitate to use Clase as often as necessary. Clase pitched four times in five days, converting three more saves. He leads baseball with 15 while posting a 0.36 ERA, a 0.59 WHIP and a 24/2 K/BB ratio in 25 1/3 innings. Meanwhile, Miller recorded his first save this month, shutting out the team against the Rockies on Tuesday. He struck out 41 batters in 20 1/3 innings.
Tier 2: The Elite
Ryan Helsley – St.
Clay Holmes-New York Yankees
Josh Hader-Houston Astros
Robert Suárez – San Diego Padres
Andrés Muñoz – Seattle Mariners
Helsley shares the lead in saves with Clase, managing two more this week for 15 for the season. He has a 1.23 ERA, a 0.86 WHIP and 24 strikeouts in 22 innings. While his strike rate was down from last season, he actually generated more buzz with a swinging 17.8% strike rate. We could see his strikeout rate increase if he was missing bats at this rate.
Holmes finally has an ERA. He surrendered four runs against the Mariners on Monday for blown defense. Other than that, he has excelled, making 20 appearances without a deserved run at the start of the season.
Hader continues to chip away at his ERA. He threw two scoreless starts this week, converting a save on Friday and then pitching two scoreless innings with four strikeouts for the win against the Angels on Tuesday.
Suarez has just come into his own for the Padres, posting a 0.44 ERA, a 0.64 WHIP and an 18/4 K/BB ratio in 20 1/3 innings while converting all 13 of his save chances. Behind Suarez, Jeremiah Estrada emerged as a quality man, striking out 15 batters with one run allowed in 11 2/3 innings.
Muñoz climbs the rankings by completing the ninth inning all to himself in Seattle. He converted three straight save chances this week, giving him 10 on the year with a 1.69 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 29 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings.
Tier 3: The Solid Options
Camilo Doval – San Francisco Giants
Kirby Yates – Texas Rangers
Kenley Jansen-Boston Red Sox
Jordan Romano vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Jhoan Duran/Griffin Jax – Minnesota Twins
Raisel Iglesias-Atlanta Braves
Kyle Finnegan – Washington Nationals
Paul Sewald-Arizona Diamondbacks
Doval has been solid, but still struggles with some inconsistent performances. He has struggled to limit free passes, walking 13 walks with 25 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings. Still, job security is not an issue for Doval.
Yates was left unsaved this week. He has just two this month as Rangers haven’t produced many chances in recent weeks. He remains with seven saves on the season with a 0.98 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 22 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings.
Jansen gave up two runs in a loss to the Rays on Thursday, then bounced back with his eighth save on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Duran has had a tough time in recent games. He has allowed runs in three straight games, but held up on defense on Wednesday.
Iglesias converted his 11th save on Monday. Although he got the job done in Atlanta, his strikeout rate fell to half his career standard. And violent blows don’t exist either. It’s certainly a concern, as you have to wonder how long Iglesias can sustain success without strikeouts.
Finnegan suffered the loss Saturday against the Phillies, snapping a 16-game scoreless streak. He converted 13 saves with a 1.89 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 17 strikeouts in 19 innings. At Arizona, Sewald converted his third save since being activated from the injured list.
Level 4: there are advantages here
José Alvarado/Jeff Hoffman – Philadelphia Phillies
David Bednar – Pittsburgh Pirates
Edwin Díaz/Reed Garrett/Adam Ottavino – New York Mets
Craig Kimbrel – Baltimore Orioles
James McArthur – Kansas City Royals
Pete Fairbanks/Jason Adam/Garrett Cleavinger – Tampa Bay Rays
Trevor Megill – Milwaukee Brewers
Jason Foley – Detroit Tigers
Alexis Díaz – Cincinnati Reds
Tanner Scott-Miami Marlins
Both Alvarado and Hoffman recorded a save this week, giving them nine and three, respectively. And Bednar continues to get back on track. He converted two saves and picked up a win this week. Bednar has a 2.89 ERA in 9 1/3 innings in May after posting an 11.70 ERA in April.
Díaz plummets in the rankings after consecutive saves, giving him three for the season. He will take a step back from the nearest role as he works to get it right. It may be the slight decline in fastball velocity, but he has been much more home run prone. Still, he posted a strong 27/7 K/BB ratio in 18 innings. The team will use a committee in the ninth inning until Díaz regains the role. Reed Garrett and Jake Diekman each recorded a save last week.
Kimbrel, like Díaz, had lost the closer role for a while as he faced some difficulties. He has been much better the past two weeks, striking out six batters in four scoreless innings. Kimbrel made a save on Sunday against the Mariners for his ninth save of the season.
McArthur made his 11th save on Saturday against the Athletics. He got the job done for the Royals with a 4.15 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and a 23/3 K/BB ratio in 21 2/3 innings.
Fairbanks made an appearance this week, recording its fourth save of the season. The team hasn’t completely abandoned the by-committee approach since Fairbanks returned from the injured list, as Cleavinger was called up for his third save this week.
Megill took the ninth inning at Milwaukee. He converted two saves this week, giving him seven with a 1.98 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 17 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings. Devin Williams just started playing ball while recovering from a back injury, so Megill could still play the closer role for a while.
Foley allowed a solo home run in his only appearance this week. He recorded just one save this month as the Tigers struggled to a 6-13 record in May. In Cincinnati, Díaz made just his second save of the month on Tuesday. He posted a 6.62 ERA, a 1.64 WHIP and an 18/14 K/BB ratio in 17 2/3 innings. Too many walks and too few strikeouts made Díaz incredibly volatile.
Scott didn’t get many chances on defense with the Marlins. He only achieved sixth place with two wins this week from three goalless matches. He recorded a 1.71 ERA, a 1.43 WHIP, and a 22/18 K/BB ratio in 21 innings.
Tier 5: Just Surviving
Héctor Neris – Chicago Cubs
Michael Kopech-Chicago White Sox
Carlos Estévez – Los Angeles Angels
Daniel Hudson/Alex Vesia – Los Angeles Dodgers
Neris had two clean starts and took the victory. He remains on shaky ground in the Cubs’ closer role, posting a 2.50 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and a 15/14 K/BB ratio in 18 innings. Across town, Kopech shut out the team in a scoreless game against the Blue Jays on Tuesday. He remains a five-save with a 3.18 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and a 32/14 K/BB ratio in 22 2/3 innings.
Estévez played three games in four days, making one save and losing. He posted a 5.06 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP and 17 strikeouts in 16 innings. And Hudson recorded his third save with a perfect frame against the Diamondbacks on Monday, striking out two. Evan Phillips is out with a strained right hamstring but could return next week.
Level 6: if you need it
Jalen Beeks – Colorado Rockies
Injured
Devin Williams – Back
Evan Phillips – hamstring
Robbery Department
Journeyman outfielder Kevin Pillar was at the top of the leaderboard last week with three steals. Despite limited playing time with two teams, he is up to five homers and six steals while slashing .333/.395/.625 in 82 plate appearances. But his usefulness could quickly evaporate, making him a streaming option in deeper leagues. Surprisingly, Pillar is rostered in twice as many leagues as Tommy Pham, who plays every day and leads with the White Sox. Pham stole two bases this week and has three home runs with three steals, hitting .316/.356/.474 in 101 plate appearances. And considering their respective track records, Pham would be the player I would bet on to add value throughout the rest of the season. His teammate, Korey Lee, is gaining speed at the receiver position. He has three steals with four homers and a .281 batting average while splitting time behind the plate. Lee should be added and a starter in most two-catcher leagues.
