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Fantasy Baseball 2016 > Rankings > Relief Pitchers > Rankings Archive 2015
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2015 Fantasy Baseball Rankings Archive: Relievers

Justin K. Moreau
Our Relief Pitcher archives from before the 2015 fantasy baseball season were excellent predictors of success. We were the only ones out there telling you that Wade Davis was the best pitcher in all of baseball, let alone among relievers, when you look at his stats as a whole. In 2015, He got an even bigger chance to prove it, too, when Greg Holland's season ended prematurely. We also warned you (again) to avoid Fernando Rodney like the relief pitching plague he is, and we were dead-on (again). We also let you know to ignore Jenrry Mejia and draft Jeurys Familia, instead (you're welcome). We also let you know about the impending success of Ken Giles in 2015, too... We also let you know about Dellin Betances. Even though we expected he would take the closer role in favor of Andrew Miller, he still had dominant stats that helped your fantasy team across the board. Betances had a better ERA than Miller, but the rest of their stats were about even. Prior to the 2015 fantasy season, we told you to start embracing the idea of "saves don't matter as much as you think." In preparation for your 2016 draft, we highly recommend you read our strategy for drafting relief pitchers before you just start chasing saves.

Top 50 Fantasy Closers

RankPlayerWLERAGSVSOWHIPK/9
1Kimbrel, C031.616347950.9113.87
2Holland, G131.446546900.9112.99
3Chapman, A032.0054361060.8317.67
4Jansen, K232.7668441011.1313.91
5Uehara, K652.526426800.9211.19
6Benoit, J421.495311640.7710.60
7Betances, D501.407011350.7813.50
8Doolittle, S242.736122890.7312.78
9McGee, J521.897319900.9011.36
10Allen, C642.077624911.0611.76
11Street, H221.376141570.948.65
12Melancon, M351.907233710.879.00
13Ramirez, N331.44503531.0510.92
14Britton, Z321.657137620.907.31
15Rodriguez, F553.046944730.999.66
16Giles, K311.18441640.7912.61
17Papelbon, J232.046639630.908.55
18Gregerson, L552.12723591.017.34
19Storen, D211.126511460.987.35
20Robertson, D453.086339961.0613.43
21Rondon, H442.426429631.068.95
22Cishek, S453.176739841.2111.57
23Casilla, S331.705419450.866.94
24Soriano, R413.196432591.138.56
25Perkins, G433.656334661.189.48
26Rosenthal, T263.207245871.4111.13
27Davis, W921.007131090.8513.63
28Neshek, P721.87716680.799.09
29Smith, J721.817615680.808.20
30Miller, A552.027311030.8014.87
31Abad, F241.57690510.858.01
32Watson, T1021.63782811.029.43
33Boxberger, B522.376321040.8414.47
34Clippard, T742.18751821.0010.49
35O'Day, D521.70684730.899.57
36Strop, P242.21652711.0710.48
37Sanchez, A221.09243270.707.36
38Rodney, F162.856948761.3410.31
39Soria, J243.254818480.999.74
40Sipp, T433.38564630.8911.19
41Feliz, N211.993013210.985.97
42Wilhelmsen, T322.27571721.058.17
43Jepsen, K022.63742751.0510.38
44Quackenbush, K332.48566561.109.28
45Carrasco, C872.554011400.999.40
46Putnam, Z531.98496461.087.57
47Romo, S643.726423590.959.16
48Walden, J022.88583621.2011.16
49Broxton, J432.30627491.027.52
50Farquhar, D312.66661811.1310.27

Top 50 Fantasy Relievers Overall

RankPlayerERAGSVWHIPk/9k/IP
1Kimbrel, C1.6163470.9113.871.54
2Holland, G1.4465460.9112.991.44
3Chapman, A2.0054360.8317.671.96
4Davis, W1.007130.8513.631.51
5Benoit, J1.4953110.7710.601.18
6McGee, J1.8973190.9011.361.26
7Betances, D1.407010.7813.501.50
8Giles, K1.184410.7912.611.40
9Doolittle, S2.7361220.7312.781.42
10Allen, C2.0776241.0611.761.31
11Miller, A2.027310.8014.871.65
12Uehara, K2.5264260.9211.191.24
13Boxberger, B2.376320.8414.471.61
14Street, H1.3761410.948.650.96
15Melancon, M1.9072330.879.001.00
16Ramirez, N1.445031.0510.921.21
17O'Day, D1.706840.899.571.06
18Jansen, K2.7668441.1313.911.55
19Neshek, P1.877160.799.091.01
20Papelbon, J2.0466390.908.550.95
21Robertson, D3.0863391.0613.431.49
22Smith, J1.8176150.808.200.91
23Watson, T1.637821.029.431.05
24Rodriguez, F3.0469440.999.661.07
25Britton, Z1.6571370.907.310.81
26Clippard, T2.187511.0010.491.17
27Strop, P2.216521.0710.481.16
28Sanchez, A1.092430.707.360.82
29Rondon, H2.4264291.068.950.99
30Sipp, T3.385640.8911.191.24
31Storen, D1.1265110.987.350.82
32Casilla, S1.7054190.866.940.77
33Jepsen, K2.637421.0510.381.15
34Soria, J3.2548180.999.741.08
35Cishek, S3.1767391.2111.571.29
36Quackenbush, K2.485661.109.281.03
37Carrasco, C2.554010.999.401.04
38Putnam, Z1.984961.087.570.84
39Romo, S3.7264230.959.161.02
40Rodney, F2.8569481.3410.311.15
41Walden, J2.885831.2011.161.24
42Broxton, J2.306271.027.520.84
43Farquhar, D2.666611.1310.271.14
44Gregerson, L2.127231.017.340.82
45Alburquerque, A2.517211.179.891.10
46Feliz, N1.9930130.985.970.66
47Familia, J2.217651.188.500.94
48Cecil, B2.706651.3712.831.43
49Soriano, R3.1964321.138.560.95
50Duke, Z2.457401.1311.351.26
Craig Kimbrel
Craig Kimbrel is the top fantasy closer going into 2015.

Ranking the Top 50 Fantasy Relievers

This season, we really had to consider significantly devaluing the Saves category, which is the first category we all look at when drafting a relief pitcher. There were so many relievers who weren't closers but had absolutely dominating stuff (and the fantasy stats to prove it).

When you think about it, Saves (like stolen bases) is just one category out of 5 standard fantasy stats. Conversely, Wins among relief pitchers are generally a fluke. In fact, Wins are often the result of a blown save by a closer. Nevertheless, given the newest trend in baseball is to have a guy for the 7th inning, another guy for the 8th inning, and an absolute beast in the 9th inning, there are tons of guys you can draft if you want to ignore the Saves category altogether.

From a purely statistical standpoint, Wade Davis was actually the highest-rated relief pitcher in all of baseball. That's right: IN ALL OF BASEBALL. Wade Davis won 9 games, had a 1.00 ERA (in 72 innings pitched, so it was no fluke), 0.85 WHIP and a 13.63 K/9 (109 total strikeouts). In standard 5x5 fantasy rankings, Wade Davis was the #1 relief pitcher in all of baseball, and he only saved 3 games.

We know your next question is, "Where was Greg Holland in the rankings?" Dude... you won't even believe it... Greg Holland, even in all his dominance, ranked 18th among all relievers in baseball.

We're tellin' ya, it may just be time to totally neglect the sexy stat of the Save among relievers. Seriously. The other stats - especially WHIP, ERA and Strikeouts are just more important than winning Saves every week. Now, we'll confess that Wade Davis' 9 wins propelled him much closer to the top of the list (compared to Greg Holland's mere 1, single win), but the other stats are just ridiculous.

To be fair, we're going to share an additional analysis of the top relievers in the game based solely on the stats that you can more-accurately predict with relief pitchers: ERA, WHIP, Saves and K/9.

Fantasy Reliever Stats That Matter

There we go. We take it you're a little more comfortable with this list. This looks more like what you would expect. Not completely, of course, since we still need to convince you to let go of that "Saves matter most" mentality... but the three at the top of the list come as no surprise, and those three will almost undoubtedly be the first three relievers taken in your draft.

You'll notice we got rid of Wins completely. Not because Wins don't mater, but because Wins are nearly impossible to predict when it comes to relief pitchers. If he blows a save, he might back into a win, but your Closers are going to get Wins so rarely because it's just not their job. Saves, on the other hand, that is their job, and it's a relatively predictable stat.

You'll also see that we eliminated total strikeouts and replaced it with K/9. Honestly, the total strikeouts stat has always perplexed us as to why fantasy leagues keep it in there. ERA is an average; WHIP is an average... why not make Strikeouts an average, too? It makes perfect sense.

Strikeouts in fantasy baseball are also reliant upon scheduling since most of your fantasy pitching staff is made up of starters. But you all know that if a starter starts on a Monday or Tuesday, you're gonna get two starts out of him. Even if he gets rocked, he may still rack up 10 strikeouts in 2 crappy starts. Meanwhile, another starter has just one start for the week and he strikeout out 9 guys in 8 innings of shutout ball, yet you lose the strikeout category due to the randomness of the schedule.

Most importantly, like all the other positions that we've talked about, you need to know what you can expect out of a player when he takes the field. Looking at total strikeouts doesn't help you. Knowing his K/9 lets you know what that pitcher is likely to do when he's on his game.

Better yet, we notated each of the top 50 relievers' average strikeouts per inning pitched so you can really know what to expect out of your relievers. How's that for a statistical breakdown?

Moving on... the list above is probably the more-important list for you to use on draft day. You're not likely to abandon the thought of drafting for Saves, and honestly, if you can draft a guy who kicks ass across all stats and saves a ton of games, you might as well draft for Saves, too. Just know that when the Saves guys run out, you don't need to panic. There will be tons of relievers out there who will dominate at least 3 of the 5 stats.


Fantasy Sleeper Picks: Closers

First of all, there are a lot of teams that are in big trouble when it comes to the Closer role. Because of this, you're very likely going to have a lot of sleeper pick options for closers on draft day. Even if you don't cash in on a sleeper Closer in your draft, your league's waiver wire will have lots of free-agent options throughout most of the season.

Joakim Soria and Al Albuquerque are both potential sleeper picks at closer for the Detroit Tigers. Joe Nathan is the guy right now, but he's getting older and older. Nathan also stunk up the joint last season with a 4.81 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 7 Blown Saves (out of 42 Save Opportunities). Joe Nathan is 40 this year, so we expect his stint as the Tigers' closer is over. Between Joakim Soria and Al Albuquerque, Soria may actually be the best bet. Soria had a higher ERA, but a significantly lower WHIP than Albuquerque (0.99 compared to 1.17), and WHIP is the better overall indicator that we trust, even over ERA. Plus, Soria has more experience as an actual (and successful) closer than Albuquerque. Still, though, Soria has a history of injuries, and Albuquerque has been in Detroit for a while now, so the team knows him he knows his own ball park, so he may get the nod over Soria despite the stats. If you wanna play it safe, take them both as late as you can. Regardless, they'll both put up solid fantasy stats regardless of the Saves.
The Baltimore Orioles are in one of those "good problem to have" situations. Zach Britton is expected to be the closer in Baltimore, but Tommy Hunter and Darren O'Day are also perfectly capable of filling that role. Britton and O'Day each had ERAs under 2.00 and WHIPs under 1.00, while Tommy Hunter had 2.97 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. O'Day had, by far, the best strikeout numbers per inning pitched, so that makes him a good draft pick, period, let alone a great sleep er pick should anything happen to Britton. Also keep in mind that when a team is totally stacked with kickass relievers, one of them often gets dealt to a team that needs a closer. With all the teams out there that are in serious trouble with their closer position (we counted about 18 teams) , the sleeper pick you draft may just end up as someone's closer before you know it.
Orioles Reliever, Darren O'Day
Darren O'Day is a good draft pick, period, let alone a possible sleeper at Closer if anything goes wrong with Zach Britton.
Addison Reed is slated to be the closer for the Arizona Diamondbacks, but let's face it: Addison Reed is a mess. The problem is that Brad Ziegler is the most-likely replacement for Reed, and Ziegler is also kind of a mess. If it comes down to brass tacks, you can draft Ziegler as a desperation sleeper pick, but also keep an eye on any young flame-throwers who show up in Arizona this season.




Other Positions:

C   1B   2B   3B   SS   OF   DH   All Hitters   SP   RP

Top 25 Fantasy Relievers: Saves

RankPlayerSV
1Rodney, F48
2Kimbrel, C47
3Holland, G46
4Rosenthal, T45
5Jansen, K44
5Rodriguez, F44
7Street, H41
8Robertson, D39
8Papelbon, J39
8Cishek, S39
11Britton, Z37
12Chapman, A36
13Nathan, J35
14Perkins, G34
15Melancon, M33
16Soriano, R32
16Reed, A32
18Rondon, H29
19Mejia, J28
20Uehara, K26
21Janssen, C25
22Allen, C24
23Romo, S23
23Hawkins, L23
25Doolittle, S22

Top 25 Relievers: ERA

Minimum 30 Innings Pitched

RankPlayerERA
1Davis, W1.00
2Sanchez, A1.09
3Storen, D1.12
4Giles, K1.18
5Jennings, D1.34
6Street, H1.37
7Betances, D1.40
8Herrera, K1.41
9Holland, G1.44
9Ramirez, N1.44
11Benoit, J1.49
12Abad, F1.57
13Kimbrel, C1.61
14Watson, T1.63
15Britton, Z1.65
16Casilla, S1.70
16O'Day, D1.70
18Thornton, M1.75
19Crockett, K1.80
20Smith, J1.81
21Morris, B1.82
22Neshek, P1.87
23McGee, J1.89
24Melancon, M1.90
25Hughes, J1.96

Top 25 Relievers: WHIP

RankPlayerWHIP
1Sanchez, A0.70
2Doolittle, S0.73
3Benoit, J0.77
4Betances, D0.78
5Giles, K0.79
5Neshek, P0.79
7Smith, J0.80
7Miller, A0.80
9Chapman, A0.83
10Boxberger, B0.84
11Davis, W0.85
11Abad, F0.85
13Casilla, S0.86
14Melancon, M0.87
15O'Day, D0.89
15Sipp, T0.89
17Britton, Z0.90
17McGee, J0.90
17Papelbon, J0.90
20Holland, G0.91
20Kimbrel, C0.91
22Uehara, K0.92
23Street, H0.94
24Machi, J0.95
24Romo, S0.95

Top 25 Relief Pitchers: K/9

RankPlayerk/9
1Chapman, A17.67
2Miller, A14.87
3Boxberger, B14.47
4Jansen, K13.91
5Kimbrel, C13.87
6Davis, W13.63
7Betances, D13.50
8Robertson, D13.43
9Holland, G12.99
10Cecil, B12.83
11Doolittle, S12.78
12Diekman, J12.68
13Giles, K12.61
14Smith, W11.79
15Allen, C11.76
16Kelley, S11.67
17Perez, O11.66
18Cishek, S11.57
19Fields, J11.52
20Bastardo, A11.39
21McGee, J11.36
22Duke, Z11.35
23Sipp, T11.19
23Uehara, K11.19
25Walden, J11.16

Top 25 Relief Pitchers: Total Strikeouts

RankPlayerStrikeouts
1Carrasco, C140
2Betances, D135
3Lincecum, T134
4Collmenter, J115
5Stroman, M111
6Davis, W109
7Chapman, A106
8Cahill, T105
9Boxberger, B104
10Miller, A103
11Jansen, K101
12Diekman, J100
13Mejia, J98
14Robertson, D96
14Torres, C96
16Kimbrel, C95
17Phelps, D92
18Allen, C91
19Holland, G90
19McGee, J90
21Doolittle, S89
22Rosenthal, T87
23Smith, W86
24Cishek, S84
24Martinez, C84

The Cubs have a solid offense and a solid starting rotation, and their bullpen is solid, too. Hector Rondon is slated to be the Closer for the Cubs in 2015, and he put up excellent numbers for fantasy owners in 2014, too. Rondon finished last season with 29 Saves, a 1.06 WHIP9.09 K/9 and a 2.42 ERA. His setup man, Neil Ramirez, is a potential sleeper because he actually put up better stats than Rondon. Ramirez had a 1.44 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 10.9 K/9 - better numbers across the board (he also had 3 saves for what that's worth). If anything happens to Rondon, You'd better hope you have Neil Ramirez on your fantasy roster... or Pedro Strop. Strop posted a 2.21 ERA in 2014, along with a 1.06 WHIP and 10.5 K/9. You heard it here, first: the Cubs are a dangerous, dangerous team in 2015, and the fantasy stats you'll get from their lineup, starting rotation and their bullpen will be excellent.
Sleeper pick, Neil Ramirez
The Cubs' Neil Ramirez is a great sleeper pick at reliever, especially if Hector Rondon falters. Even if Ramirez doesn't end up as the closer, his stats will still help you across the board.
Pedro Strop, Sleeper Pick
Since coming to the Cubs, Pedro Strop has posted a 1.02 WHIP, 2.44 ERA and 10.6 K/9. He could end up as a closer, too, although he's worth drafting just for his stats, saves or no saves.
The Colorado Rockies are in the opposite situation as the Cubs: they have a shaky, aged closer who put up near-disastrous stats in 2014. Look... no offense to LaTroy Hawkins, but if he's the Closer you're bringing to the ball park every day, you're in trouble. Even worse, at the time we're writing this, there's no clear alternative to anyone on the Rockies' roster. Jairo Diaz had decent, but insignificant stats with the Angels last season, and Adam Ottavino has managed to keep his ERA at 3.08 over the past two seasons in Colorado (a feat unto itself), although his 1.31 WHIP over that same span scares us. Either Jairo Diaz or Adam Ottavino are decent sleeper picks if you need Saves, but not if you're looking for a guy who can help you across the board.
Pat Neshek is a good, late-round sleeper pick just in case Luke Gregerson doesn't pan out as the full-time closer with the Houston Astros. Gregerson has put up kickass fantasy numbers (other than saves) for the past 6 seasons. His career ERA is 2.75, and he's been at or under that mark for the past 4 seasons. Gregerson's career WHIP is a stingy 1.08, and his career K/9 is 8.8. The only concern we have with Gregerson is that his K/9 have dropped from 9.0 to 7.3 in the last two seasons. Pat Neshek, on the other hand, improved his K/9 dramatically last season, going from 6.5 in 2013 to 9.1 in 2014. Either Neshek had a crazy, career year, or he figured something out that had eluded him the previous 3 seasons. We still think Gregerson is the better bet, but if he can't strike guys out any more, look to pick up (or draft) Pat Neshek to fill the void.
The Angels' bullpen was a circus and a merry-go-round all wrapped into one last year. Finally, though, the Angels solidified their closer spot with Huston Street. Huston Street's ERA has only been higher than 3.00 four times, and three of those seasons were in Colorado. Other than that, he's been money. However... Joe Smith could step in and fill the closer role for the Angels if he has to, and he can still give you some solid fantasy stats across the board, too, whether he gets any saves or not. Over the past 4 seasons, Joe Smith has a 2.25 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 7.3 K/9. Last season, he went crazy with a 1.81 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 8.2 K/9. While with the Angels, Street's ERA was better last year (1.71), but his 1.18 WHIP was much worse than Smith's. Still, Street's stats were relatively consistent with his career numbers while Smith's seemed like more of an anomaly. Still, though, if your fantasy pitching staff needs help at all, Joe Smith is a good option.
Huston Street, Angels Closer
Huston Street should be fine as the Angels' Closer in 2015, but Joe Smith's stats were absolutely ridiculous in 2014. Even if Street keeps his job, Smith is a good sleeper pick t help your overall pitching stats.


Jenrry Mejia was such a mess at Closer last season for the Mets that there's no way he can possibly retain that job this season. Especially when a guy like Jeurys Familia is breathing down Mejia's neck, there's just no way to justify Mejia as the Mets' closer. No way. Mejia's ERA was 3.65 and Familia's was 2.21. Mejia's WHIP was a ridiculously-bad 1.48 and Familia's was a better-than-average 1.18. Mejia gave up 9 HR and Familia gave up 3. On top of all that, not only does Familia have a very marketable and brandable last name, he also hit .667 last season, going 2 for 3 at the plate. We know that doesn't matter to fantasy relief pitcher stats, but it's just another way that he as significantly better than Jenrry Mejia (who went 0 for 17).
At the time we're writing this, Jonathan Papelbon is on the verge of being traded. However, at this point he's still the Phillies' closer. If he does get traded, you can expect Ken Giles to take the closer position in Philadelphia. Even if Papelbon stays, we recommend you draft Ken Giles just to pad your pitching stats. In 45.6 innings, Giles recorded a 1.18 ERA, 12.6 K/9 and an absurd 0.79 WHIP. Draft Ken Giles as a sleeper regardless of Papelbon's situation.
Jeurys Familia, Mets Relief Pitcher
Jeurys Familia is clearly a better option at closer than Jenrry Mejia. We fully expect Mejia to relinquish his closer spot in 2015 to Familia.


The Yankees gave David Robertson the closer job last year when Mariano Rivera retired, then Robertson signed as a free agent with the Chicago White Sox. Now, the Yankees are looking at two different options: Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller. Betances, in our opinion, is the better bet. In 2014, Betances posted some seriously-ridiculous fantasy stats: a 1.40 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 13.5 K/9... and Betances is 6'8", 260 pounds, so his strikeout power is the real deal. Andrew Miller is no slouch, so he also makes a good sleeper pick in the bullpen, but we don't see him beating out Betances for the Closer role. Only Betances can beat himself - no one else will.
Dellin Betances, Fantasy Sleeper
6'8" Dellin Betances is the favorite to be the Yankees' closer in 2015. His 1.40 ERA and 0.78 WHIP in 2014 were quite convincing.
Picture
Andrew Miller is also a solid sleeper option in 2015, whether it's in case Betances doesn't pan out, or if you just need help with pitching stats in general.
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