middle relief

[wannabegriffey]

Did anyone post a list similar to the starting pitcher list for the best and most promising middle relievers?

[goodwilly98]

I thought Paul was supposed to do that. I thought I read that somewhere on here. (either that, or I was hoping he would)

[Spec R]

here's a start...

Gregerson - SD
Adams - SD
Marshall - ChC
Clippard - Was
Betancourt - Colo
Romo - SF
Saito - Mil
Meek - Pitt
Benoit - Det
Hensley - Fla

[joncarlos]

We don't have the "MR Guide" this year - I don't remember who writes it but I don't think it's coming.

There are several different categories of relievers to think about.

You might have a situation like Oakland where Fuentes goes for as much as Bailey. You might have a situation like the Yankees, where the primary guy is great and there is a clear secondary guy that only interests Rivera's owner. You might have a situation like KC, where Soria is great and there's no clear handcuff. You might have a situation like the Padres where Gregerson is probably the #2, but there's another guy with great skills (Adams).

If you're looking for saves, you probably want to spend a few bucks on guys like Capps, Fuentes, Walden, Dotel/Rauch, etc.

If you're looking for the $1 guys who can give you SP-like numbers if you pair a couple of them up, that's a different category - guys like Adams, Parnell, Marshall.

[chancellor]

here's a start...

Gregerson - SD
Adams - SD
Marshall - ChC
Clippard - Was
Betancourt - Colo
Romo - SF
Saito - Mil
Meek - Pitt
Benoit - Det
Hensley - Fla

Piling on:

Kuo - LAD
Motte - StL
Uehara - Balt
M. Gonzalez - Balt
Bard - Bost
Jenks - Bost
Frasor - Tor

[onejayhawk]

I thought Paul was supposed to do that. I thought I read that somewhere on here. (either that, or I was hoping he would)

He has in the past, also Bodhizefa. Here is a link to some of the old stuff

http://forum.rotojunkiefix.com/showthread.php?134

J

[joncarlos]

OK, maybe I'll try to organize things a bit. Not guaranteeing that these are complete lists but it's a start.

Best chances for saves, $5 category: Brandon League (SEA), Brian Fuentes (OAK), Matt Capps (MIN), Scott Downs (LAA), Evan Meek (PIT), Jake McGee (TBR), Octavio Dotel (TOR)

Best chances for saves, $1 category: Jordan Walden (LAA), Sean Burnett/Tyler Clippard (WSH), Joel Peralta (TBR), Matt Lindstrom (COL), Kenley Jansen (LAD), Jon Rauch (TOR)

Best chance for ratios, $5 category Luke Gregerson (SDP), Hong-Chi Kuo (LAD)
Best chance for ratios, $1 category Bobby Parnell (NYM), Mike Adams (SDP), Clay Hensley (FLA)

Best chance for Ks, $5 category Daniel Bard (BOS), Aroldis Chapman (CIN), Joaquin Benoit (DET), Evan Meek (PIT)
Best chance for Ks, $1 category Chris Sale (CHW), Sean Marshall (CHC)

[Moonlight J]

Joel Peralta
Joel Peralta
Joel Peralta

[Fresno Bob]

OK, maybe I'll try to organize things a bit. Not guaranteeing that these are complete lists but it's a start.

Best chances for saves, $5 category: Brandon League (SEA), Brian Fuentes (OAK), Matt Capps (MIN), Scott Downs (LAA), Evan Meek (PIT), Jake McGee (TBR), Octavio Dotel (TOR)

Best chances for saves, $1 category: Jordan Walden (LAA), Sean Burnett/Tyler Clippard (WSH), Joel Peralta (TBR), Matt Lindstrom (COL), Kenley Jansen (LAD), Jon Rauch (TOR)

Best chance for ratios, $5 category Luke Gregerson (SDP), Hong-Chi Kuo (LAD)
Best chance for ratios, $1 category Bobby Parnell (NYM), Mike Adams (SDP), Clay Hensley (FLA)

Best chance for Ks, $5 category Daniel Bard (BOS), Aroldis Chapman (CIN), Joaquin Benoit (DET), Evan Meek (PIT)
Best chance for Ks, $1 category Chris Sale (CHW), Sean Marshall (CHC)

nice stuff!

[pjs24]

It's coming tomorrow... mine is at least.

[Trautdiggity]

OK, maybe I'll try to organize things a bit. Not guaranteeing that these are complete lists but it's a start.

Best chances for saves, $5 category: Brandon League (SEA), Brian Fuentes (OAK), Matt Capps (MIN), Scott Downs (LAA), Evan Meek (PIT), Jake McGee (TBR), Octavio Dotel (TOR)

Best chances for saves, $1 category: Jordan Walden (LAA), Sean Burnett/Tyler Clippard (WSH), Joel Peralta (TBR), Matt Lindstrom (COL), Kenley Jansen (LAD), Jon Rauch (TOR)

Best chance for ratios, $5 category Luke Gregerson (SDP), Hong-Chi Kuo (LAD)
Best chance for ratios, $1 category Bobby Parnell (NYM), Mike Adams (SDP), Clay Hensley (FLA)

Best chance for Ks, $5 category Daniel Bard (BOS), Aroldis Chapman (CIN), Joaquin Benoit (DET), Evan Meek (PIT)
Best chance for Ks, $1 category Chris Sale (CHW), Sean Marshall (CHC)

Not sure why hensely isn't a good chance for saves as well. nunez ate it last year and is being given another chance, meanwhile Hensley did well in the closer's role down the stretch and stands to get chances if/when nunez sucks again

[onejayhawk]

It's coming tomorrow... mine is at least.

:attention::angel:

J

[joncarlos]

Not sure why hensely isn't a good chance for saves as well. nunez ate it last year and is being given another chance, meanwhile Hensley did well in the closer's role down the stretch and stands to get chances if/when nunez sucks again

Didn't say he wasn't a good chance. Just said he wasn't the best chance I'd probably say he's closer to the $5 category after last season, and in that group there are options I like better. And overall, if you look at Nunez' peripherals, they're actually very good.

David Hernandez/Sam Demel are good options too. Chapman is also a good guy for saves. But not everyone makes the "top" list.

[pjs24]

Not sure why hensely isn't a good chance for saves as well. nunez ate it last year and is being given another chance, meanwhile Hensley did well in the closer's role down the stretch and stands to get chances if/when nunez sucks again

I think you're selling Nunez a bit short here. He was pretty damn good except for August where he gave up 10 ER in 10 IP. Otherwise he didn't yield more than 5 ER in any other month. He had dominant strikeout and K/BB rates throughout, too. His lowest month from a K standpoint was 9 in 11 IP in June, but he still only walked three. I think he's a bit of a sleeper at closer this year. The top end of closers dries up quickly and then it's just riddled with question marks making the "Don't Pay for Saves" mantra a suspect one this year. In that heap of closers after the first two cuts, Nunez is someone I would eye as he tends to be overlooked as many feel like you do about his 2010 season.

Even at mid-3.00, his ERA isn't going to do much damage (if any depending on league type) with 65 innings. Meanwhile reliever WHIPs are massively overrated so even if he crept up to 1.30 or a bit above, he would barely dent a team WHIP with his innings total. (From my Closer Tiers - "Take Marmol’s awful 1.46 WHIP in 2009 and add it to a standard team with 1250-1300 innings and it increases the WHIP by approx. 0.01.")

[joncarlos]

OK, here's a quick list. I'm looking for 3 things:

-control isn't awful (4 BB9 or less)
-ground ball rates
-strikeout rates

Rather than exclude anyone with a low GB% or a low K9 I just created a formula to combine them (K9 * (2*GB%)).

Excluding anyone who had 10 saves last year, setting a minimum of 20 IP in the majors in 2010, and sorting by the K9 * GB category, here's the list I get:

*Note, Aroldis Chapman had a 72% GB rate, 12+ K9 and 3.4 BB9 in 13 innings. He would be #1 on this list by a country mile if he qualified.

Chris Sale
Sean Marshall
Manny Parra
Craig Stammen
Ryan Madson
J.J. Putz
Luke Gregerson
Esmil Rogers
Clay Hensley
Randy Choate
Sean Burnett
Bobby Parnell
Nick Masset
Darren Oliver
Evan Meek
Cristhian Martinez
Joba Chamberlain
Daniel Bard
Jason Frasor
Mark Melancon
Eric O'Flaherty
Kameron Loe
Sam Demel
Ryan Webb
Mike McClendon
Matt Belisle
Scott Downs

This would probably be getting dangerously close to xFIP but if you use (K/BB * (2*GB)) you get this list:

Wilton Lopez
Matt Belisle
Ryan Madson
Luke Gregerson
Bobby Parnell
Jim Johnson
Cristhian Martinez
J.J. Putz
Darren Oliver
Scott Downs
Sean Marshall
Kameron Loe
Sean Burnett
Chris Sale
Joba Chamberlain
Craig Stammen
Manny Parra
Justin Germano
Robbie Weinhardt
Tim Stauffer
Sam Demel
Ryan Webb
Esmil Rogers
Clay Hensley