In this week’s Closer Report, Josh Hader has been the best closer in baseball through the first half of action amid one of his best seasons. Andrés Muñoz gets back on the board with his first save since June 8. And Randy Rodriguez could be the best closer-in-waiting to stash.
Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings
Tier 1: At the Top
Josh Hader – Houston Astros
Another excellent week on the mound for Hader. He recorded the final out for the save against the Cubs on Friday, then tossed a clean inning for the save on Sunday. He then gave up a solo homer before holding on for his 24th save against the Rockies on Tuesday. Setup man Bryan Abreu is having an outstanding season behind Hader, recording 21 holds with a 1.59 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and a 60/19 K/BB ratio across 39 2/3 innings.
Tier 2: The Elite
Andrés Muñoz – Seattle Mariners
Edwin Díaz – New York Mets
Aroldis Chapman – Boston Red Sox
Jhoan Duran – Minnesota Twins
Emmanuel Clase – Cleveland Guardians
Robert Suarez – San Diego Padres
Muñoz was in a tough spot this week, making two appearances in extra innings and allowing the runner on second to score in each outing, taking a blown save on Friday and a loss on Saturday. He bounced back with a clean save on Wednesday, striking out one batter against the Royals, his first save since June 8.
Díaz struck out one batter in a scoreless frame against the Braves last Thursday, then converted a clean four-out save with three strikeouts against the Brewers on Wednesday to give him 17 saves with a 1.91 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and a 49/12 K/BB ratio across 33 innings.
Chapman struck out two batters in a clean inning in a non-save situation against the Blue Jays on Sunday. He then struck out one in a perfect frame for his 15th save against the Reds on Wednesday. He’s now gone 15 straight appearances without allowing an earned run.
Duran struck out one batter in a clean inning to pick up his 12th save against the Tigers on Friday, then converted his 13th with a scoreless frame Wednesday against the Marlins. In Cleveland, Clase also made just one appearance, striking out two in a perfect inning of work in a non-save situation against the Cardinals on Sunday.
After completing his suspension, Suarez worked around two walks to convert a save against the Reds on Saturday, then gave up two runs on four hits and a walk to blow the save and take a loss on Sunday. He held on for a save on Wednesday despite giving up a run against the Phillies.
Tier 3: The Solid Options
Mason Miller – Athletics
Devin Williams – New York Yankees
Tanner Scott – Los Angeles Dodgers
Trevor Megill – Milwaukee Brewers
Félix Bautista – Baltimore Orioles
Will Vest – Detroit Tigers
David Bednar – Pittsburgh Pirates
Daniel Palencia – Chicago Cubs
Camilo Doval – San Francisco Giants
Emilio Pagán – Cincinnati Reds
Ryan Helsley – St. Louis Cardinals
Carlos Estévez – Kansas City Royals
Jeff Hoffman – Toronto Blue Jays
Pete Fairbanks – Tampa Bay Rays
Kyle Finnegan – Washington Nationals
Miller had a good week on the mound as he looks to get on track, picking up back-to-back saves against the Rays in Tampa on Monday and Tuesday. As mentioned in last week’s report, Miller’s skills suggest he could get things right and ascend to the elite tier again. Much of the same can be said for Williams, who tossed a clean inning with one strikeout for a save on Friday before taking a loss Wednesday against the Blue Jays.
Scott converted two saves this week against the Rockies and Royals. He’s up to 18 with a 3.46 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and a 42/6 K/BB ratio across 39 innings. Michael Kopech might’ve been able to work into occasional save chances, but he landed on the 15-day injured list with right knee inflammation.
Megill gave up a run to blow the save against the Rockies on Sunday in his only appearance this week. Meanwhile, Bautista gave up a solo homer against the Rays on Sunday and tossed a scoreless inning Monday against the Rangers in a pair of non-save situations.
Vest tossed a pair of perfect innings, picking up his 13th save against the Twins on Sunday. The 30-year-old right-hander has posted a 2.37 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and a 42/10 K/BB ratio across 38 innings. And in Pittsburgh, Bednar converted his 12th save to go with a 2.73 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and a 42/9 K/BB ratio across 29 2/3 innings.
The Palencia breakout season continues in Chicago. He collected three more saves this week. The 25-year-old right-hander has posted a 1.74 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and a 35/11 K/BB ratio across 31frames.
After giving up five runs over his two previous outings last week, Doval bounced back with a clean inning, striking out two batters for his 13th save against the White Sox on Friday. However, he faltered again Wednesday, giving up a two-run homer to blow the save against the Diamondbacks before falling in line for the win with a scoreless tenth inning. Randy Rodríguez had been the most valuable middle reliever in baseball behind Doval, leading qualified relievers with a 1.6 WAR while posting a 0.72 ERA across 37 2/3 innings.
In Cincinnati, Pagán worked a scoreless inning against the Padres on Sunday to fall in line for a win. Meanwhile, Helsley also pitched a scoreless inning in his lone appearance, converting his 16th save on Saturday against the Guardians.
Estévez pitched a pair of perfect innings, appearing in a non-save situation last Thursday against the Rays before picking up his 23rd save against the Mariners on Tuesday.
It’s been a tumultuous season for Hoffman in his first season as a full-time closer, but he had a good week on the mound with three saves to give him 20 on the season. Setup man Yimi García was activated from the injured list on Wednesday after missing roughly six weeks with a shoulder issue.
Fairbanks needed just four pitches to record the final two outs for a save against the Royals last Thursday. He then took a loss on Monday, giving up two runs against the Athletics before bouncing back with two strikeouts in a clean inning on Tuesday. With Fairbanks unavailable on Wednesday, Edwin Uceta struck out three batters while giving up one run to convert his first save of the season. And for the Nationals, Finnegan tossed three scoreless innings on Sunday against the Angels, striking out two batters and falling in line for the win.
Tier 4: Here for the Saves
Shelby Miller – Arizona Diamondbacks
Kenley Jansen – Los Angeles Angels
Dylan Lee/Raisel Iglesias – Atlanta Braves
Matt Strahm/Orion Kerkering/Jordan Romano – Philadelphia Phillies
Robert Garcia/Luke Jackson – Texas Rangers
Miller gave up one run against the Marlins on Saturday to blow a one-run lead before bouncing back with a clean four-out save with two strikeouts against the Giants on Monday. Miller is working as the primary closer for the Diamondbacks, and despite a 2.04 ERA, is 10-for-15 in save chances.
Jansen gave up a run to blow the save against the Nationals on Sunday before tossing a scoreless inning in a non-save situation against the Braves on Tuesday. Those Braves saw no save chances this week as they search for consistency in the ninth inning. Lee did have a rough outing, giving up three runs to take the loss against the Angels on Tuesday. In Philadelphia, Strahm worked the only save for the Phillies this week, working around a hit and a walk for his fifth of the season on Sunday against the Braves. In another committee situation, neither Garcia nor Jackson worked any saves for the Rangers this week.
Tier 5: Bottom of the Barrel
Calvin Faucher/Ronny Henriquez – Miami Marlins
Seth Halvorsen – Colorado Rockies
Grant Taylor – Chicago White Sox
Relievers On The Rise/Stash Candidates
Randy Rodríguez is already one of the top setup men in baseball. He’s also one of the better closers-in-waiting, given the inconsistent nature of closer Camilo Doval. Rodríguez has posted a 0.72 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and an incredible 53/8 K/BB ratio across 37 2/3 innings. His 33.1% K-BB rate trails only Josh Hader and Griffin Jax among qualified relievers and is significantly better than Doval’s 12.2%. Without a dominant lineup, the Giants tend to play in plenty of close games. And once they get back on track in line for wins, Rodríguez could benefit from occasional save chances, much like Doval and Ryan Walker to start the season. Another NL West reliever, Kyle Backhus was promoted by the Diamondbacks from Triple-A in early June after posting a 2.22 ERA with a 33% strikeout rate in the minors. The 27-year-old left-hander has made nine appearances, giving up one run with a 10/2 K/BB ratio so far. While he hasn’t shown enough to warrant a pickup in most leagues, he could be someone worth monitoring.
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