Saves and Steals: Rondon Rising
The big news in closerland is that there’s no big news. Cody Allen has seriously hurt his stock for a second consecutive season, and we have a closer battle in Oakland. I prematurely called it in favor of Ryan Madson last week. The Reds bullpen is in a state of flux, but we already knew it was a festering heap of dung.
Last week’s Good Veterans tier has been temporarily dissolved. All three occupants merited inclusion in the Nearly Elite tier. There’s a big gap between the pitchers of the second and third tiers. Pretend there’s an empty tier between them.
On the steals front, Xander Bogaerts, Ian Desmond, Mookie Betts, Jose Altuve, and Chris Owings all tied for the best week on the bases with three steals. Jason Heyward also stole three bags, but he was caught once. Jarrod Dyson attempted three steals in his return from the disabled list. He was also caught once. Altuve remains the season leader with nine steals in 10 attempts.
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Tier 1: Elite (5)
Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Dodgers
Andrew Miller, New York Yankees
Wade Davis, Kansas City Royals
Zach Britton, Baltimore Orioles
Craig Kimbrel, Boston Red Sox
Opponents have yet to score against Jansen and Miller. Jansen recorded four saves in four innings. He allowed one hit and one walk with five strikeouts. Miller notched two saves and win in three innings of work. Davis and Britton received less work. They also held the opposition scoreless.
Let’s talk about Mr. Kimbrel. For the second season in a row, he’s scuffled through April. He allowed another two runs on Sunday, bumping him up to a 4.50 ERA in 10 innings. He’s appeared 11 times and the damage has been constrained to just two outings. I’m inclined to wave off the damage.
In fact, I’m aggressively attempting to buy wherever possible. Kimbrel still has an impressive 18 strikeouts in his 10 innings. He may not be one of the top performing closers to date, but he’ll be there at the end of the season.
Tier 2: Nearly Elite (7)
Jeurys Familia, New York Mets
Trevor Rosenthal, St. Louis Cardinals
Roberto Osuna, Toronto Blue Jays
Hector Rondon, Chicago Cubs
Mark Melancon, Pittsburgh Pirates
David Robertson, Chicago White Sox
A.J. Ramos, Miami Marlins
Familia picked up four saves in four innings this week. He did allow a run to the Braves on three hits. Luckily, he was protecting a two-run lead. Rosenthal nabbed two saves in two innings with four strikeouts.
Last Friday, Osuna allowed two runs (one earned) as part of a no-decision. He rebounded on Monday with an effortless save. Drew Storen has continued to pitch terribly – he has a 9.39 ERA in 7.2 innings.
After another flawless week, Rondon is up to six innings, four saves, 11 strikeouts, and just two hits allowed. He’s yet to walk a batter or allow a run. The numbers are elite, but his stuff doesn’t quite play with the Tier 1 crowd.
Melancon allowed a rare home run on Sunday. Although he blew the save, the Pirates went on to win in extra innings. He also had a shaky save on Friday. Melancon’s season numbers are still strong – 8.31 K/9, no walks, and a 3.12 ERA. His owners may wish to keep close tabs on Tony Watson – just in case.
Like with Rondon, there’s no questioning Robertson’s performance. He allowed his first run of the season this week in a blown save against the Rangers. Overall, he saved three games in four appearances (4.1 innings) with five strikeouts, five hits, and two walks.
Ramos is also dealing. He earned saves on each of the last three days so he’ll likely be unavailable tonight. Opponents have yet to score upon Ramos. It’s good to see him maintain a high 11.25 K/9, but he’ll need to improve upon his 6.75 BB/9. Ramos walked four batters in his first two outings of the season. I’d write that off entirely if he hadn’t issued a free pass in both of his most recent appearances.
Tier 3: The Mid-Tier (7)
Alex Colome, Tampa Bay Rays
Huston Street, Los Angeles Angels
Luke Gregerson, Houston Astros
Cody Allen, Cleveland Indians
Jonathan Papelbon, Washington Nationals
Francisco Rodriguez, Detroit Tigers
Arodys Vizcaino, Atlanta Braves
I’m a fan of Colome. I thought he was the best reliever in the Rays bullpen even before Brad Boxberger hit the disabled list. He picked up three saves in the last week. Interestingly, Colome only faced five batters to record those saves. The partial inning usage is odd since he’s been used as a multi-inning guy in the past – including earlier this season. Boxberger’s impending return muddies the waters here.
Street gave up his first run of the season via solo home run last Thursday. He still locked down the save along with another one on Saturday. Street has limited the damage against him, but the peripherals are ugly. A 1.17 ERA hides a 4.53 FIP and 5.23 xFIP. His strikeouts are way down. It’s a small sample. No need to panic.
Gregerson allowed a run and didn’t receive a save opportunity. The bigger news in Houston is Ken Giles. He coughed up three more runs and took the loss on Thursday. Gregerson is looking safer and safer. I still believe Giles will recover, but he’s a long way from pitching the ninth inning.
Allen saved and lost a pair over four appearances. He’s now allowed 7 runs in 8.2 innings with six strikeouts and five walks. His velocity is down over 1.5 mph from last season, and his whiff rate has also declined. It’s officially time to begin panicking.
Papelbon had an uneventful week en route to two saves in three appearances. K-Rod saved his only opportunity by the skin of his teeth. He began the frame with a three run lead. He allowed two solo home runs and walking two batters. He’s been on emergency family medical leave the last few days. Mark Lowe is second fiddle in the Tigers bullpen.
I’ve watched a few of Vizcaino’s outings this season – usually with rooting interests up against him. He didn’t record a save this week, but he did strike out six batters in three innings. Vizcaino has shaky command, and I’ve seen him hang at least half a dozen pitches. Nice ripe, plump, juicy hangers. Nothing’s happened with those – his stuff is that good. He has 14.14 K/9, 6.43 BB/9, and no runs allowed in seven innings. I’d move him up if I didn’t think his command was below average.
