Chad Green, reborn as an opener
I’ve been running this Closing Time thing for a while; every day I write the book. This is the first time we’ll be closing with an opener.
When the Yankees demoted Chad Green two months ago, that looked like the end of his 2019 fantasy value. Non-closing relievers are not wait-and-see stocks; when they start to go bad, you toss them aside like a burner phone, pick up something else.
Alas, Green is back with the club and throwing quality innings. But it’s not clear if they’ll have fantasy utility tied to them.
Green’s been up for about five weeks now, putting in solid work. Over 17 innings, he has a 2.65 ERA and 26 strikeouts against just two walks. Forget his seasonal ERA, that’s all about the horror show he was in April. He’s still a quality pitcher.
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Green has been used as an opener in six of his appearances, where he starts the game and works an inning or two. The Yankees have won all six of these games, but of course Green has no wins to show for it — that’s not how the stat works. No innings length, no soup for you.
But they’ve been dominant innings, just the same. Check Green’s last three appearances, all in that opener role: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 12 K. I have plenty of teams that will gladly use those wipeout innings, even without any chance to record a win or a save.
If you decide Green isn’t for you, I get it. There’s a modest upside to a reliever who can’t get positive decisions. Then again, he fashioned a 1.83 ERA two years ago and a 2.50 ERA last year, with 197 strikeouts over 144.2 innings. That’s delicious in some specific formats. And with Green now working as a dedicated opener, we should know ahead of time when he pitches. That has some utility, too; being able to work off a known schedule.
Green’s set to pitch Wednesday at Toronto, up against journeyman Clayton Richard. Do what you need to do. He’s free to add in 91 percent of Yahoo leagues.
Last call on Ian Kennedy
It took a while for the Royals to decide Ian Kennedy was their man in the ninth inning, but we’re certainly there now. Kennedy has a save in seven of his last eight appearances, including a clean inning against the Twins on Thursday.
His seasonal ratios aren’t dominant — 3.60 ERA, 1.27 WHIP — but that’s good enough if the handshakes are attached. At least the K/BB ratio is in his corner; 38 punchouts, just five walks, over 30 innings. He’s also keeping the ball in the park, just two homers allowed.
In the most competitive of save-grabbing formats, Kennedy is long gone. And maybe he’s not long for the Royals, a non-contending club that will be active in trade talks all summer. But as Dennis Hope would tell you, you’ve got to take what you can, when you can, while you can. Kennedy is still unclaimed in about 60 percent of Yahoo leagues.
Gallen and Alzolay pass their first tests
We had a brief word about Zac Gallen and Adbert Alzolay in the previous edition of CT. For one night, anyway, the kids are all right.
Gallen wasn’t always efficient in his 99-pitch stint, but he passed the eye test at St. Louis (5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 6 K). Three plus pitches, 10 swinging strikes. I’ll go out of my way to watch his next turn, Wednesday against eye-blacking Max Scherzer.
Alzolay had a snappy line against the Mets (4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 5 K), working in relief of Tyler Chatwood. The key to Alzolay’s max value is figuring out when he’ll pitch, or perhaps getting him moved into the rotation. Maybe the Cubs are fine to keep Chatwood as the starter, with Alzolay the secondary man. Alzolay’s next work will probably come in the Atlanta series next week.
Gallen is closing in on 50 percent rostership in Yahoo. Alzolay trades at 24 percent.
Say it again, Danny Santana
I’ve been reluctant to write about Danny Santana this year, a .263/.300/.397 journeyman with a lack of strike-zone judgment. But at some point, category juice has to override the conversation. And any player getting regular time in the Arlington undertow is worth a second look.
Santana hit three homers this week, swiped a couple of bags. That puts him up to seven homers and nine steals through 173 at-bats, with a .312/.348/.532 slash. The average could collapse at any time — eight walks, 53 strikeouts, and note his career norms — and he was basically a Mendoza guy the last two years. But if you want to sign up for a short-term rental, I can give the nod. (Note his OPS is 239 points higher at home.)
Santana qualifies at three positions (first, second, outfield), which helps us and also gives the Rangers different paths to utilize him. He’s currently rostered in 18 percent of the Yahooligan world.
