The Upper Clase of Closers
David Bednar and Emmanuel Clase traded places in this week's closer tiers. While Bednar has seen his strikeout rate drop this month, Clase's has been steadily rising over the season. Three scoreless outings this week extends his scoreless streak to 13 games. In the steals department, T.J. Friedl and Maikel Garcia provide a pair of options on the waiver wire producing on the bases.
Tier 1: Untouchable
Felix Bautista - Baltimore Orioles
Alexis Díaz - Cincinnati Reds
Bautista got two save chances this week against the Mariners. He blew the first save, then came back the following night throwing harder than he has all season, touching 103 miles per hour on his fastball while striking out the side on Sunday for his 21st save. Meanwhile, Díaz recorded two more saves, giving him 22 on the season. Though his walks are making a return. He walked four batters to two strikeouts over his last three outings, giving him a 16.7 percent walk rate in June. Still, he remains in the top tier with Bautista, holding a 1.80 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 57 strikeouts over 35 innings. Both Bautista and Díaz have played a significant role in their team's success this season.
Tier 2: The Elite
Camilo Doval - San Francisco Giants
Josh Hader - San Diego Padres
Emmanuel Clase - Cleveland Guardians
Devin Williams - Milwaukee Brewers
Doval led all relievers this week with four more saves to his tally, giving him 23 on the year to lead the National League. The 25-year-old right-hander has been lights out all season, posting a 1.95 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 52 strikeouts over 37 innings. He's carried over his 10.5 percent walk rate from last season but has overcome it with an increase in his strikeout rate.
Hader remains at 18 saves after getting shut out from save chances this week. He's been fantastic this season, posting a 1.26 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 42 strikeouts across 28 2/3 innings.
Clase joins this tier after notching a pair of saves to give him the lead in baseball with 24. He had some issues early this season, particularly with his strikeout rate. But he's only improved as the season progresses, raising his strikeout rate every month. It's at 34.9 percent for June, supported by an elite 20.7 percent swinging-strike rate. With the strikeouts back, Clase is well deserving of a tier upgrade.
Williams added a win a pair of saves, giving him 15 on the season. His strikeout rate is down a bit from 2022. But he's been just as effective, posting a 1.63 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 37 strikeouts over 27 2/3 innings. He'll need to tame his 13.3 percent walk rate to avoid some regression over the rest of the season.
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Tier 3: The Solid Options
Jordan Romano - Toronto Blue Jays
David Bednar - Pittsburgh Pirates
Carlos Estevez - Los Angeles Angels
Paul Sewald, Andrés Muñoz - Seattle Mariners
Jhoan Duran, Jorge Lopez - Minnesota Twins
Romano gave up a solo homer in a tie game against the A's to take the loss on Saturday. He followed up with his 23rd save on Sunday, striking out the only batter he faced.
Bednar drops down to this tier, switching places with Emmanuel Clase. He notched his 15th save this week. While his 2.6 percent walk rate remains the best in baseball, he's seen his strikeout rate dip to 15.8 percent in June with a 12.8 percent swinging-strike rate after leading baseball with a 21.3 percent mark through the first two months.
Estévez earned the win on Monday, then recorded his 20th save while giving up a run on four hits on Tuesday. He's been otherwise lights out over the last two months and holds a 1.91 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 41 strikeouts across 33 innings on the season.
Incredibly, three of Duran's last four outings have come in save situations. He got two this week, converting both to give him 11 saves with a 1.45 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 42 strikeouts over 31 innings.
Tier 4: There’s Upside Here
Ryan Pressly - Houston Astros
Will Smith - Texas Rangers
Kenley Jansen - Boston Red Sox
Pete Fairbanks - Tampa Bay Rays
Pressly made a two-inning outing on Sunday to fall in line for the win against the Dodgers. He's battled some inconsistency, especially early in the season. But his underlying numbers remain as strong as they've been over the last several years. Even his 16.6 percent swinging-strike rate suggests an improvement coming to his 26.7 percent strikeout rate.
Smith has been outstanding since taking over as the primary closer late in April. Eleven of his 14 saves have come since the start of May. The 33-year-old veteran left-hander is 14-for-15 in save chances with a 2.73 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, and 33 strikeouts across 29 2/3 innings.
Jansen earned a save against the White Sox on Friday, striking out one batter in a clean inning. He took the loss the following day, giving up a run on two hits. The 35-year-old veteran closer has been solid overall, getting the job done with a 3.08 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts over 26 1/3 innings while going 16-for-19 in save chances.
Fairbanks has worked as the primary closer, getting all of the save chances for the Rays since his return from the injured list. He recorded two saves and took a loss this week. While his surface stats are strong, with a 1.65 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP, his 22.6 percent strikeout rate and nine percent swinging-strike rate remain a concern.
Tier 5: Just Getting By
Raisel Iglesias - Atlanta Braves
A.J. Puk - Miami Marlins
Evan Phillips, Caleb Ferguson - Los Angeles Dodgers
Jordan Hicks, Giovanny Gallegos - St. Louis Cardinals
Alex Lange - Detroit Tigers
David Robertson, Adam Ottavino - New York Mets
Michael King, Clay Holmes - New York Yankees
Andrew Chafin, Miguel Castro, Scott McGough - Arizona Diamondbacks
Three more saves for Iglesias this week. He's up to 13 this season. Puk also recorded three saves, giving him 12. Meanwhile, the Dodgers are finding a little consistency, giving Phillips a pair of saves. He's up to 11 on the year with a 1.97 ERA and a 31.6 percent strikeout rate across 32 frames. Hicks has completely taken over as the primary closer in St. Louis, converting five consecutive save chances. He locked down two this week. Lange recorded his 12th save. His 14 percent walk rate has made him a volatile closer with a 3.69 ERA and 1.20 WHIP across 31 2/3 innings. Robertson earned a save. After getting off to a fast start, he has just 11 on the season so far.
The Yankees continue to be an absolute crapshoot on a daily basis. Five different relievers have recorded a save for the team over the last two weeks. King has the most recent, giving him five on the season, while Holmes leads the way with nine.
McGough appeared to take over the primary closer role in Arizona. He locked down a save this week but blew his opportunity on Wednesday. The team could easily turn to Chafin or Castro for the next one.
Tier 6: If You Must
Justin Lawrence - Colorado Rockies
Craig Kimbrel - Philadelphia Phillies
Kendall Graveman/Keynan Middleton - Chicago White Sox
Scott Barlow - Kansas City Royals
Adbert Alzolay/ Mark Leiter Jr. - Chicago Cubs
Kyle Finnegan/Hunter Harvey - Washington Nationals
Trevor May - Oakland A's
Three saves this week for Lawrence, who has been a pleasant surprise out of Colorado. He's up to five this season with a 2.93 ERA across 43 innings. Kimbrel has been excellent in June, giving up only one run over 12 innings with a 42.6 percent strike rate to a 6.4 percent walk rate. Graveman blew a save chance on Saturday. Middleton followed the next day with his second save of the season. He's up to two with a 2.33 ERA and a 32.7 percent strikeout rate across 27 innings. Middleton makes for a decent speculative pickup.
Injured
Liam Hendriks - Elbow Inflammation
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Steals Department
Ronald Acuña Jr. added five steals this week. And he's just playing on a whole other level. The 25-year-old superstar is hitting .331/.408/.585 with 19 homers and 36 stolen bases across 368 plate appearances. You don't typically consider a first-round pick a league winner, but Acuña might just be an exception. The advantage he's provided to fantasy teams has been incredible. Esteury Ruíz still leads the majors with 40 after adding three this week, but Acuña is right on his heels. TJ Friedl ran wild this week with six steals. While he's been mostly on the strong side of a platoon in Cincinnati, he tends to lead off when he starts against right-handers. Friedl is hitting an excellent .320/.388/.498 with six homers, 31 runs scored, 31 RBI, and 14 steals across 232 plate appearances. And he's available in 62 percent of Yahoo leagues. Maikel Garcia is also widely available in 65 percent of Yahoo leagues. He's been playing regularly at third base for the Royals and has stolen 11 bases over 187 plate appearances while hitting .266/.321/.367.
