SAGNOF: Paul Sewage – Razzball Fantasy Baseball

What’s poppin, Razzpimples?!

Remember to bookmark that Razzball Bullpen Chart, y’all! I update it obsessively.

Also, if you’re a sub (you should be a sub…it’s great value), you get access to RP Projections and the super badass Relievonator Game Log tool, in addition to all the other awesome tools we have to offer. Hittertron and Streamonator, etc.

Let’s do it to it.

Note: All stats and Player Rater values are accurate through Sunday’s games.

Player Rater Top 20 (5×5 Standard)

Player Rater Top 20 (6×6 w/ Holds)

2024 SVHD Leaders

Weekly Saves Leaders

Weekly Holds Leaders

Weekly Blown Saves Leaders :'(

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Howdy, pards. Took last week off whilst on a mini-vacation in Austin, TX. Purty cool town, I must say. Still, tuck Fexas. WOO PIG!

Arizona Diamondbacks:

• In copying/pasting my article from two weeks ago, I said that Paul Sewald was trending the right way. LMAO that aged well. I mean, he was, but then all of a sudden he wasn’t. At all. He’s almost completely out of the high-leverage picture for Zona now after stinking up some box scores. Headlining this week’s SAGNOF closer column for the wrong reasons, I’m afraid. Ryan Thompson (2 SV, 1 HLD this week) seems to be the best bet for SV, while any one of him/AJ Puk/Kevin Ginkel/Justin Martinez are solid bets for SVHD for the time being. Martinez actually led the way with 2 HLD and 7 K with dandy SwStr%/CSW% metrics.

Atlanta Braves:

• Joe Jimenez and Raisel Iglesias each had 1 SV. There were a few holds to go around, including one from a dude who used to be a stud setup guy in Atlanta but then was in San Fran for a little while: Luke Jackson. He pitched pretty well (5 K, 1 ER). Still like AJ Minter best here ROS. Maybe that’s dumb of me, but whatever. His stuff was bitchin this week and he’s proven to be an elite asset in the past.

Baltimore Orioles:

• Yennier Cano snagged 1 SV this week, getting the call on a night Craig Kimbrel needed some rest. Or is there a little more going on here? Is Kimbrel going Paul Sewald on us? Time will tell, I s’pose. He’s walking everyone under the sun all of a sudden…Anywho, Cionel Perez led the team with 2 HLD this week. Dude’s boring but if Cano sees more 9th inning, then Perez probably sees more holds.

Boston Red Sox:

• Not a lot to report here other than Chris Martin is on the mend and could be activated as early as tomorrow. I reckon he’d go back to top setup guy.

Chicago Cubs:

• Hector Neris had 1 SV and also 1 L. Kind of a typical Neris week this year. Looks to have a grasp on the closing gig again, at least. If’n you’re after holds, Porter Hodge is the safest option at the moment. I don’t love him, I just don’t really think anyone else is worth much of a ding dang darn. Julian Merryweather has been asstastic since finally making his season debut a couple weeks back.

Chicago White Sox:

• Really can’t think of a reason to recommend a White Sox arm anymore. Hard-pressed even in AL-only. John Brebbia has been the most reliable guy all year, but here’s what his line looked like this week: 1 IP, 4 H, 6 ER, 1 HR, 3 BB, 0 K. Lol.

Cincinnati Reds:

• Alexis Diaz 2 SV but 0 K. Underwhelming 2024 season continues. Fernando Cruz 1 HLD with horrendous ratios/metrics. Ah well.

Cleveland Guardians:

• Cade Smith is climbing the Player Raters after earning 1 W and 1 HLD this week, striking out 4 in 3.2 scoreless. Pretty big fan of his these days. Emmanuel Clase pitched well but no decisions. Hunter Gaddis also no decisions and sadly didn’t pitch all that great. If you’re still holding Scott Barlow I think he’s a safe drop by now.

Colorado Rockies:

• Victor Vodnik 2 SV, 1 W, 3 K in 3 scoreless. Tyler Kinley 1 SV, 2 HLD, also 3 K in 3 scoreless. Vodnik might still be on your wire and should get a least a few SV ROS? Wouldn’t bother with Kinley in any format if I could help it, truth be told.

Detroit Tigers:

• Remember back in April when it felt like the Tigers had the greatest bullpen alive? They all suck now. Jason Foley earned a win but was garbage while doing it. Definitely droppable if there’s remotely a source of saves on your wire, and there just ain’t enough holds to go around for anyone.

Houston Astros:

• Josh Hader 3 SV, 3 K. The metrics say the stuff was good, but he also walked 3 and gave up another homer. Bryan Abreu 1 W, 2 HLD, 5 K. He was great. Ryan Pressly 2 HLD, 1 BS. He was fine. Basically sums up my opinions of them ROS.

Kansas City Royals:

• There were 3 SV spread across three RP in KC this week: James McArthur and Hunter Harvey were part of that mix. Neither one really stood out, though. Been a disappointing start to Harvey’s Royals career. McArthur is also kind of not the closer anymore…at least not by himself. It was freakin Lucas Erceg who actually stood out the most: 3 HLD, 3 K over 2.1 scoreless/hitless/walkless. Wouldn’t even be surprised to see him get a chance at a save in the near future. This is the kind of dude I’d go ahead and drop a Foley type for. If it doesn’t pan out, what did you lose?

Los Angeles Angels:

• Sans Carlos Estevez and Luis Garcia, it stood to reason (and there were reports to back it up) that Ben Joyce would handle closing duties. So naturally it was Hunter Strickland instead. He converted one, and then promptly blew the next two. Meanwhile, Joyce had 2 HLD and then got his own SV. Struck out a pair and didn’t allow a run. If Joyce is still on your wire, grab him. Harley, if you’re reading, and I know you are because you can’t help yourself, *hat tip*.

Los Angeles Dodgers:

• Didn’t think there’d be a point where I didn’t know what to say about the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen. Four different dudes got holds: Michael Kopech, Daniel Hudson, Blake Treinen, Anthony Banda. And it was surprisingly Banda who got the only Dodger SV. Even earned himself a -0.75 SIERA for the week. I don’t wanna overreact to him yet, but sure looks like he’s climbing that depth chart mighty quick. Kopech struck out 4, smearing dark red cells across my spreadsheet in the metrics department: 66.7 K%, 0 BB%, 28.1 SwStr%, 40.6 CSW%. In the past, all that’s meant is he sucks it up for about two weeks afterward. Maybe playing for a winner is bringing out his A-game. And then there’s Alex Vesia, who finally looked primed for a breakout I thought would come three years ago, but now the SVHD, WHIP, BB%, and SwStr% are trending the wrong way. Evan Phillips, meanwhile, is trending back the other way a lil bit: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 43.8 SwStr%, 68.8 CSW%. Aaaaand Brusdar Graterol just got activated (and Treinen put back on IL). What a mess! My heart is whispering that eventually it’s Phillips back in the 9th and Graterol taking the 8th, just like how it should have been all season long.

Miami Marlins:

• I pegged Andrew Nardi as the Marlins RP to roster after the departure of Tanner Scott. In one sense, it was a good call, cuz he racked up 3 HLD and 7 K in 3 scoreless. So if heeded my words in a SVHD format, you’re welcome. On the flip side, he didn’t sniff the ninth, and I figured he’d be the next closer. It was Calvin Faucher who converted a save, but overall he had a crappy week, putting up doo doo ratios and getting saddle with a BS+L. I don’t think he’s closer material, if I do say so myself. My money’s still on the Nard Dog.

Milwaukee Brewers:

• Devin Williams hath returned! Sadly he didn’t get a save opp. Pitched well enough in his lone inning of work. Trevor Megill and Bryan Hudson have hit the IL, so the setup dude to own for the time being is probably Jared Koenig…or maybe it’s former Rockie Nick Mears, who looked pretty electric at times, striking out 5 in 3.2 IP. Both have seen later-inning work lately.

Minnesota Twins:

• Griffin Jax scooped 2 HLD, striking out 5 in 3 scoreless. Metrics were purty. Love that guy. Jhoan Duran didn’t earn a decision but impressed with a 21.7 SwStr%. If you’re like me and thought Brock Stewart might come back into the SVHD picture, he’s back on the IL cuz he sucked and clearly wasn’t actually ready.

New York Mets:

• Edwin Diaz 1 SV, 2 K. Just pitched 1.1 IP but was awesome at it. Jose Butto had 1 SV and 5 K over 5 IP. Probably has a place on SVHD rosters while Dedniel Nunez is out. Ryne Stanek had 1 HLD and 1 BB in just 0.2 IP. I can’t shake the feeling that I don’t like Stanek at all with the Mets. He had little competition in Seattle, but the Mets have at least a couple guys (Maton/Butto) who will eat into his holds.

New York Yankees:

• Clay Holmes 2 SV but also 2 BS. Despite 9 BS already in 2024, his job has never really been in question. Roll with him and hope for the best. If it’s any consolation. he only allowed 1 ER this week and had great metrics: 19 SwStr% and 38.1 CSW%. Both Luke Weaver and Tommy Kahnle had 3 HLD, while Mark Leiter Jr had 1 W and 1 HLD.

Oakland A’s:

• Mason Miller has been on the IL with a broken pinky. He’s facing live hitters and isn’t too far away.

Philadelphia Phillies:

• The only SVHD went to Jose Alvarado, even though he’s like my fifth-favorite name back there now. Carlos Estevez should get the heavier closing workload, but Jeff Hoffman is probably still an option as well. Then for holds, I’d take Matt Strahm next and Orion Kerkering after that.

Pittsburgh Pirates:

• David Bednar 2 SV but ugly 9.00 ERA and 3.50 WHIP. At least the CSW% broke the 30% milestone (30.2). I feel pretty okie dokie if a dude hits 30%+. Aroldis Chapman had 1 W, 1 HLD, and 1 BS, striking out 7 in 3 IP. Metrics were lovely. I still like him in SVHD formats, I won’t lie. Colin Holderman did what I thought was nigh impossible: earned 5 BS+L within a 7-day period. Got smacked around and was hit with 3 L and 2 BS. Woooooof.

San Diego Padres:

• Robert Suarez 1 W, 1 SV, 3 K in 2 sensational IP. Did nothing wrong. Tanner Scott 1 HLD, 2 K with dark red metrics. Jason Adam had 1 W. Jeremiah Estrada can be dropped in almost all formats. RIP.

Seattle Mariners:

• No SVHD this week from Seattle. Andres Munoz still rocked it: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 36.8 CSW%.

San Francisco Giants:

• Ryan Walker, Erik Miller, and Tyler Rogers all had 1 HLD and kept runs off the board. Doval didn’t pitch.

St. Louis Cardinals:

• Ryan Helsley 1 SV, 1 BS, 1 L, 0 K. Despite no strikeout, the whiffs were pretty good. JoJo Romero 1 W, 1 HLD, 3 K. Maybe getting sat for a while rejuvenated him, cuz he sure looked much better. Another week like this and I’ll be back on the JoJo Train. No Andrew Kittredge at all. Hasn’t made an outing since July 28.

Tampa Bay Rays:

• Pete Fairbanks 1 SV, 2 K. Big time SwStr% and CSW%. Hope that trend continues. Colin Poche 1 HLD in just 0.1 IP. Few other guys with holds (even a couple with 2 HLD) but I’m not reading much into that yet. Poche is the SVHD guy to own.

Texas Rangers: 

• Kirby Yates 2 SV, 3 K. Leads everyone with 9 SV over the last month of action. Redemption szn continues and I love to see it. David Robertson 2 HLD, 3 K. Josh Sborz 2 HLD, 2 K.

Toronto Blue Jays: 

• Chad Green is officially the only Blue Jay I give a single hoot or holler about now. He had 1 SV and 1 HLD, striking out 4 over 3.2 scoreless. I’m in a nerdy RP-only league and somehow that dude was on the wire still. SCOOPED.

Washington Nationals:

• Mighta been wrong about Robert Garcia. Pressure might be getting to him. He ain’t the third wheel anymore, and second wheel is too daunting. Kyle Finnegan had 2 SV and atrocious ratios. I expected lots of saves with mid numbers in 2024; we’ve mostly gotten lots of saves with great numbers. Reckon it’s time for him to come back down to Earth and pitch so poorly his ratios regress back to the mean.

That’s all for this week! Thanks for reading. Leave me a comment below so I feel all warm and fuzzy.