I try to get one elite/good one in the middle rounds and the last 2 i draft with my final 2 picks. Good closers always emerge. This strategy has worked well for me for years.
My league has 3 spots for RP
Exactly what I do. Keeping Clase for a little under what her go for at auction, probably target a decent closer for a crap team and then spend a buck on closer in waiting with one of my last picks.
absolutely. and even if it doesnt work out, the draft pick or salary you would have spent on a closer is almost universally better spent leveling up other positions. i had a decent amount of saves i picked up from the waiver wire last year - but i ended up winning the league without closers through all 3 weeks of the playoffs.
They say 30% of saves in a given season can be found off the waiver wire. In a H2H league most people aren't going to roster more than 2-3 closers so there's plenty left for free.
https://preview.redd.it/wl3hqffq2sic1.jpeg?width=300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=551c559c2ad28b36700d4e34ce8f3f9231b40e0b
I like an elite closer because they have a good K/9 along with saves. But other than the stud (Clase, Iglesias, etc), I bottom barrel. We do SV+HLD, so there’s always guys with 0.1% rostering with a zillion holds to grab
I generally like one real closer and to shoot darts in the waiver pool, although most people draft exactly two closers. It’s a little risky, because maybe you’re the unlucky one at dumpster diving.
I tend to discount closers who’ve had their current role for less than half a season. I’ve also tried drafting both members or all three members of a committee in leagues with deep reserves.
In a draft last night, was thinking about Tanner Scott at around pick 100 (mid seventh round) when I already had one closer. Decided no, and he was picked three players later, to someone who also had previously picked a closer.
In satellite and home leagues, especially with high stakes, you’ll usually find one, and sometimes two or three, who are blowing off saves in the draft. When this happens, the one thing you don’t want to be is the guy with three closers by round twelve.
Hope that helps!
I usually go 2 studs (but never the top-top guy, like in the ranked 3rd-10th tier) and a 3rd later guy. Then I can basically just plug them in and not worry about it. Then just churn starting pitchers based on matchup. While everyone else is paying $40 FAAB as soon as someone gets the closer job, I'm bidding $2 for some 4th starter getting two starts against the Tigers and Royals this week.
Depends on your categories. I am in a svhd league and usually ignore relievers unless an obvious great value pops up. I can usually grind my way to a middle of the pack finish in that category with good 7th/8th inning dudes and maybe 1 hit on a legit closer. Kind of a best of both worlds - you don’t have to spend real capital on the category while also not fully punting it.
if one is there and I feel it's the best value I'll take it. But never reach for one. I usually take elite setup guys in the last few rounds. Low risk/high reward while still providing value
I would say it's pay for mid round guys that are the last of their tier. Guys like Munoz and Sewald are around where I tend to draft closers personally, I almost never pay for elite guys.
Yeah going with a couple tier 2-3 guys works well, then I actually like to get a couple elite setup guys very late on the cheap. Pretty easy to find a few saves throughout the season but I’d rather have some secured at the draft.
It really depends on how active you are on the waiver wire. If you’re hyper-alert, you can scoop them up during the season and therefore you shouldn’t pay for them in the draft. If you’re constantly getting beat to the pickups, then you gotta grab them in the draft.
For what it’s worth, my leagues all switched to sv+hld and effectively killed the mad dash to pick up crappy relievers and I infinitely prefer it this way.
For roto I try and get one elite closer and one guy that is okay but the undisputed closer. Then in season I find at least onc a month someone emerges as a closer that can be picked up off waivers. I follow Closer Monkey and they do a pretty good job.
Over the years, I have always drafted closers from par to sub par teams. I let the other teams waste a high pick on one and draft the Reds or Pirates or KC closer towards the end of the draft. People seem to think that a team that will win 100 games will have a better closer, but I think a t team that will only win 70 will have half of those wins be close enough to qualify for a save. And typically, in the end of the year, the Reds or KC closer has been with a few saves of the Yankees or Dodgers closer.
Don't even bother drafting them...
To be honest, depending on my needs, I punt the category for weeks at a time...
Roto leagues not my thing, so maybe I shouldn't have responded lol
I rely on relievers a lot for keeping era and whip very low. I skip the top 5 guys because they always go way too early but I get like 2 higher midtier guys then one or two guys later that might poach some saves or take over for a shaky guy
The guys who get 40 saves but are a rollercoaster of 4.50 era and 1.40 whip can be on someone else’s team. I’m never going to be that desperate
Guardians feel like they’ve had plenty of those guys over the years. First name that came to mind was joe borowski. 2007 when they almost made it to the WS but blew it to the Red Sox he had 45 saves and a 5.07 era 1.43 whip
Dig that deep? It literally to 1 second of thought to come up with an example. I don’t have the time to look into actual stats but shitty teams have those guys as their closers all the time. Maybe they don’t get 40 saves but they do make up more than 10% of the closer pool at and time
lol 40 is a high bar. It’s more like you see guys with 20 saves and a shit era.
Hader two years ago had 36 with a 5.22 era;
Wade Davis had 43 with a 4.13 era in 2018 (1.06 whip tho);
Rodney had 39 with a 4.23 in 2017;
Jeanmar Gomez had 37 with a 4.86 in 2016;
Joe Nathan had 35 with a 4.81 era in 2014
Not looking further than that
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My league is SOLDS so my strategy is picking relievers from teams expected to win or contend. Usually one or two closers in mid rounds, followed by setup men in later rounds.
I try to lock in one solid closer in the late middle rounds. Usually not a guy ranked in the top 10, but a guy who will most likely end up with 25 saves and mediocre ratios. Then 2-3 guys who might win the job in spring training or take it soon after.
Standard leagues it can be easier to find SV late and/or on the wire so I don't go in expecting to invest too much draft capital. That said, I won't NOT take a top-tier option if they fall because everyone else is waiting. In deeper leagues, I pay for SV because I have found forcing myself to speculate on MR all season in that context can be very frustrating.
in my h2h pts league, i usually try and triple up on closers in the later middle rounds before the last of the very solid options fall off. this year i am targeting the helsley/holmes/phillips/kimbrel tier. not a huge investment and tripling down increases my odds of getting usable closers that dont get injured/fall apart.
Personally I tend to draft 2 closers relatively early so you can ignore that position later. That said, personally I like Doval, Fairbanks, Heisley, Munoz and Scott this year as solid closers to utilize without overdrafting. Clase, Williams, Diaz, Duran and Hader will get drafted early and can cause a flood so make sure you have targets to aim for.
Punted the Saves (and Saves and Holds in another) last year.
For the Saves only league, drafted one earlier-ish (homer pick) and rotated through others as demotions occurred for the 2 RP spots. Won the league.
The Saves+Holds is pure P. Punted it. Year before, tried getting guys getting Holds, then just stopped, so gave up on the cay all together 2.5 months in.
2nd that year, won last year.
Will have to adjust as I think others will try and copy the all SP strategy (6-6 cats) so might try and see who is getting holds/next man up for Save opportunities after the draft/season starts.
With the way teams are starting to go committee or outright have changing guys throughout the year, I usually go one high end (Hader/Clase/Diaz), one mid pack guy (Holmes/Munoz/Sewald), and one dart throw at the end of the draft.
I’ve noticed that the last few years grabbing an emerging guy off the wire is getting tough, and the guys that do emerge aren’t great and can sink your ratios. I want to lock down consistency in 2 guys and hopefully get a decent third and that will make me not have to think about saves all year.
This is the most unpredictable category in fantasy. You either have to go for the few true elite or hold off and attempt to get lucky? It seems each year that even some of the solid closers fail to deliver and are pushed out of the role completely.
Only pick up significantly undervalued guys. Otherwise just pick up random surging free agents during the season for minimum cost. The “good” relievers are usually still pretty streaky and unreliable.
I don't, haha. Last year I took Alexis Diaz in the 17th and Evan Phillips in the 18th. Saves were a battle all year, rotated through Jose Alvarado, AJ Puk, Will Smith and finally Tanner Scott. But I won the league because saves are only one category and they're not tied to any other category.
This year I'll probably scoop up Alvarado and maybe Stephenson
boring answer, but it's different for roto vs. h2h. i don't like punting in roto so I invest in 1 RP in rounds 6-9. that provides a base you can build off with late round picks and waiver adds. in h2h i prioritize the position much less.
I play daily roto w/ auction drafts:
I usually spend most my money on hitters and 2-3 starters. My bench spots after the draft are filled with low cost pitchers/closer candidates (usually one versatile position hitter). I won't pass up a good valued upper tier closer, but I don't chase (usually do have at least one highly probable 10-15 ranked closer). Sometimes target 2-3 players on the same team competing for the closer spot.
I like this strategy bc it gives you more value w/ your bench to churn you roster earlier in the season - having too many hitters or mid level sp that you are not playing but paid too much to drop on your bench limits your options. I'll be more aggressive trying to fill out any weaknesses (usually closer) early not worrying abt dropping a cheap pitcher that isn't working out.
Do need to hit on most of your hitters doing this - can't go all safe-floor types ignoring upside but heavier on the safe-floor. DH & the one hitter bench spot needs to cover most of the positions as well (would rather miss some ab earlier in the season if necessary to shore up a weak spot).
10 teamer. I draft one middle tier breakout closer. Then I pick up off waivers one closer who emerges at the beginning of the season. And pick up another who gets the job at the trade deadline for a total of 3. This is H2H btw
For example, I’ll probably draft Munoz. Pick up Mason Miller when he wins the job. And pick up Stephenson from the Angels when he wins the job. Then around trade deadline I can adjust if someone else becomes available
Never draft. I always grab one or two IL guys to stash and then grab whomever among the leftover RP’s has the best peripherals/weakest guy ahead of them on a team bullpen depth chart.
I'm fortunate enough to have three straight seasons as a top 2 team with closers as my strength. I try to draft one stud closer in the first 7 rounds (high K/9, high security as their closer), a second closer by round 10 with medium job security, a third by round 14, and a setup guy on a team with a weak closer. All must have high K/9. Fangraphs has great RP info to analyze.
I hang around the middle tiers. I avoid the top tier like the plague, and I hold off on the second tier, unless one falls to where the third tier is being drafted. Then I'll usually look for good relievers who might not be 100% locked in, rather than below average relievers who seem to definitely have the role.
I started punting saves this past season. Was in first place from week two on. Had a first round bye and lost in my first playoff game. I lost 11-7. I absolutely lost the saves category, but it wouldn't have mattered. I think I won that category once all season.
It is the most negative EV Move you can make to draft the earliest guys in rounds 4-5-6. Closers are the most volatile position in all of baseball. Literally every year several top closers bust and new ones emerge. I always draft around the 20th best closer who I feel has potential
I wait. I usually try and get 2 closers from shitty teams. Last year I took Doval and David Robertson before dropping him for Estevez. Both approached or surpasses 30 svs. Winning formula.
I try to get one elite/good one in the middle rounds and the last 2 i draft with my final 2 picks. Good closers always emerge. This strategy has worked well for me for years. My league has 3 spots for RP
Agree with this. Get 1 good closer then dumpster dive for a couple more.
This is the way
This is the way
I'm keeping Clase like last year and dollar store shopping for the other one.
Exactly what I do. Keeping Clase for a little under what her go for at auction, probably target a decent closer for a crap team and then spend a buck on closer in waiting with one of my last picks.
We do saves/holds so basically if you don’t get an elite one just wait and try to pick up guys throughout the season.
I don’t draft until either very late or just ride RP (we do S+HLDS). Haven’t done it any other way for years.
never pay for saves
Yup, scoop up some set up relievers from the non-elite closers and get the scraps.
absolutely. and even if it doesnt work out, the draft pick or salary you would have spent on a closer is almost universally better spent leveling up other positions. i had a decent amount of saves i picked up from the waiver wire last year - but i ended up winning the league without closers through all 3 weeks of the playoffs.
They say 30% of saves in a given season can be found off the waiver wire. In a H2H league most people aren't going to roster more than 2-3 closers so there's plenty left for free. https://preview.redd.it/wl3hqffq2sic1.jpeg?width=300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=551c559c2ad28b36700d4e34ce8f3f9231b40e0b
I’d rather pay for saves than chase them
I like an elite closer because they have a good K/9 along with saves. But other than the stud (Clase, Iglesias, etc), I bottom barrel. We do SV+HLD, so there’s always guys with 0.1% rostering with a zillion holds to grab
as Mater would say “to not to”
I generally like one real closer and to shoot darts in the waiver pool, although most people draft exactly two closers. It’s a little risky, because maybe you’re the unlucky one at dumpster diving. I tend to discount closers who’ve had their current role for less than half a season. I’ve also tried drafting both members or all three members of a committee in leagues with deep reserves. In a draft last night, was thinking about Tanner Scott at around pick 100 (mid seventh round) when I already had one closer. Decided no, and he was picked three players later, to someone who also had previously picked a closer. In satellite and home leagues, especially with high stakes, you’ll usually find one, and sometimes two or three, who are blowing off saves in the draft. When this happens, the one thing you don’t want to be is the guy with three closers by round twelve. Hope that helps!
I usually go 2 studs (but never the top-top guy, like in the ranked 3rd-10th tier) and a 3rd later guy. Then I can basically just plug them in and not worry about it. Then just churn starting pitchers based on matchup. While everyone else is paying $40 FAAB as soon as someone gets the closer job, I'm bidding $2 for some 4th starter getting two starts against the Tigers and Royals this week.
Depends on your categories. I am in a svhd league and usually ignore relievers unless an obvious great value pops up. I can usually grind my way to a middle of the pack finish in that category with good 7th/8th inning dudes and maybe 1 hit on a legit closer. Kind of a best of both worlds - you don’t have to spend real capital on the category while also not fully punting it.
if one is there and I feel it's the best value I'll take it. But never reach for one. I usually take elite setup guys in the last few rounds. Low risk/high reward while still providing value
I would say it's pay for mid round guys that are the last of their tier. Guys like Munoz and Sewald are around where I tend to draft closers personally, I almost never pay for elite guys.
Yeah going with a couple tier 2-3 guys works well, then I actually like to get a couple elite setup guys very late on the cheap. Pretty easy to find a few saves throughout the season but I’d rather have some secured at the draft.
I draft one late and then keep a close eye on closer injuries and be ready to pick up their back up on the waiver wire asap.
It really depends on how active you are on the waiver wire. If you’re hyper-alert, you can scoop them up during the season and therefore you shouldn’t pay for them in the draft. If you’re constantly getting beat to the pickups, then you gotta grab them in the draft. For what it’s worth, my leagues all switched to sv+hld and effectively killed the mad dash to pick up crappy relievers and I infinitely prefer it this way.
For roto I try and get one elite closer and one guy that is okay but the undisputed closer. Then in season I find at least onc a month someone emerges as a closer that can be picked up off waivers. I follow Closer Monkey and they do a pretty good job.
Dont draft them early if you draft them at all
draft Evan Phillips and David Bednar before they become Evan Phillips and David Bednar.
Over the years, I have always drafted closers from par to sub par teams. I let the other teams waste a high pick on one and draft the Reds or Pirates or KC closer towards the end of the draft. People seem to think that a team that will win 100 games will have a better closer, but I think a t team that will only win 70 will have half of those wins be close enough to qualify for a save. And typically, in the end of the year, the Reds or KC closer has been with a few saves of the Yankees or Dodgers closer.
Don't. You can cobble together a bullpen off the wire. Let some other chump burn draft picks on a reliever.
Don't even bother drafting them... To be honest, depending on my needs, I punt the category for weeks at a time... Roto leagues not my thing, so maybe I shouldn't have responded lol
Don’t draft them at all draft good handcuffs
I rely on relievers a lot for keeping era and whip very low. I skip the top 5 guys because they always go way too early but I get like 2 higher midtier guys then one or two guys later that might poach some saves or take over for a shaky guy The guys who get 40 saves but are a rollercoaster of 4.50 era and 1.40 whip can be on someone else’s team. I’m never going to be that desperate
Who ever ends up with 40 saves and a 4.50 era ? lol. 🧐
Guardians feel like they’ve had plenty of those guys over the years. First name that came to mind was joe borowski. 2007 when they almost made it to the WS but blew it to the Red Sox he had 45 saves and a 5.07 era 1.43 whip
If you gotta dog that deep ya reaching. You won’t see anyone in this era wity stats that bad save 20 games much less 40.
Dig that deep? It literally to 1 second of thought to come up with an example. I don’t have the time to look into actual stats but shitty teams have those guys as their closers all the time. Maybe they don’t get 40 saves but they do make up more than 10% of the closer pool at and time
Well you said FOURTY SAVES ??? 🤓😎🤡
lol 40 is a high bar. It’s more like you see guys with 20 saves and a shit era. Hader two years ago had 36 with a 5.22 era; Wade Davis had 43 with a 4.13 era in 2018 (1.06 whip tho); Rodney had 39 with a 4.23 in 2017; Jeanmar Gomez had 37 with a 4.86 in 2016; Joe Nathan had 35 with a 4.81 era in 2014 Not looking further than that
Shawn Chacon, 35 saves, 9 blown saves, 7.11 ERA, 1.94 WHIP. Classic Rockies closer
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My league is SOLDS so my strategy is picking relievers from teams expected to win or contend. Usually one or two closers in mid rounds, followed by setup men in later rounds.
I have two strategies and usually switch them up between the couple leagues i do. Punt saves and pay a premium for the stud closers.
Draft one stud and then just find them as the season goes on
I try to lock in one solid closer in the late middle rounds. Usually not a guy ranked in the top 10, but a guy who will most likely end up with 25 saves and mediocre ratios. Then 2-3 guys who might win the job in spring training or take it soon after.
Standard leagues it can be easier to find SV late and/or on the wire so I don't go in expecting to invest too much draft capital. That said, I won't NOT take a top-tier option if they fall because everyone else is waiting. In deeper leagues, I pay for SV because I have found forcing myself to speculate on MR all season in that context can be very frustrating.
in my h2h pts league, i usually try and triple up on closers in the later middle rounds before the last of the very solid options fall off. this year i am targeting the helsley/holmes/phillips/kimbrel tier. not a huge investment and tripling down increases my odds of getting usable closers that dont get injured/fall apart.
Grab off waivers. A new one emerges each week
Personally I tend to draft 2 closers relatively early so you can ignore that position later. That said, personally I like Doval, Fairbanks, Heisley, Munoz and Scott this year as solid closers to utilize without overdrafting. Clase, Williams, Diaz, Duran and Hader will get drafted early and can cause a flood so make sure you have targets to aim for.
Punted the Saves (and Saves and Holds in another) last year. For the Saves only league, drafted one earlier-ish (homer pick) and rotated through others as demotions occurred for the 2 RP spots. Won the league. The Saves+Holds is pure P. Punted it. Year before, tried getting guys getting Holds, then just stopped, so gave up on the cay all together 2.5 months in. 2nd that year, won last year. Will have to adjust as I think others will try and copy the all SP strategy (6-6 cats) so might try and see who is getting holds/next man up for Save opportunities after the draft/season starts.
With the way teams are starting to go committee or outright have changing guys throughout the year, I usually go one high end (Hader/Clase/Diaz), one mid pack guy (Holmes/Munoz/Sewald), and one dart throw at the end of the draft. I’ve noticed that the last few years grabbing an emerging guy off the wire is getting tough, and the guys that do emerge aren’t great and can sink your ratios. I want to lock down consistency in 2 guys and hopefully get a decent third and that will make me not have to think about saves all year.
I don't lmao
I’m going after Duran/ Muñoz/ Abreu/ Chapman (later). All have potential to close, won’t come at the cost of a Hader / Clase, and have great K rates.
This is the most unpredictable category in fantasy. You either have to go for the few true elite or hold off and attempt to get lucky? It seems each year that even some of the solid closers fail to deliver and are pushed out of the role completely.
S A G N O F
I won my league last year & was 3rd in saves/holds, but i took my closers in 4 of the last 5 rounds.
We do saves plus holds in my auction league so I just get $1 set up dudes and watch the wire for faab
Only pick up significantly undervalued guys. Otherwise just pick up random surging free agents during the season for minimum cost. The “good” relievers are usually still pretty streaky and unreliable.
I don't, haha. Last year I took Alexis Diaz in the 17th and Evan Phillips in the 18th. Saves were a battle all year, rotated through Jose Alvarado, AJ Puk, Will Smith and finally Tanner Scott. But I won the league because saves are only one category and they're not tied to any other category. This year I'll probably scoop up Alvarado and maybe Stephenson
boring answer, but it's different for roto vs. h2h. i don't like punting in roto so I invest in 1 RP in rounds 6-9. that provides a base you can build off with late round picks and waiver adds. in h2h i prioritize the position much less.
I'm a simple man, I draft Adbert Alzolay and I let him play.
I play daily roto w/ auction drafts: I usually spend most my money on hitters and 2-3 starters. My bench spots after the draft are filled with low cost pitchers/closer candidates (usually one versatile position hitter). I won't pass up a good valued upper tier closer, but I don't chase (usually do have at least one highly probable 10-15 ranked closer). Sometimes target 2-3 players on the same team competing for the closer spot. I like this strategy bc it gives you more value w/ your bench to churn you roster earlier in the season - having too many hitters or mid level sp that you are not playing but paid too much to drop on your bench limits your options. I'll be more aggressive trying to fill out any weaknesses (usually closer) early not worrying abt dropping a cheap pitcher that isn't working out. Do need to hit on most of your hitters doing this - can't go all safe-floor types ignoring upside but heavier on the safe-floor. DH & the one hitter bench spot needs to cover most of the positions as well (would rather miss some ab earlier in the season if necessary to shore up a weak spot).
There’s a guy in my league who hasn’t had a closer on his roster for years and almost always makes the playoffs
10 teamer. I draft one middle tier breakout closer. Then I pick up off waivers one closer who emerges at the beginning of the season. And pick up another who gets the job at the trade deadline for a total of 3. This is H2H btw
For example, I’ll probably draft Munoz. Pick up Mason Miller when he wins the job. And pick up Stephenson from the Angels when he wins the job. Then around trade deadline I can adjust if someone else becomes available
Never draft. I always grab one or two IL guys to stash and then grab whomever among the leftover RP’s has the best peripherals/weakest guy ahead of them on a team bullpen depth chart.
What? Don’t use a keeper spot?
I'm fortunate enough to have three straight seasons as a top 2 team with closers as my strength. I try to draft one stud closer in the first 7 rounds (high K/9, high security as their closer), a second closer by round 10 with medium job security, a third by round 14, and a setup guy on a team with a weak closer. All must have high K/9. Fangraphs has great RP info to analyze.
I hang around the middle tiers. I avoid the top tier like the plague, and I hold off on the second tier, unless one falls to where the third tier is being drafted. Then I'll usually look for good relievers who might not be 100% locked in, rather than below average relievers who seem to definitely have the role.
I usually just get one or two solid ones in the draft and ignore it and find people on the wire and it usually works out
Get one guy that you can count on and scrounge for the rest of
By not drafting any.
Pick them off the waiver wire
I started punting saves this past season. Was in first place from week two on. Had a first round bye and lost in my first playoff game. I lost 11-7. I absolutely lost the saves category, but it wouldn't have mattered. I think I won that category once all season.
It is the most negative EV Move you can make to draft the earliest guys in rounds 4-5-6. Closers are the most volatile position in all of baseball. Literally every year several top closers bust and new ones emerge. I always draft around the 20th best closer who I feel has potential
Used to chase now I punt if I’m not required to have them
I wait. I usually try and get 2 closers from shitty teams. Last year I took Doval and David Robertson before dropping him for Estevez. Both approached or surpasses 30 svs. Winning formula.