Aroldis Chapman is Back in New York: Fantasy Fallout

The Yankees and fantasy owners gear up for Aroldis Chapman’s return. Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances should not be effected, however.

With the 30 game suspension over for closer Aroldis Chapman, the New York Yankees are left with some flip flopping to do in their bullpen. Chapman will assume the closer role, while now former closer, Andrew Miller will assume the duties as the set man. We can’t forget about the Yanks other set up man, Dellin Betances. He will now assume the role has the 7th inning man if it comes to it late in a game. What fantasy impact can this have on your team for the rest of the season?

Yankees fans knew this was coming eventually. Aroldis Chapman has now returned and taken over the closer role. The Yankees have not been shy to use him already. Chapman already pitched in his first two games eligible back from his domestic violation related suspension this week. So far, he has pitched two innings, given up an earned run, to go along with three strikeouts and a save in his first opportunity. Yankee fans certainly look forward to the new edition they have in Chapman.

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Aroldis Chapman will also be a nice boost for fantasy owners out there. He is no longer rotting on your bench or in free agency. If he is, change that immediately. Chapman has been an all-star each of the past seasons. Seasons in which he has recorded a total of 69 saves, to go along with over 200 strikeouts. We all know what the Yankees southpaw’s arm is capable of, consistently throwing triple digits in terms of velocity.

With the return of Chapman, comes the demotion of the Yankees other lefty hurler, Miller. He did not appear to be phased by his demotion to the Yanks set up man. He was constantly telling the media that he knew this was coming and that he believes it is what is best for the organization. Hard to disagree with, as the Yankees are in desperate need of wins at the moment. They currently stand at the bottom of the AL East. A division expected to be one of the most competitive in baseball this year.

Miller appears ready to be New York’s new setup man. With him being so accepting of the notion, fans and owners hope it won’t be much of an adjustment and hope he can continue his dominance for the Yankees. Miller, last season and so far this season, has been nothing shy of great. Last season Miller converted 36 of 38 save opportunities all while posting a 2.04 ERA and 100 strikeouts. This season, Miller is 2-0 with six saves and 23 Ks. Miller not getting save opportunities should not steer you away from the him. The lefty still has much gain.

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If your league has the option, he can still record holds, which are extra points. Even if your league does not have that option, Miller is still worth keeping. He has proven to be an elite reliever, which is hard to come by. Relievers can often times be the down fall for your match-up. However, Miller will still accumulate a lot of strikeouts, which keeps his value very high in my opinion.

Last, but certainly not least, who can forget Betances. He has been so valuable to the Yankees organization the past couple seasons. He has been the setup man for the Bombers recently and has proven to be one of the best relievers in baseball. He is very much a shut down pitcher with his ability to strike batters out. Betances too has been an all-star each of the past two seasons.

Since 2014, where he really began surging, Betances has recorded an overall 1.45 ERA and 266 strikeouts. These are eye-opening stats for the young right hander. He has also recorded 10 saves in that time to go along with numerous holds while he was traditionally the setup man.

Betances will still have direct fantasy impact for your team for those of you who have them. He may not be recording saves or holds as often now, but with the amount of strikeouts and opportunities he will receive, he can be of great value to your squad. We all know any of these three pitchers can be closing for any given team in the MLB today. Luckily for the Yankees, however, they have all three.

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With the arrival of Aroldis Chapman in the Bronx, this will help out all parties. It should also mean in some instances, more rest for the Yankees relievers. It is not up to Miller and Betances alone any longer to close out the game. I also have no doubt that each of these pitchers will see opportunities to get save chance as well as opportunities to get holds as the season rolls on. All three are still strikeout monsters with potential for a large accumulation of points.

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