Rays Alex Colome Top Notch RP in 2017: Fantasy Outlook

By Brad Kelly | Nov 20, 2016

May 15, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Alex Colome (37) throws a pitch against the Oakland Athletics at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Alex Colome turned out to be one of the best closers in baseball for the Rays. Can he keep things going heading into 2017?

The old adage in fantasy baseball is too never reach for Saves, and Alex Colome is one of the key examples of why that adage holds weight. Colome went from Rays’ swing man, to stud set-up man, to top fantasy closer. But, can he repeat the success next season?

Alex Colome actually singed with the Rays in 2007, and was a considered a top-50 starting pitcher prospect. He was not terrible as a starter, but routinely bounced back and forth between the pen and rotation. He carved out a solid role with the club in 2015, becoming a vital swing man, but made the permanent move to the bullpen as the Rays needed him once Brad Boxberger went down.

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All Colome did, was become one of the best RP in baseball posting a, 1.91 ERA/ 37 SV/71 K/1.02 WHIP, over 56 IP. He was purely dominant, and the only thing that held him back, was the Rays’ struggles to win games. That may be a problem again in 2017, but expect Colome to continue his dominance.

Armed with a 95+ mph fastball, and a nasty cutter as well, Colome challenges hitters and wins for the most part. He only walked 15 batters last season, and had his 11.3 SO/9, ranks among the best in the league. The Rays have thought about shipping him, and it is easy to see why other teams would try to pry him away.

Next season, he will easily rank in the top-10 RP. The key will be if the Rays can make the right additions to at least allow him more than 40 SV opportunities, keep in mind he only blew three last season. Colome’s 1.91 ERA obviously stands out, and it ranked among the best, and his 2.92 FIP supports his success.

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As long as he does not get dealt, Colome shapes up to be one of the best RP picks in 2017. Team aside, Colome carries enough value to standalone, and confidently be selected. We saw Fernando Rodney do it for years with Tampa , and Colome is nearly is a spitting image. Draft him aggressively.

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