Fantasy baseball 2020 tiered relief pitcher rankings

These relievers will eat some innings but will unfortunately post higher-than-normal ratios as a result.

Matt Magill, SEA

Magill is one of three potential closers for the Mariners. Splitting his time with the Twins and Mariners last season, he posted a 4.09 ERA, 1.401 WHIP, 11.4 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 with five saves (all with Seattle). He did improve the walk rate and ERA when he joined the Mariners.

Like I said with Hirano, this is a tough division with the improvements their opponents have made. He does limit the amount of hard-hit and fly balls but he’s posted seasons with a fly ball rate over 50 percent before. If you are looking for someone with saves potential, Magill is one of them.

Andres Munoz, SD

Munoz is fourth on the reliever depth chart, but can be an effective pitcher if you’re looking for good ratios and strikeouts. In 23.0 innings, he allowed 10 runs on 16 hits and 11 walks with 30 strikeouts. He posted a 40.0 ground ball rate and 36.4 fly ball rate.

Munoz will likely be used a lot as a middle reliever. If you use holds, he’s going to be a popular pick. The saves may not be there but he’ll help with the other three pitching categories.

Hunter Harvey, BAL

Harvey looked good in his very short stint in the MLB last season. He pitched in 6.1 innings, seven games, and allowed just one home run. He struck out 11 but did issue four walks. In a division with three dangerous offenses, he’ll need to cut that down.

The downside is that he pitches for Baltimore, one of the worst teams in the league. If Harvey is named the closer, the save chances will be few and far between. But, if you are looking for strikeout and ratios help, Harvey is another arm to target late in drafts.

Tony Watson, SF

Watson had the worst season of his career last year. In 54.0 innings, he posted a 4.17 ERA, 1.259 WHIP, 6.8 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9. Even in the pitcher-friendly Oracle Park, Watson posted a 5.63 ERA and 1.333 WHIP.

The Giants have one of the worst teams in the league. The offense holds an average age of 31. The starting rotation has a lot of question marks and Watson is the oldest in the bullpen. He does have the most experience as a closer but that doesn’t mean he’ll be good.

Chad Green, NYY

The Yankees have dealt with a plethora of injuries over the last two seasons. This gave Green a chance to sign as the Yankees’ opener over the final two months of the season. In 69.0 innings, he had a 4.17 ERA, 1.232 WHIP, 12.8 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9.

Regardless on when Opening Day is, the Yankees will be without Luis Severino and possibly James Paxton. Unless they want to go with Jonathan Loaisiga as the No. 5 starter, Green could be the opener again. If not, he’ll be a middle reliever with good ratios and strikeouts and maybe even a few wins.

Wade Davis, COL

Davis was one of the best closers between 2014 and 2017. Then, he joined the Rockies and became one of the worst. Over his two years in Colorado, Davis has a 5.92 ERA, 1.380 WHIP, 10.0 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 with 58 saves.

Last season saw regression across the board, the biggest being his hard-hit rate and contact rate. With Scott Oberg pitching ahead of him, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a switch at the closer job at some point this season. If can afford the hit to your ratios, then you’ll have no problems drafting Davis.

Daniel Hudson, WSH

Hudson hasn’t been the best pitcher, whether he was starting or in the bullpen. Before last season, he had a career 3.99 ERA and 1.270 WHIP. Last season, split between Toronto and Washington, Hudson posted a 2.47 ERA, 1.137 WHIP, 8.8 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 with eight saves.

Roster Resource lists both Hudson and Sean Doolittle and the Nationals’ closers. I talk about Doolittle later. Hudson allows a few more walks and doesn’t strike out as many batters as Doolittle but he also limits the long ball. Both will be effective but Hudson may not get as many saves.

Diego Castillo, TB

The Rays have a three-headed monster in their bullpen. I already talked about one and there’s another still to come. As far as Castillo is concerned, he took a step back in some stats but was able to keep his strikeout rate the same. He finished with a 3.41 ERA and 1.238 WHIP with eight saves.

Nick Anderson is expected to be the Rays’ closer but Alvarado and Castillo should see some action in the ninth inning as well. He’ll give you a decent number of strikeouts throughout the season but the ratios aren’t going to be helpful.

Brandon Kintzler, MIA

Over his 10-year career, Kintzler has been a reliable reliever for just 1.5 of those years. In 2016 and part of 2017 with the Twins, he posted a 2.98 ERA, 1.194 WHIP, 5.6 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9. Then, things went downhill.

He joined a revamped Marlins bullpen this offseason and is expected to be the team’s closer. There are a couple of other names to look for should Kintzler start to slip, specifically Ryne Stanek. The Marlins may not provide a lot of opportunities for saves and Kintzler could be traded at some point.