Fantasy baseball 2020 tiered relief pitcher rankings

This tier features solid relievers but have someone in the way that could eat into their save chances.

Keone Kela, PIT

Kela had a good first full season in Pittsburgh. He recorded a 2.12 ERA, 1.011 WHIP, 3.3 BB/9 and 10.0 K/9. There was someone else in the closer role last season but has been removed from the team and I will not mention his name. Kela is expected to take over the job.

Kela is a good reliever with decent ratios and limited runs against him. The downside is that the Pirates are going to be horrible this season. The rotation is alright and the bottom of the lineup is bad. Don’t expect many saves from Kela.

Giovanny Gallegos, STL

In his first full season, Gallegos was solid out of the Cardinals bullpen. Over 74.0 innings, he posted a 2.31 ERA, 0.811 WHIP, 1.9 BB/9 and a 11.3 K/9. Carlos Martinez was the team’s closer last season but he’s expected to be back in the rotation.

The Cardinals have a good bullpen with reliable arms even with three relievers on the IL, Brett Cecil, Jordan Hicks and Andrew Miller. Alex Reyes is also starting the season in the minors. This leaves Gallegos as the de facto closer. He’ll be worth drafting for the ratios. Any saves he racks up is an added bonus.

Archie Bradley, ARI

After failed attempts to be a full-time starter, the Diamondbacks transitioned to the bullpen and has been effective. He finished 2019 with a 3.52 ERA, 1.437 WHIP, 4.5 BB/9 and 10.9 K/9. It wasn’t pretty but he recorded 18 saves.

The Diamondbacks also have a solid bullpen but there isn’t a name I see there that could do a better job in the role. Bradley needs to get back the control he had in 2017 and 2018, walk rates at 2.6, and he’ll move into the top-15 conversation.

Jose Leclerc, TEX

The Rangers set Leclerc up to be the Rangers closer, especially after trading away Kela. However, he could not stay consistent. Leclerc finished April with an 8.44 ERA. He was able to settle down and finish with a 4.33 ERA, 1.325 WHIP, 5.1 BB/9 and 13.1 K/9 with just 14 saves.

Leclerc will be the Rangers closer again this season. The Rangers don’t have much depth in the bullpen, so his job is safe for now. If he can’t fix his walk rate, the Rangers may have to find another closer to end the season. With a 173 ADP, there is some risk with Leclerc.

Hansel Robles, LAA

The Angels had a hard time finding a closer over the last two seasons. Robles posted a 2.48 ERA, 1.018 WHIP, 2.0 BB/9 and 9.3 K/9 with 23 saves. He will be the revamped Angels’ closer to start the season, but it may not last long.

With Robles, fantasy owners need to make a decision about his 2020 projections. Does he repeat his 2019 performance or does he regress back to his time with the Mets? Unfortunately, I think it’s the latter. I tend to believe the track record as opposed to the one-season wonder.

Sean Doolittle, WSH

Doolittle should start the season as the Nationals’ closer but if he repeats his 2019 performance, Daniel Hudson could take over. Doolittle saw his ERA jump over two runs, his WHIP and walk rate doubled and his strikeout rate decreased.

He is also entering the last year of his contract. So, if the Nationals may be looking to move on from Doolittle and make the switch to Hudson. He has a 188 ADP, 16th round in 12-team leagues, making him a low-end RP2 but I would look elsewhere for saves.

Brandon Workman, BOS

Workman was a middle reliever for the Red Sox for the first two months of the season. Then, out of nowhere, he was earning saves and pitching in high-leverage situations. It was an easy decision as Workman was the team’s best relief pitcher. He finished with a 1.88 ERA, 1.033 WHIP and 16 saves.

The walk rate is a big concern as he had a 5.7 BB/9 but he was able to post a 13.1 K/9. Workman will start the season, whenever that is, as the Red Sox closer. However, if he doesn’t fix his control issues, he may not last long.