Read on for The Game Day’s Week 8 Fantasy Closers: Depth Chart News, Saves Tips & Baseball Bullpen Report. See which MLB relief pitchers are locked in to save chances and which are in jeopardy with their job security. Keeping up with bullpen depth charts is vital for fantasy baseball teams. Identify which sleepers for saves and closers on the rise should be on your radar.
See our full 2021 Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings & Depth Charts for every MLB bullpen.
Week 8 Fantasy Baseball Closers: Depth Chart News, Saves Tips & Bullpen Report
Minnesota Twins
- Committee: Hansel Robles, Taylor Rogers, Alex Colome
So, yeah … what is going on? Hansel Robles converted the most recent save for Minnesota and punched out three batters in Tuesday’s game vs the White Sox. However, he only received the save opportunity because the Twins were losing until the 9th inning and Taylor Rogers had pitched just prior.
Alex Colome, the initial closer for Minnesota, has not allowed a run in the month of May. While he is performing better of late and looking like the Colome of recent seasons, his opportunities have come in lower leverage but according to a Twins beat writer, he is going to get those higher leverage opportunities more often moving forward. Moving back into the closer role will depend on how Rogers and Robles perform.
Definitely higher leverage. Hard to say because Rogers has been the most consistent and Robles is getting looks too.
— Brandon Warne (@Brandon_Warne) May 17, 2021
If you’re looking for a Twins reliever to roster, Rogers is already accounted for (and should remain so), but Robles and Colome are available in over 50% of Yahoo! leagues. Robles has been outperforming Colome of late and does have the converted save under his belt, so maybe Baldelli rides the hot hand here.
Over his past 4 outings, Robles has 9 K in 3.2 IP, an absurd stretch that may be the result of a pitch mix change. He’s the Twins reliever to pick up.
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San Francisco Giants
- Committee: Jake McGee, Tyler Rogers
Jake McGee is not as bad as his 4.82 ERA, and Tyler Rogers is not as good as his (0.73). However, closer jobs are results-based when neither has much of a precedent with a team.
McGee has converted 11 saves this year and will continue to receive opportunities despite his issue with the home run ball, which has allowed Rogers to slide into a complementary role. McGee’s 4 home runs over the past month are jarring despite only allowing 1 walk during that stretch.
Rogers, being the groundball aficionado that he is, has taken a step forward in limiting hard contact (<10%), but it has come at the loss of his strikeout numbers which are essentially halved from recent years.
With 3 saves over the past week, it is hard to deny that Rogers is going to be a pest to McGee managers rest-of-season, and the likelihood that this situation change is slim unless injury hits. McGee will likely be used in high-leverage when a string of lefties are due up while Rogers can be the guy for righties. Game-in and game-out things could change with no definitive closer on any given day.
The best bet is to just keep both relievers rostered and enjoy the saves they do provide.
More Fantasy Baseball Closer News
- Toronto Blue Jays reliever Rafael Dolis has been activated off of the IL and is a threat to Jordan Romano moving forward. Also, Tyler Chatwood has become one of the best relievers in baseball and could end up taking on this role regardless of the other two. Romano has looked solid in his own right since returning from injury but the Blue Jays were hesitant to hand him the role early on and would be glad to take it away at the first sign of struggle.
- Tampa Bay Rays reliever Diego Castillo was activated off of the IL last week (May 16) but has not had a save opportunity yet. In his first game back, he was placed in the 6th and pitched a full inning with 1 strikeout with no walks but allowed a home run. This may just have been a tune-up outing but keep an eye on guys like Jeffrey Springs and especially Pete Fairbanks.
