Fantasy Baseball American League Closer Report: Which Relievers are Trending Up and Down?
Looking at closers from each American League team as June heats up.
We just looked at fantasy baseball closers in the National League, and are now going to turn our attention to American League closers.
Here's the last AL closer update we did.
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Yankees
Devin Williams is back as the Yankees' closer with Luke Weaver out with an injury.
Williams has four saves and a hold this month, while allowing just one run over 4 2/3 innings. He has a 2-2 record, nine saves, a blown save and seven holds on the season. His 5.68 ERA over 25 1/3 innings is where he's struggled.
He's getting the save chances for now, which makes him a good fantasy asset. Williams is rostered in 85% of leagues, but will likely need to retain the closer role after the return of Weaver to get back to 100%.
Blue Jays
Jeff Hoffman is still the go-to closer in Toronto.
Over 31 appearances and 30 innings, Hoffman is 5-2 with 17 saves and three blown saves. He's got a 5.70 ERA, but 43 strikeouts helps offset some of the runs allowed.
He's at 92% rostered, and would need a string of scoreless appearances and saves to get to 100%.
Rays
Pete Fairbanks leads the Rays with 13 saves - the team has 17 overall.
He has a 3-1 record and two blown saves over 29 appearances. Fairbanks has a 2.22 ERA over 28 1/3 innings, along with 25 strikeouts.
Fairbanks is rostered in 73% of fantasy leagues right now and is slightly trending down. With lower strikeout totals, Fairbanks might never get close to 100%, unless he's delivering scoreless appearances and racking up a bunch of saves.
Red Sox
Aroldis Chapman is up to 12 saves all of a sudden.
He has four saves over seven June appearances. Chapman is 3-2 with a blown save and a hold over 32 appearances this season. He has a 1.55 ERA and 39 punchouts over 29 innings.
Chapman is on the rise and is now rostered in 82% of fantasy leagues. He's a good fantasy asset already with all the strikeouts, so he's a good add in all leagues.
Orioles
Felix Bautista has 13 saves this season, with three over his past three appearances.
He's 0-1 with just one blown save on the year. Bautista has a 3.18 ERA over 22 2/3 innings, along with 30 punchouts.
He'd be a better fantasy asset if he could get some more save chances. While Bautista has three saves in a row, he has just one save (and appearance) since June 8. His 89% own mark is probably a bit too high given his sporadic appearances.
Tigers
Will Vest looks like the go-to guy for the Tigers for now.
Vest has four saves and a win over six June appearances. He's 5-0 with 12 saves, two blown saves and a hold over 31 games overall. Vest has a 1.83 ERA over 34 1/3 innings, along with 36 punchouts.
Tommy Kahnle hasn't earned a save since June 4. He's got no wins or losses, eight saves overall, three blown saves and nine holds over 29 appearances and 30 innings. Kahnle has a 1.50 ERA and 26 strikeouts as well.
Vest is the guy you want to roster for now, with Kahnle still being a pretty good fantasy asset. Vest is at 77% rostered, while Kahne sits at 46%.
Twins
Jhoan Duran has cooled off after a fantastic month of May.
He has one save over four June appearances. Duran is 4-1 with 10 saves, a blown save and a hold over 32 total appearances. He has a 1.15 ERA over 31 1/3 innings, along with 37 punchouts.
Duran is rostered in 98% of leagues, but that might drop if the save chances don't start piling up again.
Guardians
Emmanuel Clase is up to 14 saves for Cleveland.
He's 4-0 with two saves and a hold over 30 appearances this season. Clase has a 3.41 ERA over 29 innings, along with 31 strikeouts.
Clase hasn't allowed a run since May 24, so he's back to being one of the elite closers in the game again. Enjoy that success after a slow fantasy start for Clase.
Royals
Carlos Estevez has 19 saves so far for Kansas City.
Over 29 appearances, he's 2-1 with three blown saves. He's covered 29 2/3 innings and sits with a 1.82 ERA and 27 strikeouts.
Estevez is rostered in 91% of leagues now, and it will keep creeping closer to 100% with more strong pitching.
White Sox
Chicago still doesn't have a locked-in closer, and the team is nowhere near good enough to support one.
Grant Taylor is the most-owned White Sox' reliever, and he's at 3%. He is the team's No. 6 prospect, so that's more why he was added.
Astros
Josh Hader gave up a run in his last appearance, which is big news considering how well he's pitched overall.
He's 2-0 with 18 saves and still no blown saves. Hader has pitched in 27 games and covered 29 innings. Hader has a 1.55 ERA and 45 strikeouts.
Hader is one of the top fantasy relievers in the game, and is someone to hang on to all year.
Mariners
Andres Munoz has 18 saves for the Mariners.
He's 2-0 with four blown saves as well. Munoz has just one save since May 24, but is still one of the elite options in the game. He's got 36 strikeouts and a 1.30 ERA over 27 2/3 innings so far.
If you don't believe in Munoz for the long haul, selling him high right now makes a lot of sense. He's a good fantasy asset, so make sure you're getting a good return.
Rangers
Luke Jackson still leads the Rangers with eight saves, but Robert Garcia is at five saves and closing.
Jackson hasn't had a save since April 25, so his fantasy value has dried up. He's been working the sixth inning of late.
Garcia has four saves and a blown save over his past five appearances. Overall, he's 1-3 with two blown saves and 10 holds in 31 appearances. He has 26 strikeouts over 27 innings and a 3.00 ERA.
Garcia is the Texas fantasy reliever you want to own right now. He's just at 25% owned, but could see that increase with each save he earns. Jackson is down to 17%, and Chris Martin (23%) has passed him.
Angels
Kenley Jansen is up to 14 saves and he continues to serve as the go-to closer in LA.
He's 1-2 and hasn't blown a save yet this year across 25 appearances and 22 2/3 innings. Jansen has a 4.37 ERA and 19 strikeouts, so he's only rostered in 65% of leagues.
Jansen is a fine deep-league option, but there's likely several better options available in standard leagues.
Athletics
Mason Miller's struggles have continued, but he remains the go-to guy for the Athletics, for now.
He's 0-2 with 13 saves and two blown saves over 24 appearances this season. Miller has a 5.55 ERA over 24 1/3 innings, but his 41 strikeouts help offset his bad ERA.
Miller is down to 96% rostered, and that will continue to drop if he can't lower his ERA and start earning some more saves. He's a trade candidate in my eyes, but you'd be selling low if you traded him away now.
