Don’t stress relief
Leave expensive closers off draft shopping list
DRAFTING a closer/ reliever is no different than a trip to the supermarket. You enter with a list and have your eyes on the best possible products, but you have to shop smart and make sure you can afford all of the items on your list.
It isn’t always easy, but if you scope out what is down each aisle, you will find exactly what you need.
Your first instinct may be to go organic and pick up the Dodgers’ Kenley Jansen (50.7 average draft position and $16 average auction price, according to FantasyPros), the Yankees’
Aroldis Chapman (53.7, $17) or the Orioles’ Zach Britton (62.3, $17). The problem is, these items cost a lot, eating up too much of your budget and preventing you from getting everything else you need to survive.
There are other high-end products, like the Giants’ Mark Melancon (81.3, $15), Boston’s Craig Kimbrel (87.7, $10), St. Louis’
Seung Hwan-Oh (86.3, $11) or Toronto’s Roberto Osuna (87.7, $11), that are just as good but still come with a hefty price tag.
You can go with name brands (you’ll be able to use a coupon), like Seattle’s Edwin Diaz (90.3, $11), Houston’s Ken Giles (102.3, $10), Kansas City’s Kelvin Herrera (117.7, $9) or Tampa Bay’s
Alex Colome (127.3, $6), who are reliable and affordable.
But, when you’re looking for the best bang for your buck, you should buy generic. Not only are they cheaper, but they will allow you to buy more and they taste just as good.
Waiting to draft A.J. Ramos — the 1 8 th ranked relief pitcher with a 136.0 ADP ($4 auction), according to FantasyPros — will help your team’s depth without hurting your bottom line. Over the past two seasons, Ramos is 3-8 with a 2.55 ERA, 72 saves in 81 attempts, 160 strikeouts (10.7 per nine innings) and a 1.176 WHIP. Sure, he has walked 4.1 per nine over that span, but you’re not expecting perfection when you go generic.
Pittsburgh’s Tony Watson (155.3, $3) doesn’t have a ton of closer experience (just 20 saves since 2011), but he shouldn’t be left on the shelf. In his 20 career saves, Watson has a 1.66 ERA with 17 strikeouts and just four runs allowed.
The same goes for the White Sox’s David Robertson (131.0, $5) or Detroit’ s Francisco
Rodriguez (136.7, $4). There may be a dent in the cans, and some of their expiration dates seem like t hey’ ve been approaching for years, but that doesn’t mean Texas’ Sam Dyson (164.3, $2), Atlanta’s Jim Johnson (210.3, $0) and Arizona’s Fernando
Rodney (268.0, $0) aren’t good products, too. Maybe you threw Jeurys Familia (116.7, $6) in your cart too early before realizing he wasn’t going to be ripe for a while. Put him in the freezer and purchase Addison
Reed (258. 3, $2), who is ready to consume while you wait.
Always take taste tests. This gives you a good chance to try different items. Maybe you pick up the Reds’ Raisel Igelsias (204.3, $1) or the Angels’ Cam
Bedrosian (238.7, $0) before realizing they might not be the best product on that team. You could even nibble at San Diego’s
Brandon Maurer (244.0, $0), Philadelphia’s Hector Neris (216.7, $0), or Milwaukee’s Neftali Feliz (283.7, $0). Just try them!
Your last resort: Fling your cart down the toilet cleaner aisle and see which Twins or Rockies reliever you wind up with after it bangs into the shelves and knocks over an old lady. They’ll be used sparingly and stink up your place when you use them, but they are good to have around.
There will be no shortage of usable relievers during the season, you just have to know which aisles are stocked with the best buys.