Fantasy Baseball 2017 Preview: RP Sleepers, Busts & Overview

It is never too early to begin prepping for a fantasy season, especially when it comes to the long, long haul we call baseball. These are intended to spark ideas, and to give a general outline of the position so that you can fill in the blanks and apply your own thinking to build a team perfect for you.

This is the relief pitcher preview.

The Top Five

1. Kenley Jansen, Dodgers: Jansen may not be the best relief pitcher in baseball, but he is close AF. Last year was Jansen’s best so far, and nothing has changed for him situationally. He’s still the Dodgers’ closer, and they’re still one of the best teams in MLB. He’s going to be around 45-50 saves, with a microscopic ERA and strikeout rates that will rival anyone at his position.

2. Andrew Miller, Indians: Miller is very high for me, but beware! He is not going to be near the top of the league in saves unless Cody Allen gets hurt. The reason Miller is ranked this high, despite my expectation that he’ll only notch 20-25 saves, is his workload. Miller appeared in 26 games for the Indians last year, and pitched more than one inning eight times. If your points league rewards holds, this ranking makes perfect sense. Even if it doesn’t, he can mitigate the lesser save total with 100+ strikeouts, which he’s accomplished three straight years.

3. Aroldis Chapman, Yankees: Chapman is back in the Bronx, and that’s good for him, because Joe Girardi won’t wear him out by using him like he’s Andrew Miller. Chapman is the owner of the most beastly fastball in MLB, and he is the premier strikeout master at the relief pitcher position. He’s going to push 40 saves, he’s going to strike out 100+ batters, and you can grab him early if you want. He’s a sure thing. Even scarier? He finally figured out his control in 2016, posting a 2.79 BB/9, by far the best of his career.

4. Zach Britton, Orioles: Britton is in my first tier of relief pitchers, and really you can’t go wrong picking any of these first four. He was the best of this bunch in 2016, posting an unthinkable 0.54 ERA (with a 1.94 FIP). He probably won’t be that good but he’ll still be fantastic. The only problem for Britton is my anticipation that the Orioles won’t be very good, so it could affect his save total. Other than that, he’s elite, elite, elite.

5. Wade Davis, Cubs: Davis is a slight tick below the top four; he walks a bit more than them, and – this is unscientific – just seems a tad more hittable. Not much, just a bit. But…he’s the closer for the Cubs now so 50+ saves could be in the cards. He’ll be great.

Some Sleeper Candidates

1. Dellin Betances, Yankees: We’ll start off by saying Betances is NOT a sleeper if your league rewards holds. However, Betances, who struck out 126 batters in 2016 and pitched 73 innings was unlucky if you can believe it. He posted a 3.08 ERA when his FIP sat at 1.78, placing him closer to the Tier 1 category than any other grouping. He’s back in a setup role, but even though that costs him save chances, it also means he will have more chances to whiff helpless hitters.

2. Jeurys Familia, Mets: Facing a 30-game suspension, Familia’s stock has dropped. But you know what? Chapman was suspended 30 games and he still finished as a completely elite reliever. Familia strikes out a bunch of hitters, and he slams the door on opponents. He has recorded 94 saves over the past two seasons and only blown 10 chances. The Mets play a lot of close games, and it's easy to still see Familia convert 30 saves despite the suspension. 

3. Shawn Kelley, Nationals: Kelley is fairly anonymous, but he’s been a big-time strikeout pitcher for four years in a row now, and in 2016 he posted a career-best BB/9. It sounds like the Nats are kicking the tires on relievers, so if they bring in a closer in front of Kelley it will kill his value, but as of now he’s sneaky good.

Beware Bust Potential

1. David Robertson, White Sox: Robertson was one of my favorites a season ago, but owning him as he walked nearly five batters per nine can change an opinion. D-Rob has always had a penchant for allowing baserunners before dancing out of trouble, but last year he got bit. Now, he’s 31, he’s on a rebuilding White Sox club, and he’s getting drafted ahead of some really electric pitchers because fantasy owners recognize his name.

2. Francisco Rodriguez, Tigers: K-Rod is basically an ageless wonder at this point to some, including the Detroit front office, but I’m not fooled. He’s 35, he posted a 3.83 FIP that showed his decent 3.24 ERA last year was pretty lucky, and he had his worst walk rate since 2012. Pick someone younger with better upside.