The Dynasty Guru Annual Ranking Season is upon us!  Up next, the relief pitchers!  The rankings presented here are the composite rankings of all the writers at The Dynasty Guru, and after healthy debate and only a little name-calling, we are ready to share them with you. The comments below each tier are the work of the writer cited at the end of the section.  Don’t forget to check out Chris and Drew’s analysis of each position on the Join the Ranks podcast.

11 – 20

21 – 30

Yesterday, Drew highlighted a few predictions involving relievers in our Save+Holds rankings. I totally agree with his premise, it’s a fool’s errand fully ranking out RPs in a 3-year window. So how do I value RPs? You can’t be successful in Roto by punting any category, so there’s got to be some valuation criteria to consider. Below are the rules I follow on a yearly cycle when approaching the position:

1. SVH scoring leagues means a deeper pool.
   • Locked-in closers typically have more value than good set-up arms
   • But the top set-ups are often sneakily better than some closers.
   • In startups I kick the RP can down the draft board. Way down.
2. Closer committees aren’t scary.
3. The logo on the jersey doesn’t matter to me.
   • Bad teams usually win 60+ games. And those teams aren’t good at scoring runs, so there’s less blow outs in their favor. This means plenty of hold opportunities even if not as many saves.
   • This rule does not include Colorado pitchers. Sorry. They are only considered if they are truly excellent at Rule 4.
4. K-rate is the stat to look at with SVH relief pitchers.
   • I’m specifically targeting pitchers with over 28% K-rates.
   • Any RP who is successful consistently strikes out batters. No one scores if they can’t hit the ball.
5. IP is the next stat I look at. The more innings pitched, the merrier because intrinsically, it means they’re good and reliable.
6. Unless I’m getting a steal, I do NOT trade for RPs until:
   • It’s summer.
   • I’m competing and need any and every edge.
   • Otherwise, churn and burn as necessary.
7. Unless I’m getting a haul, I do NOT trade away RPs until:
   • It’s summer.
   • I’m not competing and can milk the competitors for as much value as possible.
   • Otherwise, churn and burn as necessary.

So there you go. Relatively simplistic, my rules are likely nothing groundbreaking but they’ve helped me for success year after year. How would I apply them to this tier of ranks? First, it tells me that the rest of the TDG ranking team doesn’t value Jeremiah Estrada as high as I do. Even though Estrada is well known, so is the Padres closer. I think that makes many people lose site of his individual value and it’s possible he is a well priced trade target. Additionally, I like Garrett Whitlock and Matt Brash at their rank values too. Though they’re not as ‘well priced’ as Estrada comparing my personal ranks to the groups’. Conversely, I’m not as big of an Carlos Estevez fan. He doesn’t strike many out and year to year save counts can’t be relied on. Many other fantasy managers feel similarly, so Estevez may not be a prime sell candidate. Hold him (pun mostly unintended) until later this summer and reassess trade value then.

Ultimately, by applying my RP rules there’s not much in this tier that is distinctly more valuable than many names in the tier Drew discussed yesterday. What I mean by this is, if you don’t roster these guys yet then there’s likely no reason to go after them now or later. Shop cheaper via waivers until July even if you have a championship caliber team. As roles and performance solidify in the summer months, if you’re still in the hunt, you trade for someone in Tier 1. Good luck this season and let me know how well you do with your RPs!

(Chris Knock)