Dependable top MR for 2008

[rib217]

My live draft for Yahoo 12 team roto is this sunday. I have decided to look for some good SP in the late middle rounds and then stock on 2-3 of the best MR out there. I was just looking for some opinions on who i would want to draft as those MR. Not a holds league just planning to draft heavy batting and depend on MR for the first while.

I'm thinking look for both Joba and Okajima. Who are you top MR for this strategy?

[chillyumpop]

i really like heath bell of san diego. his strikeout numbers and whip are really good. plus last year he got 6 vulture wins. that's better than what some sp's did.
but check out this link. i think it will give you what you are looking for in terms of middle relievers.

http://www.sportfanatics.net/Fantasy/Ba ... tchers.htm

[GiantsFan14]

broxton and betancourt are probably 2 of the best in the game...both also have a chance of getting some saves this year

[bleach168]

Don't pick an MR until very late in the draft if at all. The turnover rate for quality MRs is very high. Guys like Betancourt, Okajima, and Joba could have been plucked out of free agency last year.

[GotowarMissAgnes]

viewtopic.php?t=320175&hilit=holds+tier

Check this thread for some ideas.

[hot4tx]

viewtopic.php?t=320175&hilit=holds+tier

Check this thread for some ideas.

That's definitely a good one to get some names. For 5x5 I usually make a list of some "top" MRs. I include all of the next-in-line-for-saves guys, as well as guys with under/around a 2.5 ERA, with a low WHIP, and nice K/9. I rank these guys based on ERA, then move the next-in-line-for-saves guys with low ERAs to the top.

I take a look at past year's performance to make sure I don't get a Cla Meridith one hit wonder. If I miss out on a good MR, fine there's more of them out there that put up good numbers.

Then I bump any guy that pitched more than 80 innings the previous year down a notch. I read an article about relief pitchers pitching over 80 innings before the season last year and then Scott Shields had a bad year. Not 100% sold on that, but again if there's a guy that would put up similar numbers with less injury risk might as well take him.

Then take you rankings list and put it at the very bottom of your stack. Leave it there until about 4-5 rounds before the end of your draft. People are getting wise to the value of MRs, so if you wait until the very last pick the top ones may all be gone. However, there's no reason to spend low-teens picks on MRs (there's always someone that take Zumaya in the 10th round or something) when there's so many that can put up similar numbers.

[quicksilver8]

Some middle relievers I'm targeting in NL only:

Rauch
Bell
Heilman
Riske
Qualls
Pena
Broxton
Fuentes (most forget about him now that he is not closing)

[Matthias]

In addition to the usual suspects, I'll throw out a name you can probably get with the last pick in the draft: Manny Delcarmen. He had good stats last year and the Red Sox are talking about giving him more work, including the occasional shot at a save.

[Matthias]

Don't pick an MR until very late in the draft if at all. The turnover rate for quality MRs is very high. Guys like Betancourt, Okajima, and Joba could have been plucked out of free agency last year.

True. But not for very long. Okajima was owned by April.

[The Artful Dodger]

broxton and betancourt are probably 2 of the best in the game...both also have a chance of getting some saves this year

I agree but that's mainly because Alizee is ruining my train of thought.

Broxton, Betancourt, Scot Shields, Bell, and Okajima are your cream of the crop, but for me, I wouldn't take a MR as high as 15th even if holds count unless the draft pool was really dire. Such guys would come at a higher premium because of their sparkling ratios and a few of them have chances of closing, but as Bleach touched upon, there's greater turnover in MR than with closers. Guys like Kyle Farnsworth and Cla Meredith looked cemented for a time as valuable MR's only for their stock to fall for whatever reason.