The Best Middle Relief Pitchers in Fantasy Baseball

If you have been to a baseball game, no doubt you have seen the pitcher who comes into the game in the ninth inning with his team leading. Closers get plenty of attention, but the other relief pitchers don't get much respect. Middle relievers often serve as a bridge between starters and closers, and some of these pitchers attract attention themselves when it comes to fantasy baseball. Depending on their stats, some middle relievers are even valuable.

  1. Strikeouts Per Inning

    • Good middle relief pitchers often have strong control over their pitches, enough so they can get the ball into the strike zone. Consider that a nine-strikeout effort is strong for a starting pitcher, so if a middle reliever can average a strikeout an inning he is doing something right. Middle relievers often work the sixth and seventh innings before yielding to the set-up guys in the eighth, so any pitcher who can get two or three strikeouts in limited relief duty is an asset to any fantasy team. Leagues that score based on team pitching will benefit from those strikeouts.

    Holds

    • The concept of holds is a key one for middle relievers. Fantasy leagues where holds are a scoring option aren't common, but a hold (when a reliever keeps his team's lead in his appearance) is just as important as a save in those leagues where it counts. The job of a middle reliever, after all, with the game on the line is to maintain that lead for the next pitchers, namely the closer.

    Vulture Wins and Saves

    • A vulture win is one where the middle reliever is around at the time when his team scores enough runs to take the lead and get the starter off the hook, giving the starter a no-decision instead of a loss. Strong vulture middle relievers can pick up anywhere from six to nine wins in a given season, providing more value than the average reliever who might toss one or two innings and pick up a few strikeouts. The vulture save is the same concept, where a middle reliever who doesn't ordinarily close might be called upon to close a game due to overwork of the regular closer.

    Closers In Waiting

    • Some of the best closers in baseball got their start as middle relievers. Remember John Wetteland? He used to be the New York Yankees closer for two years in 1995 and 1996, the year the Yankees won their first World Series since 1978. Among the middle relievers used when Wetteland pitched was a guy named Mariano Rivera, who went on to close during the Yankees' World Series title runs in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009 and is considered by many the best closer in the history of the game. Sometimes the best middle relievers are the ones in waiting to close games.

    Offense and Defense

    • Good middle relievers are found on teams that score runs in bunches, especially later in games. These teams often give middle relievers plenty of help when it comes to keeping the opponents at bay. The reverse of this is a reliever on a bad team who finds himself overwhelmed because his team can't score. Keep this in mind when finding middle relief help to pad your relief staff.