There's No "Holding" in Baseball! - jmik58's Blog

jmik58's Blog

There's No "Holding" in Baseball!

Posted on June 2, 2009 at 11:52 AM.

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Written for PhilliesDigest.com
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A successful fantasy baseball team requires an approach much like that of players of the real game. Balance, steadiness, and consistency are what separate the top tier performers from the pretenders.

If you have the mentality that one or two stat columns can be sacrificed and that �ya can�t win �em all��then prepare yourself to not �win at all.�

On occasion, you may steal a league by dominating several categories (rotisserie) while ignoring something like saves or stolen bases, but more times than not � especially in deeper leagues � you have to put up the points.

Today we�ll take a look at one of the more neglected stats in fantasy baseball � the hold.

Regardless of personal opinion, the hold is something that is there and you have to accommodate. It�s kinda like taxes � some people like it, some don�t, and you have to find a way to make it help you or else it�s going to hurt you.

If you�ve been hurting for holds, find a spot where you have a little cushion and swap it out for a solid relief pitcher. It�s time to make the call for the lefty.

Here are ten pitchers (some under the radar) who can immediately boost your holds statistics and get you back toward the top of the standings.

Jeremy Affeldt, SF, LHP
23 IP, 0-1, 20 K, 11 HD, 1.96 ERA, 1.35 WHIP

- Affeldt has looked like a poker pro lately with all his holds. His twenty strikeouts are a plus and the ERA and WHIP numbers will buffer two or three poor outings by your starters.

Bobby Parnell, NYM, RHP
21.2 IP, 2-0, 20 K, 11 HD, 2.08 ERA, 1.57 WHIP

- If the Mets win a close one, there�s a good chance Parnell is racking up fantasy points for you. His eleven holds are tied for second in all of MLB, and his two victories don�t hurt things much either.

Matt Thornton, CHW, RHP
21 IP, 3-1, 30 K, 9 HD, 1.71 ERA, 1.19 WHIP

- Thornton has been doing it all lately for the Chi-Sox. His ERA and WHIP have been absolutely anorexic thus far, and his last two appearances have notched him victories. He�s only owned in 1.9% of all leagues, so there�s a great chance you can grab him up.

Arthur Rhodes, CIN, RHP
18 IP, 13 K, 8 HD, 0.50 ERA, 0.83 WHIP

- The ageless Rhodes�s only risk is that he might not get that many innings for you. The crafty veteran racked up some nice hold numbers early on this season but hasn�t been used as much in recent games for hold situations. Regardless, every inning pitched by Arthur means a lower ERA and WHIP for any fantasy owner.

Octavio Dotel CHW, RHP
17.1 IP, 1-1, 20 K, 8 HD, 1.04 ERA, 1.27 WHIP

- The only earned run Dotel has surrendered this year came on an aggressive play by Scott Podsednik where the speedy outfielder dove and missed a ball, allowing the winning run to score. Other than that, Dotel has been lights out. Like Rhodes, the concern is innings pitched, but what you get is high quality stat support.

Dan Meyer, FLA, LHP
23 IP, 24 K, 8 HD, 2.35 ERA, 0.87 WHIP

- Meyer is no different than the other big name relievers in the game. He gives you strikeouts every inning and adds innings to your team total while cutting ERA and WHIP. Oh, and not to forget, a few holds as well.

Ramon Ramirez, BOS, RHP
26 IP, 4-2, 14 K, 7 HD, 1.38 ERA, 0.88 WHIP

- Ramirez is a workhorse out of the bullpen. He racks up as many appearances and innings as anyone, and it doesn�t hurt that the BoSox continue to win games more times than not. Ramirez isn�t going to fan as many batters which can lead to a few losses from time to time. However, Ramon has stacked his stats with four wins and dominating ERA and WHIP numbers to accompany his seven holds.

Chris Sampson, HOU, RHP
31 IP, 2-0, 14 K, 7 HD, 2.03 ERA, 1.19 WHIP

- There isn�t a lot of fantasy excitement coming out of the Astros organization these days. However, that�s exactly what you�re looking for with a guy like Sampson � no frills. As a reliever he has quietly done his job in 2009 by throwing a staunch thirty-one innings to amass a two-and-oh record with seven holds and an impressive 2.03 ERA.

David Aardsma, SEA, RHP
25.1 IP, 1-2,26 K, 8 Sv, 6 HD, 2.13 ERA, 1.30 WHIP

-If your saves, holds, strikeouts, ERA, and WHP all appear to be D.O.A., then you need to snatch up the one and only D.A. � David Aardsma. This do-it-all reliever has won a game, struck out nearly thirty, racked up eight saves, has six holds, and does it all with a 2.13 ERA. I have personally been a proud owner of David Aardsma for a while and he has saved my pitching statistics and quite possibly my entire team.

Tony Pena, ARI, RHP
25.1 IP, 5-2, 20 K, 1 Sv, 6 HD, 1.78 ERA, 1.26 WHIP

- While I�m still on my soapbox, I�ll gloat a little more about my other favorite reliever on the Broken Ankiels. Pena has the sick ERA and WHIP with the six holds, but look at that win total. When Arizona is in a tie game, Pena is given the ball and he shuts down the other team until his squad scores. Simple as that. Relief pitchers are the ones who ruin a quality starts (see Randy Wolf, 7 QS and only 3 Wins), but Pena has snagged some extra wins to help balance that out.