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2020 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Heath’s Top 40 Relievers

It’s never fun, we have to consider drafting saves.

Atlanta Braves v Boston Red Sox Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

I’m not a believer in the drafting of saves. I prefer drafting good players, no matter the position. Drafting a bad pitcher because he has a certain job is a disgusting task, though I admit there is a point in the draft where you have to take a shot like that.

So this list should be taken with the slant that I’m leaning mostly towards saves, as that is the reason we typically draft relievers. Brandon Kintzler being drafted ahead of Seth Lugo is a fine example—we all know who the better pitcher is, but who has a greater pathway to saves?

With that caveat in my mind, here are my refreshed top 40 relievers for 2020. You may now excoriate me in the comments. Wade Davis over Scott Oberg is sure to ignite some flames...but again, who has the job right now? That, and Davis has been a fine pitcher for a looooooong time—until last year’s injury-riddled campaign. Paying an aggressive price for his understudy, Scott Oberg, seems as risky to me in the thin air of Colorado as it does to simply bank on a good pitcher returning to form. Maybe it’s just me.

My preferred entry point into this year’s crop of relievers is the Brandon Workman-to-Archie Bradley grouping. I don’t mind going back-to-back with that crew starting anytime around pick 160 in my drafts. Workman is my preferred choice, as he ranked inside the top 10% of the MLB in nearly every Statcast metric. He allowed a single barrel on 135 batted balls, good for an absurd 0.7% barrel rate. I’m targeting him everywhere on a Boston team that seems to be forgotten heading into the season.

Top 40 Relievers for 2020

Rank Name Team
Rank Name Team
1 Josh Hader MLW
2 Kirby Yates SDP
3 Aroldis Chapman NYY
4 Roberto Osuna HOU
5 Liam Hendricks OAK
6 Taylor Rogers MIN
7 Edwin Diaz NYM
8 Kenley Jansen LAD
9 Brad Hand CLE
10 Ken Giles TOR
11 Hector Neris PHI
12 Brandon Workman BOS
13 Raisel Iglesias CIN
14 Nick Anderson CHC
15 Hansel Robles LAA
16 Archie Bradley ARI
17 Alex Colome CWS
18 Craig Kimbrel CHC
19 Jose Leclerc TEX
20 Keone Kela PIT
21 Sean Doolittle WAS
22 Giovanny Gallegos STL
23 Joe Jimenez DET
24 Ian Kennedy KC
25 Mark Melancon ATL
26 Will Smith ATL
27 Hunter Harvey BAL
28 Wade Davis COL
29 Brandon Kintzler MIA
30 Tony Watson SFG
31 Daniel Hudson WAS
32 Seth Lugo NYM
33 Emilio Pagan SDP
34 Ryan Pressly HOU
35 Matt Magill SEA
36 Diego Castillo TAM
37 Scott Oberg COL
38 Blake Treinen LAD
39 Dellin Betances NYM
40 Mychal Givens BAL