First off let’s define the word SAVE in baseball. A save is awarded to the relief pitcher who finishes a game for the winning team under certain circumstances. The RP recording a save must maintain his team’s lead while doing one of the following: Come into the game with a lead of no more than 3 runs and pitch at least one inning. Come into the game with the tying run in the on-deck circle, at the plate, or on the bases.

Fantasy Baseball leagues looking to overlook the importance of getting 3 outs in the 9th inning often add HOLDS to their format so fantasy managers can value to ALL relief pitchers. However, SV & HOLD leagues add more skill to drafting the position while also making the slots easier to fill. It changes the STRATEGY of the draft that’s for sure. I personally load up on RP that are not Closers and slot them into the spot labelled (P). I wrote about pitchers earlier in a different article and said some managers stream starters to get an edge in points or gain a category win, you can stream RP that are mainly setup guys too.

It is trickier because you don’t know when they will be needed. Here is an example; if you know the closer of the Astros has been racking up the innings and is “tired” or if the manager was quoted as saying something to the affect of, “tonight Josh (Hader) will not be available no matter what.” Then chances are someone else could be in line for a save, most likely former closer Ryan Presley. At that moment I would jump on the wire to see if someone like Bryan Abreu is available and add him to a (P) opening. I’m not saying this works all the time, but it is a good way to get holds.

Pressly is owned in 60% of fantasy leagues while Abreu is only owned in 20%. I actually have a hard time with this, Abreu is definitely the better of the two and younger, anyway I guess with either of these guys being plugged into the lineup if Hader is off you can “hope” to get a HOLD at the very least, if you can grab both depending on your roster or how much you are down and need a category weather it be stats/points.

This strategy is called “punting.” Don’t think of punting in a negative light, like in football its when you can’t obtain a first down and you are forced to punt. Rather, it’s a way to maximize some players’ strengths. If done correctly, certain players’ values change giving you an advantage on draft day, or on the wire.

Basically, and I say this lightly; so take it with a grain of salt, to me it makes sense to take advantage of your opponent in any way you can. Like I said, some managers are stuck in their ways and don’t add/drop players much or at all. If the weekly limit on moves is non existent why not stream or “punt” for the edge. I also wrote about formats, the basic format for pitchers in fantasy is W,SV,K,ERA,WHIP. I go a little deeper and have HOLDS, QS. for my pitching categories.

I laugh at managers who accuse me of cheating, I used the quote “if you’re not cheating, you’re not tryin.” I know its not cheating so I shrugged the accusations off with laughter. More or less I say you do what you gotta do to win. If I can win a match-up by even one category or a single point I’m taking it, I do play for fun, but the ultimate goal is to win. Win at all costs and grab those setup men guys, you wont be sorry.

Whatever player you decide to choose its obviously up to you and its a gamble of course, but waking up and walking out the door is a gamble, right?

As always have fun and good luck, hope this helps in any way possible.

Photo Credit; Murals Your Way, El Paso Times

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