Hector Neris – 11.7% ownership
Jeanmar Gomez has been solid in his first year as the Phillies closer thus far, posting a 2.70 ERA and a 1.260 WHiP, saving nine out of ten chances. However, his low strikeout rates, with twelve strikeouts in 16.2 innings, are not what one expects from a closer. He has been good, but through no fault of his own, could lose his job due to the dominance of Hector Neris.
Neris, the current setup man for the Phillies, has been one of the more dominant relievers in baseball thus far. In his 17.1 innings, he has a 1.04 ERA and a 0.635 WHiP, striking out 27 batters against four walks. For those leagues that count hold, Neris has also chipped in seven, making him one of the more dominant setup men.
Armed primarily with a heavy splitter and a fourseam fastball that sits in the mid 90’s, Neris has done a tremendous job in generating swings and misses. Even when opponents put the ball in play against him, it has tended to result in weak popups, as 21% of any fly balls he has allowed have not left the infield.
Hector Neris has the tools to be the closer of the future for the Phillies. If Gomez slips, even slightly, it may open the door for Neris to take the role and not look back.
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