Call to the pen
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Top 10 fantasy baseball relievers for the 2023 season

By Michael Cahill

SAN DIEGO, CA - AUGUST 2: Josh Hader #71 of the San Diego Padres pitches in the ninth inning of game two of a doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies August 2, 2022 at Petco Park in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA - AUGUST 2: Josh Hader #71 of the San Diego Padres pitches in the ninth inning of game two of a doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies August 2, 2022 at Petco Park in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) /
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We continue on in our fantasy baseball rankings, this time with relief pitchers. This is the most volatile position every year, but these guys can provide immense value to your team. There are plenty of good options here, with some talented fantasy baseball relievers missing list.

This list is a ranking of the top 10 fantasy baseball relievers you should target for your team.

First, a few relievers who just missed the list:

Camilo Doval is nasty and very young, but unfortunately he just missed the list for two reasons. First, his team isn’t going to give him many save opportunities this year, similar to last year. Saves are similar to wins and losses in that they don’t really matter in real life, but they count in fantasy baseball, so the lack of save opportunities matters. The other reason is his walk issues. He walked 30 batters in 67.2 innings last year, which is a BB/9 of 4.0. He was good in many other aspects in 2022, with 80 strikeouts and a 2.53 ERA, 2.98 FIP, 1.24 WHIP, and 160 ERA+.

Evan Phillips had an insane 2022 season. He pitched in 63 innings and allowed just 33 hits, eight earned runs, 15 walks, and struck out 77 batters. His ERA was 1.14, his FIP was 1.94, his WHIP was 0.76, and his ERA+ was a ridiculous 367. If you’re thinking he’s going to repeat those numbers, maybe stop thinking that, but he can still be a very reliable arm in the Dodger ‘pen. They typically don’t name one closer, but Phillips will be in the mix for saves as well as holds with Daniel Hudson and Brusdar Graterol.

Liam Hendriks is not only a great closer, but also a great person. Unfortunately he was recently diagnosed with cancer and will miss an undetermined amount of time undergoing treatment and recovering, but he has already said he plans to be back as soon as possible. In 2022, he pitched 57.2 innings, allowed 44 hits, 18 earned runs, 16 walks, and struck out 85 batters. His ERA was 2.81, his FIP was 2.68, his WHIP was 1.04, and his ERA+ was 142. Obviously his health comes first, but I look forward to seeing him come back at some point this season.

These are all guys that you should want on your fantasy baseball teams. With the honorable mentions out of the way, let’s look at the top 10 fantasy baseball relievers you should target for your team in 2023.

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