Matt Belisle (RP, MIN) – Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: Matt Belisle certainly isn’t going to fall in line with Craig Kimbrel, Kensley Jensen, or other elite closers, but he has been solid since taking over the closer role after Brandon Kintzler was dealt at the trade deadline.

Since the trade deadline, Belisle has gone 3-for-4 in converting save opportunities. He has pitched four innings in that time and has posted eight strikeouts, a surprising mark given that he had struck out just 35 batters in 42.2 innings pitched prior to August. As for the rest of his contributions, Belisle’s ERA and WHIP appear to be negatives on the surface. However, since July 1, Belisle has made 16 appearances and allowed a run in just one of them and baserunners in nine. Therefore, his ratio stats may not be elite but his season long numbers overstate how much of a risk he is in that regard.

Be careful when setting your expectations with Belisle as he has not shown consistent ability to generate strikeouts as discussed earlier. Additionally, he has had just four save opportunities and five appearances in the month of August, so he isn’t likely to rack up saves over the next month and a half. However, for teams in needs of saves, Belisle is one of the few widely available closers on the waiver wire and that alone is enough to make him an intriguing waiver wire option.