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Welcome officially to the 2022 fantasy baseball season! Now that an MLB deal is in place, a lot more fantasy drafts will be taking place -- and we're here as always to guide you through it. Once you reach the late rounds of drafts, everyone is looking to draft players with upside that can provide a great return on value. You can afford to start taking a risk or two on a variety of different players, including emerging prospects, overlooked veterans, players returning from injury, or even talented players who may have some playing time concerns. The early rounds are critical and the middle rounds shape the core of your starting squad, but the late rounds are where you have the opportunity to select hidden gems who can play a huge role for your fantasy team.
Today, we're looking at some late-round relief pitchers for you to consider drafting in your season-long leagues this season. Are their ADPs undervalued? Will they make significant fantasy contributions and become a late-round sleeper draft target that you're going to want to prioritize? Read on to see our take.
Our editors have hand-picked these specific MLB players for your draft prep enjoyment. Normally only available to Premium subscribers, the five outlooks below are meant to give you a taste of the in-depth analysis you receive with our industry-leading 2022 Draft Kit. Be sure to subscribe today and start reading all of our in-depth 2022 player outlooks, and many other premium articles and tools, available exclusively in our 2022 Draft Kit.
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Corey Knebel, Philadelphia Phillies
Relief pitcher Corey Knebel signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies in December. He appears to be locked into the Phillies' closer role to begin the year. Knebel spent the 2021 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. When he was healthy, he pitched well in a setup role in front of closer Kenley Jansen. He appeared in 27 games and had a 2.45 ERA, a 0.97 WHIP and a 28.7% strikeout rate. A midseason lat strain cost him about three months, but he closed the year healthy. The Phillies finished the 2021 season with an 82-80 record and all signs point to another season above-.500 for the team. Knebel currently has an ADP just inside the top-200.
He's being drafted as about the 15th closer off the board. He's a great value at his current ADP as he has a strong chance of reaching 30 saves this year if he can stay healthy and effective. The closest thing he has to competition for saves right now is Jose Alvarado, who struggled in a closing role for the Phillies last year.
-- Andrew Ericksen - RotoBaller
Matt Barnes, Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox pitcher Matt Barnes was one of the best closers in baseball over the first half of 2021, converting 19-of-23 save chances with a 2.61 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and a 63:11 K: BB over 38 innings. After his impressive first half, he was rewarded with a two-year extension. However, the wheels came off in the second half as the right-hander struggled mightily, posting a 6.48 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, and 2.2 HR:9 over his last 16 2/3 frames, ultimately losing the closer role. Barnes lost an MPH off his fastball, saw his WHIP nearly double, and surrendered a .269 batting average to opposing hitters in the second half. He was left off the ALCS roster due to his late-season swoon.
Boston has yet to announce who will be the team's primary closer and is not expected to name one until just before the start of the regular season. The 31-year-old is the favorite to reclaim his old role in some capacity, and ATC projections are on board with this assessment. ATC projects Barnes with a 3.78 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, nine holds, and 18 saves in 2022. If Barnes can reclaim the closer role and come close to his first-half numbers in 2021, he could be a bargain at his current 229 ADP.
-- Brad Camara - RotoBaller
Gregory Soto, Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Gregory Soto enjoyed a breakout campaign as the team's closer during the 2021 season. The hard-throwing left-hander pitched to a 3.39 ERA and a 4.14 FIP in 63.2 innings while registering 76 strikeouts and 40 walks. He also tallied 18 saves while generating plenty of swings and misses with his power arsenal. The left-hander's pitch mix includes a potentially devastating slider that generated a 43% whiff rate last season, not to mention a sinker and a four-seam fastball that both averaged north of 98 miles per hour. Soto sometimes ceded save work to Michael Fulmer, but Fulmer generally operated as the team's top high-leverage reliever, working in the most crucial situations. Sometimes those happened to be in the ninth inning.
Still, Soto should see the bulk of the saves in Detroit, and there should be considerably more of them this coming season. You can make the argument that few closers have seen their fantasy stock rise more since the postseason ended than Soto. The Tigers' front office was active early in the winter, bringing in catcher Tucker Barnhart, starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez and shortstop Javier Baez to bolster a team looking to make the playoffs next season. That should lead to more save chances for Soto. Barnhart, who is an above-average pitch framer, should be particularly helpful to Soto given the reliever can sometimes be a bit wild. His ADP, per NFBC, is 195, though that number might end up being a bit low if Detroit is a playoff contender.
-- Ben Rosener - RotoBaller
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