Its never too early to start looking toward the fantasy baseball season, and Im here to continue RotoBallers position-by-position rankings analysis series for points league and head-to-head (H2H) formats with the ever-volatile relief pitcher position. The "closer carousel" seems to spin faster and faster every year, and there are very few names in the 'set it and forget it' category. [...]

A tough position to evaluate is that of relief pitchers, as a lot of success for closers comes from success from teams. There are also a lot of bullpens by committee these days, further stifling the value of closers.That being said, only four of the pitchers that ranked in the top-10 in saves in 2017 followed up in 2018. One of those pitchers had a huge jump in saves, but [...]

We continue our fantasy baseball tiered rankings analysis with the second base position. The sun is still rising on 2019, but RotoBaller writers JB Branson, Pierre Camus, Chris Zolli and myself are here with our initial pre-draft rankings to give you a sense of player values as early as possible. As the offseason progresses, these rankings are sure to change quite a bit over the coming weeks. [...]

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Houston Astros relief pitchers Hector Rondon, Chris Devenski, Brad Peacock and Joe Smith were all left off the roster for the American League Division Series against the Indians. Rondon was the team's primary closer (15 saves) until they traded for Roberto Osuna, and Rondon struggled to close out the year. Devenski battled injuries and wasn't himself in 2018, posting a 4.18 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 9.7 K/9 in 50 appearances (47 1/3 innings).

Houston Astros relief pitcher Chris Devenski will start what will be a bullpen game against the Blue Jays on Wednesday. Devenski will likely only go for an inning or two, so he's not streaming material. The right-hander has had a tough year by his standards, going 2-2 with a 4.12 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 9.9 K/9 in 43 2/3 innings. He also has two saves on the year.

The Houston Astros placed relief pitcher Chris Devenski (hamstring) on the 10-day disabled list on Friday with left hamstring tightness. The team is calling up pitcher Cionel Perez in a corresponding move. Devenski has been bad in his two outings since the All-Star break but still holds a 4.19 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 44 strikeouts in 38 2/3 innings. Perez can be ignored in all fantasy formats.

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 60% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Houston Astros relief pitcher Chris Devenski has been a very strong setup man over the last few seasons, but an injury to Ken Giles makes him the top waiver wire pickup of the week. With Giles dealing with back tightness, Devenski will be given save opportunities, making him considerably more valuable. Devenski already has two saves this season, allowing just one earned run in nine innings, and has struck out 11 and walk[...]

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This article references Anthony Gose, Chris Devenski, Delino DeShields, Felipe Rivero, Joe Biagini, Jordan Milbrath, Juan Nicasio, Ken Giles, Luis Perdomo, Mark Canha, Michael Feliz, Nick Burdi, Odubel Herrera, Victor Reyes and more! Every year the MLB Rule 4 draft, more commonly known as the First-Year Player Draft, gets a lot of attention from casual baseball fans and fantasy baseball players alike. In terms of fantasy relevance, though, the Rule 5 draft, which occurs during baseball's annual Winter Meetings, is far more impactful than the Rule 4 draft for redraft leagues. Last year's draft did not bring anyone to fantasy relevance, but that does not mean that we can't find fantasy-relevant players coming out of this d[...]Keep on reading: Rule 5 Picks to Watch for Keeper Leagues