#TBT- Mark Melancon, RP, Pittsburgh Pirates
@Hoover__26 July 7
Being a pitcher in the MLB is hard enough, facing elite batters and being surrounded by other talented pitchers ready to take your spot in the rotation. However, add the pressure and importance of being the last guy in, the one whose shoulders the game’s final outcome rests upon, and it gets just that much harder. Great closers are hard to come by, and once you find one, you rarely give him up. But, sometimes it takes a player a little while to show his greatness. Mark Melancon wasn’t an All-Star until he was on his fourth team, coming off a season in which he went winless with an ERA over 6. However, once Melancon became a Pirate, he cemented himself as one of the best closers in the game (and one of the best fantasy relievers out there).
Melancon is ranked 12th in total fantasy scoring for relief pitchers (espn.com), but that does not tell the whole story. For relief only players (pitchers that are not eligible for both starter and relief), Melancon is ranked 4th. Mark has notched 22 consecutive saves, and is second in the MLB right now with 26 on the year (behind only Mets’ stud Jeurys Familia). He is coming off a year in which he was 8th in Cy Young award voting, and is on pace to again top the 50 save mark. He was voted to his third MLB All-Star team, and currently has an ERA and ERA+ that blows any of his previous years out of the water (baseball-reference.com).
The relief pitcher position in fantasy is a total mess. The spot is dominated by guys like Trevor Bauer and Tanner Roark, guys who start games (and thus acquire starting pitcher fantasy points) and also occasionally pitch for a few innings here and there, making them eligible to be played in either slot. However, while the value of guys like that is high, it is also important to have guys like Melancon on your roster. Besides the fact that some leagues have limits on innings, having a guy who is going to give you points every day can help win certain matchups just as a “reliever” who can get 30 fantasy points in a game can do the same. Depending on the schedule, Melancon could very well score more fantasy points when you need them than someone who starts occasional games as well.
This week’s #TBT is a 31 year old throwback who, after finally finding his niche in the league, is still racking up stats at an incredible rate. Don’t sleep on an old school reliever like Melancon, because this All-Star closer could easily give you some much needed fantasy production.
Melancon is ranked 12th in total fantasy scoring for relief pitchers (espn.com), but that does not tell the whole story. For relief only players (pitchers that are not eligible for both starter and relief), Melancon is ranked 4th. Mark has notched 22 consecutive saves, and is second in the MLB right now with 26 on the year (behind only Mets’ stud Jeurys Familia). He is coming off a year in which he was 8th in Cy Young award voting, and is on pace to again top the 50 save mark. He was voted to his third MLB All-Star team, and currently has an ERA and ERA+ that blows any of his previous years out of the water (baseball-reference.com).
The relief pitcher position in fantasy is a total mess. The spot is dominated by guys like Trevor Bauer and Tanner Roark, guys who start games (and thus acquire starting pitcher fantasy points) and also occasionally pitch for a few innings here and there, making them eligible to be played in either slot. However, while the value of guys like that is high, it is also important to have guys like Melancon on your roster. Besides the fact that some leagues have limits on innings, having a guy who is going to give you points every day can help win certain matchups just as a “reliever” who can get 30 fantasy points in a game can do the same. Depending on the schedule, Melancon could very well score more fantasy points when you need them than someone who starts occasional games as well.
This week’s #TBT is a 31 year old throwback who, after finally finding his niche in the league, is still racking up stats at an incredible rate. Don’t sleep on an old school reliever like Melancon, because this All-Star closer could easily give you some much needed fantasy production.