San Diego, CA
Fantasy baseball bullpen report featuring Baltimore’s Yennier Canó, San Diego’s Robert Suarez and more
Although fantasy players expect volatility in the high-leverage ecosystem, 2025 has arrived like a hurricane. There have been tumultuous outings, pathway adjustments, closers demoted and varied results by last year’s top relievers.
With this in mind, my latest bullpen report will highlight interesting results and updated tiered rankings, which will fluctuate as sample sizes expand. Try not to overreact, but waiting too long can hurt a team’s ratios, causing frustration for the save chasers.
Recognizing how a manager prefers handling high-leverage innings can create a competitive advantage. Here are high-leverage pathway identifiers. Each team will receive one of the following labels:
Mostly linear: This is a more traditional approach, with a manager preferring one reliever in the seventh inning, another in the eighth, and a closer (when rested) in the ninth. There are shades of gray, but it’s usually a predictable leverage pathway.
Primary save share: The team prefers one reliever as the primary option for saves. However, he may also be used in match-up-based situations, whether dictated by batter-handedness or batting order pockets in the late innings. This provides multiple relievers with save chances each series or week throughout the season.
Match-up-based: Usually, two relievers split save opportunities, so metimes based on handedness, rest, or recent usage patterns to keep them fresh. While these situations usually rely on a primary and ancillary option, others can get into the mix. Some teams also prefer a match-up-based option, assigning pitchers a hitter pocket for a series, causing fluid save opportunities.
In-flux: The manager has not confirmed the projected closer based on past struggles or rough spring appearances.
Access The Athletic’s guide for abbreviations used in fantasy baseball.
American League leverage pathways
2025 American League Pathways (updated)
| Team | Leverage Pathway | Closer (Primary) | Stopper/HLR | Stealth/Ancillary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mostly Linear |
Félix Bautista |
Yennier Cano |
Keegan Akin |
|
|
Primary Save Share |
Aroldis Chapman |
Justin Slaten |
Garrett Whitlock |
|
|
Match-up Based |
Jordan Leasure |
Cam Booser |
Fraser Ellard |
|
|
Mostly Linear |
Emmanuel Clase |
Cade Smith |
Paul Sewald |
|
|
Match-up Based |
Tommy Kahnle |
Will Vest |
Tyler Holton |
|
|
Mostly Linear |
Josh Hader |
Bryan Abreu |
Bryan King |
|
|
Primary Save Share |
Carlos Estévez |
Lucas Erceg |
Hunter Harvey |
|
|
Mostly Linear |
Kenley Jansen |
Ben Joyce |
Brock Burke |
|
|
Primary Save Share |
Jhoan Durán |
Griffin Jax |
Cole Sands |
|
|
Mostly Linear |
Devin Williams |
Luke Weaver |
Mark Leiter Jr. |
|
|
Mostly Linear |
Andrés Muñoz |
Trent Thornton |
Gregory Santos |
|
|
Mostly Linear |
Pete Fairbanks |
Edwin Uceta |
Mason Montgomery |
|
|
Mostly Linear |
Luke Jackson |
Chris Martin |
Robert Garcia |
|
|
Mostly Linear |
Mason Miller |
José Leclerc |
Tyler Ferguson |
|
|
Mostly Linear |
Jeff Hoffman |
Yimi García |
Chad Green |
Notes and observations
Baltimore Orioles: It’s a limited sample, but Yennier Canó has been terrific. He’s posted six strikeouts (46.2 K/BB%) in his first four appearances with a 19% swinging strike rate and a minuscule 0.25 WHIP.
Chicago White Sox: Mike Clevinger has not received a save chance, and his negative 27.8 K/BB% through his first three appearances and a strike percentage below 50 have removed him from the leverage ladder.
Cleveland Guardians: Emmanuel Clase allowed three hits and an earned run while securing his first save of the season. He has been affected by some early batting average on balls in play regression, illustrated by his 1.40 WHIP across his first five innings this year.
Detroit Tigers: Through the Tigers’ first 11 games, Brant Hurter leads with two saves, with Tommy Kahnle recording one. This remains a match-up-based approach, but fantasy managers would benefit from seeing the leverage plan over a larger sample.
Houston Astros: Josh Hader recorded more than three outs in seven of his 71 outings last year. During the preseason, his manager intimated he would prefer Hader not being used in this manner in 2025. However, Hader has already logged two two-inning appearances in the team’s first 12 games. A more significant issue could be Bryan Abreu. He has started slowly, posting a 2.25 WHIP with seven strikeouts versus six walks across 5.1 innings.
Kansas City Royals: As his velocity chart illustrates, Carlos Estévez has been a slow starter in terms of his velocity and has converted three of four save opportunities this year. But his 4.5 K/BB% and 5.6 SwStr% sit well below past results:
National League leverage pathways
2025 National League Pathways (updated)
| Team | Leverage Pathway | Closer (Primary) | Stopper/HLR | Stealth/Ancillary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Match-up Based |
Justin Martinez |
A.J. Puk |
Shelby Miller |
|
|
Mostly Linear |
Raisel Iglesias |
Daysbel Hernández |
Aaron Bummer |
|
|
Mostly Linear |
Ryan Pressly |
Porter Hodge |
Julian Merryweather |
|
|
Primary Save Share |
Emilio Pagán |
Tony Santillan |
Graham Ashcraft |
|
|
Primary Save Share |
Seth Halvorsen |
Victor Vodnik |
Tyler Kinley |
|
|
Match-up Based |
Tanner Scott |
Blake Treinen |
Kirby Yates |
|
|
Mostly Linear |
Anthony Bender |
Calvin Faucher |
Anthony Veneziano |
|
|
Mostly Linear |
Trevor Megill |
Joel Payamps |
Abner Uribe |
|
|
Mostly Linear |
Edwin Díaz |
A.J. Minter |
Ryne Stanek |
|
|
Match-up Based |
José Alvarado |
Orion Kerkering |
Matt Straham |
|
|
In Flux |
Dennis Santana |
Caleb Ferguson |
Justin Lawrence |
|
|
Mostly Linear |
Ryan Helsley |
Phil Maton |
JoJo Romero |
|
|
Mostly Linear |
Robert Suarez |
Jason Adam |
Jeremiah Estrada |
|
|
Mostly Linear |
Ryan Walker |
Camilo Doval |
Tyler Rogers |
|
|
Mostly Linear |
Kyle Finnegan |
Jorge López |
Jose A. Ferrer |
Notes and observations
Arizona Diamondbacks: Although fantasy managers prefer clarity, Tory Lovullo’s match-up-based approach has been effective since the season’s onset. Justin Martinez has converted both save chances and a hold with a 0.64 WHIP and a 38.9 K/BB%. A.J. Puk has two saves and two holds with a 28.6 K/BB% and 1.20 WHIP through his first five outings, spanning five innings.
Atlanta Braves: As noted in the leverage pathway, the team has changed its bridge relievers ahead of Raisel Iglesias, which remains fluid based on performance.
Chicago Cubs: On the one hand, Ryan Pressly has converted all three save chances. However, his underlying statistics provide fantasy players a cautionary tale. Through his first seven games, he has a 5.98 SIERA, 2.43 WHIP, and negative 11.9 K/BB% (six walks versus two strikeouts). His contact rate of 85.5% is almost 10 percentage points higher than last year, and he’s only produced a 6.1 SwStr%. Can he stave off Porter Hodge for save chances without improved results? Time will tell.
Cincinnati Reds: There will be good days for this leverage ladder and bad ones, as the series in San Francisco illustrated. Tony Santillan secured his first save in a shutout win, and Emilio Pagán notched one in a one-run win. But in the series finale, Santillan suffered a blown save, allowing a game-tying home run, and Pagán was tagged with a loss, giving up a walk-off home run. Meanwhile, Alexis Díaz had his minor league rehab assignment extended, but he has a 4:4 K:BB with a 2.333 WHIP through three innings at Triple-A.
Colorado Rockies: It feels like Seth Halvorsen will emerge as the closer, but this leverage ladder lacks stability despite its improved velocity. Tread lightly, mining saves from the Rockies.
New York Mets: Assessing small samples remains challenging, and Edwin Díaz fits this perfectly. He has converted both save chances this season but struggled in a recent non-save appearance working with reduced velocity (he averaged 94.7 miles per hour on April 9), resulting in three earned runs. This may be a blip, but he has a 1.50 WHIP with six strikeouts versus two walks (18.2 K/BB%) in 4.2 innings. Here are his four-seam velocity results since 2019:
Philadelphia Phillies: Jordan Romano represents another reliever struggling with velocity this year. He has recorded a save, a hold and a blown save with an inflated 2.50 WHIP and a 9.1 K/BB%. Of more concern is his recent dip in velocity:
Pittsburgh Pirates: Just when it seemed like Dennis Santana would emerge as the preferred save share, he has only received one save chance since David Bednar’s demotion. Manager Derek Shelton has not named a closer this year, and this feels like a fluid leverage ladder until clearer roles emerge.
San Diego Padres: Robert Suarez has quelled any fears about his second-half struggles last season by converting an MLB-leading six saves with a 0.33 WHIP with seven strikeouts against two walks (25 K/BB%) over six shutout innings.
San Francisco Giants: Camilo Doval has struggled in recent appearances after a strong start, which could be tied to an increased workload. Still, he could be replaced if challenges continue. Keep tabs on Randy Rodríguez in this bullpen.
Relievers on the rise and leaderboards
Updated Tiered Rankings for Saves and SOLDS
2025 saves leaders through April 9
2025 SOLDS leaders through April 9
2025 holds leaders through April 9
Save stashes
- Graham Ashcraft (CIN)
- Mason Montgomery (TB)
- Abner Uribe (MIL)
- Ryne Stanek (NYM)
Ancillary save options
- Blake Treinen (LAD)
- Yennier Canó (BAL)
- Orion Kerkering (PHI)
- Justin Slaten (BOS)
- Will Vest (DET)
Ratio Relievers
*Multi-inning or bridge relievers who can vulture wins and help protect ratios.
- Garrett Whitlock (BOS)
- Ben Casparius (LAD)
Statistical Credits (through games played on April 9): Fangraphs.com, Baseball-Reference.com, BaseballSavant.com, BrooksBaseball.net
Check out my work at Reliever Recon and Closer Monkey for daily updates.
(Photo of Yennier Canó: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
The Jewish community in Southern California is sharing their fears and hopes following the weekend’s strikes on Iran and retaliatory attacks on Israel, U.S. military bases and other targets in the Middle East.
The exchange of missiles in the Middle East is having a devasting effect on Iran’s defense capability, but retaliatory strikes in the region are taking a toll.
“Weapons of enormous capacity that are targeting civilian areas,” said Elan Carr, CEO of Los Angeles-based Israeli American Council.
Carr says toppling the Iranian regime, taking out its nuclear capabilities and freeing the Iranian people from this oppressive rule should have been done decades ago.
“This is about seeing the most evil regime, the world chief state sponsored terrorism to no longer have the ability to do what it’s been doing,” Carr said.
Sara Brown, regional director of the American Jewish Committee, said the U.S. and Israel are concentrating strikes on Iran’s missile sites and military industrial complex. Iran’s retaliatory strikes are focused on many civilian targets.
“We are hearing from our partners from around the region, who are terrified,” Brown said. “Across the Middle East right now, I think there is a tremendous amount of fear, but also hope and also resolve.”
AJC is the advocacy arm for Jewish people globally. Many members and partner groups are in harm’s way. Brown says the risk is great, but the potential reward is world changing.
“That Iranian people will get to choose leadership for themselves, that we will finally see a pathway forward for peace across the Middle East,” Brown said.
If wars of the past hadn’t produced lasting peace, then why now? Carr says Iran’s nuclear capabilities are destroyed and Iran’s military and proxies are weakened after Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 Hamas ambush.
“No more terrorist network throughout the Middle East. Think of what that could mean. Think of the normalization we could see,” Carr said.
President Donald Trump expects fighting to last several weeks. Some critics are concerned about a drawn-out conflict that could spread.
Carr is not convinced.
“Who is going to enter a war against the U.S. and Israel? Russia is plenty busy. China has no interest in jeopardizing itself this way,” Carr said.
Besides the six Americans killed as of Monday night, government officials say 11 people were killed in retaliatory strikes in Israel.
San Diego — Before we see elephants at Elephant Valley in the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, we come face to face with destruction, only the wreckage is beautiful. A long, winding path takes guests around and under felled trees. Aged gray tree hunks form arches, for instance, over bridges that tower over clay-colored paths with hoof prints.
The design is meant to reorient us, to take us on a trail walked not by humans but traversed and carved by elephants, a creature still misunderstood, vilified and hunted for its cataclysmic-like ability to reshape land, and sometimes communities.
“It starts,” says Kristi Burtis, vice president of wildlife care for the Safari Park, “by telling the story that elephants are ecosystem engineers.”
Elephant Valley will open March 5 as the newest experience at the Escondido park, its aim to bring guests closer than ever to the zoo’s eight elephants, which range in age from 7 to 36, while more heavily focusing on conservation. The centerpiece of the 13-acre-plus parkland is a curved bridge overlooking a savanna, allowing elephants to walk under guests. But there are also nooks such as a cave that, while not previewed at a recent media event, will allow visitors to view elephants on their level.
In a shift from, say, the Safari Park’s popular tram tour, there are no fences and visible enclosures. Captive elephants remain a sometimes controversial topic, and the zoo’s herd is a mix of rescues and births, but the goal was to create a space where humans are at once removed and don’t impede on the relative free-roaming ability of the animals by keeping guests largely elevated. As an example of just how close people can get to the herd, there was a moment of levity at the event when one of the elephants began flinging what was believed to be a mixture of dirt and feces up onto the bridge.
“Our guests are going to be able to see the hairs on an elephant,” Burtis says. “They can see their eyes. They can see the eyelashes. They can see how muscular their trunks are. It’s really going to be a different experience.”
Elephant Valley, complete with a multistory lodge with open-air restaurants and bars, boasts a natural design that isn’t influenced by the elephant’s African home so much as it is in conversation with it. The goal isn’t to displace us, but to import communal artistry — Kenyan wood and beadwork can be found in the pathways, resting spaces and more — as a show of admiration rather than imitation.
“We’re not going to pretend that we’re taking people to Africa,” says Fri Forjindam, now a creative executive with Universal’s theme parks but previously a lead designer on Elephant Valley via her role as a chief development officer at Mycotoo, a Pasadena-based experiential design firm.
“That is a slippery slope of theming that can go wrong really fast,” she adds. “How do we recognize where we are right now, which is near San Diego? How do we populate this plane with plants that are indigenous to the region? The story of coexistence is important. We’re not extracting from Africa, we’re learning. We’re not extracting from elephants, we’re sharing information.”
But designing a space that is elephant-first yet also built for humans presented multiple challenges, especially when the collaborating teams were aiming to construct multiple narratives around the animals. Since meetings about Elephant Valley began around 2019, the staff worked to touch on themes related to migration and conservation. And there was also a desire to personalize the elephants.
“Where can we also highlight each of the elephants by name, so they aren’t just this huge herd of random gray creatures?” Forjindam says. “You see that in the lodge.”
That lodge, the Mkutano House — a phrase that means “gathering” in Swahili — should provide opportunities for guests to linger, although zoo representatives say reservations are recommended for those who wish to dine in the space (there will also be a walk-up, to-go window). Menus have yet to be released, but the ground floor of the structure, boasting hut-like roofing designed to blend into the environment, features close views of the elephant grazing pool as well as an indoor space with a centerpiece tree beneath constellation-like lighting to mimic sunrises and sunsets.
Throughout there are animal wood carvings and beadwork, the latter often hung from sculptures made of tree branches. The ceiling, outfitted with colorful, cloth tapestries designed to move with the wind, aims to create less friction between indoor and outdoor environments.
There are, of course, research and educational goals of the space as well. The Safari Park works, for instance, with the Northern Rangelands Trust and Loisaba Conservancy in Kenya, with an emphasis on studying human-elephant conflict and finding no-kill resolutions. Nonprofits and conservation groups estimate that there are today around 415,000 elephants in Africa, and the African savanna elephant is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Studies of the zoo’s young elephants is shared with the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in the hopes of delivering care to elephant youth to prevent orphanage. Additionally, the Safari Park has done extensive examination into the endotheliotropic herpes virus. “The data that we collect from elephants here, you can’t simply get from elephants in the wild,” Burtis says.
One of the two entrances to Elephant Valley is outfitted with bee boxes; bees are known to be a natural elephant deterrent and can help in preventing the animals from disrupting crops or communities. To encourage more natural behavior, the plane is outfitted with timed feeders in an attempt to encourage movement throughout the acreage and establish a level of real-life unpredictability in hunting for resources. Water areas have been redesigned with ramps and steps to make it easier for the elephants to navigate.
With Elephant Valley, Forjindam says the goal was to allow visitors to “observe safely in luxury — whatever that is — but not from a position of power, more as a cohabitor of the Earth, with as much natural elements as possible. It’s not to impose dominance. Ultimately, it needed to feel natural. It couldn’t feel like a man-made structure, which is an antiquated approach to any sort of safari experience where animals are the product, a prize. In this experience, this is the elephant’s home.”
And the resulting feel of Elephant Valley is that we, the paying customers, are simply their house guests.
A man in the Mission Bay Park community of San Diego was fatally struck Sunday morning by a hit-and run vehicle, authorities said.
The victim was also struck by a second vehicle and that motorist stayed at the scene to cooperate with officers, the San Diego Police Department reported.
The initial crash occurred at about 2:20 a.m. Sunday in the area of West Mission Bay and Sea World drives.
The pedestrian was in the southbound lanes of the 2000 block of West Mission Bay Drive when he was struck by a silver vehicle also in the southbound lanes. That vehicle fled the scene, continuing southbound, police said.
A 28-year-old man driving his vehicle southbound ran over the downed pedestrian.
“That driver remained at the scene and is not DUI,” according to a police statement. “The pedestrian was pronounced deceased at the scene.”
Anyone with information regarding the initial crash was urged to call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
For filmmaker Chloé Zhao, creative life was never linear
Apple’s website leaks MacBook ‘Neo,’ which could be its new cheaper laptop
Ambassador Huckabee describes ‘best option’ for Americans looking to flee Israel
Fraud-plagued Minnesota sues Trump admin for withholding $243M in Medicaid payments
Seniors over 80 who eat specific diet may be less likely to reach 100 years old
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Fraud-plagued Minnesota sues Trump admin for withholding $243M in Medicaid payments
Is Iran expanding attacks to target energy and civilian sites in the Gulf?
Trump claims US stockpiles mean wars can be fought ‘forever’; Kristi Noem testifies before Congress – US politics live
War in the Middle East: Iran’s broad retaliation in the Gulf • FRANCE 24 English
Trump sends official notification to Congress on strikes against Iran
-
World6 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts6 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Denver, CO6 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Louisiana1 week agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Oregon4 days ago2026 OSAA Oregon Wrestling State Championship Results And Brackets – FloWrestling
-
Florida2 days agoFlorida man rescued after being stuck in shoulder-deep mud for days
-
Technology1 week agoArturia’s FX Collection 6 adds two new effects and a $99 intro version
-
News1 week agoVideo: How Lunar New Year Traditions Take Root Across America