Closers are all the rage. Especially in fantasy baseball. But what happens if you’re in a league more than 12 teams deep? There simply aren’t enough quality closers to go around in 14+ team leagues for everyone to compete in an H2H league in the saves category.

So, what do you do?

Well, what you should have done already is stacked your relief pitching slots with either the top set-up men in the game or, my personal favorite, the 100 K relief pitcher.

My reasoning once saves are out of reach for you on a weekly basis, is just because you can’t compete in saves doesn’t mean you can’t make up ground by dominating another category – strikeouts. Beyond the strikeouts, really good relievers that aren’t closers can also help keep your ERA and WHIP down. After all, ERA and WHIP both fluctuate quite a bit during weekly matchups in H2H leagues no matter how great of a starting rotation is or the quality of your pitching depth.

Here’s a look at five 100 K relief pitchers that could help your team dominate in non-save categories, who also happen to be overlooked by many owners right now.

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Chris Devenski (HOU) 59% owned

The Houston Astros seem to have something special in Devenski. Last season, his rookie debut, he struck out 104 hitters over 108 1/3 IP to go with a healthy 2.16 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. This season he’s on track to outperform those numbers. His ERA is a nearly a full run higher at 3.10 but his WHIP is 0.90 and 14.59 K/9 are what really matter. He’s giving up fewer line drives and less hard contact this season and striking out batters at the seventh best rate in the majors among qualified relievers.

Trevor Rosenthal (STL) 29% owned

After last season’s debacle, Rosenthal turned into one of those relievers who could have easily faded into obscurity – especially given how quickly it seemed his manager lost trust in him. This year has been completely different for Rosenthal, as he’s putting together a career year in K/9 at 15.06, posting his lowest BB/9 ever, at 2.08, while also posting the lowest WHIP of his career, at 0.87, so far. He’s also likely to get first dibs on save opportunities if Seung Hwan Oh continues to struggle. Though Rosenthal only has one 100+ strikeout season in his career, if he keeps up this pace he’ll easily have his second.

Brad Hand (SD) 15% owned

There’s likely to be a run on Hand once the Padres determine whether he will or won’t officially take over closing duties for the team. Odds are good that he will take over the ninth at some point, but probably not until after the trade deadline – assuming the Friars don’t trade him to a contending club. Either way, he posted his first 100+ strikeout season last year with the Padres and is on pace to do it again this season.

Hand will walk his fair share of batters, but his peripherals are strong, his arsenal is legit, and he’s going to pick up a few saves along the way. Also, his slider is considered to be nearly as good as Andrew Miller’s (whose slider is considered the best in baseball).

Blake Parker (LAA) 3% owned

“What’s so special about Blake Parker” is what you’re probably thinking right now. He’s never crossed the 100 strikeout threshold in any professional season. He’s been in professional baseball since 2007 and didn’t make his major league debut until 2012. He spent five full seasons in the minors before getting that cup of coffee in 2012 and still began the 2013 season in the minors before sticking with the Chicago Cubs for the majority of that same season. Between injuries and a bit of ineffectiveness peppered in between his major league debut and last season, no one had any reason to believe Parker would be a worthwhile relief pitcher in any capacity.

This season he’s rocking a 14.10 K/9 rate, isn’t walking a ton of batters, throws first pitch strikes 62% of the time, and has a 15% swinging strike rate. Those metrics easily place Parker in the top 30 of all relievers, which includes closers, and inside the top 15 of all non-closers. Given the nature of the Angels’ bullpen and injuries to current and former closers, it may just be a matter of time before he gets the nod.

Jake McGee (COL) 1% owned

How is it that a former closer sporting a 1.89 ERA/1.65 FIP, 0.95 WHIP, and a 12.79 K/9 is owned in just 1% of leagues across Yahoo, ESPN, and other leagues this season?

To start with, Jake McGee plays for the Colorado Rockies so I get the trepidation. A close second has to do with recent memory. McGee was absolutely awful last season. He was supposed to be the Rockies’ rock star closer and just couldn’t remain effective in that role, or healthy. This season has been the complete opposite. He’s putting together a season reminiscent of his time with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2012 and 2014 where he was considered one of the most dominant relievers in baseball.

McGee getting to 100 strikeouts this season isn’t necessarily a longshot, but he may ultimately finish the season with 90 or so. Either way, I’d still consider him a 100+ strikeout type pitcher given the way he’s being utilized in the Rockies bullpen and his track record of dominance when healthy. He’s clearly adjusted to the Colorado air, as has the entire Rockies pitching staff.



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Lance Rinker is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Lance, check out his archive or follow him @LanceMRinker.