Top 5 Projected Holds Leaders For The MLB In 2017

It is one of the harder stats to predict every year, and we are talking about the category of Holds.  Last season the New York Yankees disrupted the flow of the entire landscape.

Since the New York club traded both Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman, this affected the chances of Dellin Betances winning the year, with him moving to Closer.

Miller himself finished 2nd in the Majors having worked setup for Chapman – and then predominantly clearing the deck for Indians Closer Cody Allen.

Falling into the same atmosphere was perennial winner Tony Watson coming into the 9th inning role once Mark Melancon was dealt to the Washington Nationals.

Courtesy of teamrankings.com)

Top 10 Holds Leaders Majors – 2016

Heading into 2017, the record Free Agent signings for Closers Chapman, Kenley Jansen and Mark Melancon have brought forth more clarity to what could happen.

Tyler Clippard and Dellin Betances should thrive in a Bullpen core that should see Chapman lead the Majors in Saves.  The Yankees are going to play in so many close games that they will appear in a ton of games.

Andrew Miller and Bryan Shaw should both crack the top 10 in the big leagues again, however I am still hesitant to say Miller will lead the category as he could repeat the 12 Saves he nailed down in 2016.

Out of the top 10 list, I don’t think that Hector Neris, Nate Jones and Kyle Barraclough will not duplicate their 2016 totals..

Joe Blanton and Neftali Feliz are both still on the open market, so I may still revise my lists if they sign with a cotender like the Dodgers, Nationals or Blue Jays.

Speaking of Washington.  Since it is so unclear of who will shut down games for them, picking anyone like Blake Treinen or Shawn Kelley would be foolish since they may move into the role themselves.

Teams with high win totals projected in 2017 should have a flock of guys that could enter the top 5 for each league.  I am not high on Will Harris or Ken Giles in Houston as who knows who will be the guy to go to in the 9th inning role for them.

If the Rangers had a more solidified Closer, I may have taken Matt Bush to lead the Junior Circuit for the honors.

The same thing can be said for the Oakland A;s, who have a ton of guys who can do a lot of roles in the late inning relief.

Addison Reed lead the Majors in Holds in 2016 – however with the domestic abuse suspension looming for Jeurys Familia, the Reliever might have to be the guy for the job in the Mets Bullpen to start out 2017.  I still think he will nail down a top 5 spot despite that.

In the Senior Circuit, the top teams like Cubs, Nats, Mets and Cardinals should all reel in 90+ victories – with plenty of opportunities to rack up Saves.  To an extent, the Dodgers and Giants are right behind those guys and have Closers with entrenched positions.

Since Los Angeles has plenty of work to do in signing help for their Bullpen, I only like Pedro Baez for the top 5 right now.

Will Smith, who was a great pickup by the Giants midway through the year, should be the primary setup man for Mark Melancon.  Since the Giants don’t often blow out other teams – or get blown out themselves, this is a great chance to rack up some Holds.

I highly suspect Joe Maddon will use the Cubs Relievers a ton, and have plenty of chances to set the table for incoming Closer Wade Davis.

AL Projected Holds Leaders – 2017

Dellin Betances, NYY – 37

Tyler Thornburg, BOS – 35

Andrew Miller, CLE – 34

Tyler Clippard, NYY – 31

Bryan Shaw, CLE – 29

NL Projected Holds Leaders – 2017

Will Smith, SF – 34

Pedro Baez, LAD – 33

Pedro Strop, CHC – 30

Addison Reed, NYM – 28

Hector Rondon, CHC – 28

MLB Overall – 2017

Dellin Betances, NYY – 37

Tyler Thornburg, BOS – 35

Will Smith, SF – 34

Andrew Miller, CLE – 34

Pedro Baez, LAD – 33

The Jeurys Familia pending suspension will effectively cost Addison Reed the chance to retain his mark as the best Holds Leader in the Major Leagues in 2017. That is, unless the Mets pick up another Closer to start the season, in which case Reed would not have to fill the gap until Familia returns.  Familia also led the Majors in Saves in 2016 – in addition to Reed leading the Majors in Holds.  We are projecting the tandem of Chapman and Betances to pull of the same feat in the upcoming baseball campaign.

By Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer/Part Owner) 

Follow @stokes_Hunter21 @mlbreports

*** The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com and their partners***

A big thanks goes out to our ‘Chief Writer/Part Owner’ Hunter Stokes for preparing today’s featured post.

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