Mariners Edwin Diaz: The Closer to Own off the Waiver Wire

Edwin Diaz has been dominant out of the Mariners’ bullpen this season, and will now take over the closer gig. Could Diaz turn into one of the elite fantasy RP over the rest of the season?

Edwin Diaz has quietly been one of the best relief pitchers in baseball this season. Armed with a devastating arsenal, Diaz practically forced the Mariners to unseat the shaky, Steve Cishek, as closer. But, even as good as Diaz has been out of the bullpen so far, Seattle’s schedule may cement Diaz as a fantasy difference maker down the stretch.

Over the last month or so, it seems as though that every closer in baseball has either gotten hurt, been traded, or replaced. The Astros, Mariners, Angels, Yankees, Diamondbacks, Cubs, and Royals have all made changes to the backend of their bullpens, offering those fantasy owners needing saves plenty of waiver options. While Diaz is one of the most common pickups across most fantasy formats, he is still only owned in a little over 50% of leagues. That number should be closer to 100%.

Edwin Diaz was drafted as an 18-year-old, in the 3rd round of the 2012 draft by the Mariners. The Puerto-Rican native was drafted as a starter, and posted an admirable, 3.15 ERA over 386 innings in the minors. He started the season in AA, where he would post a 2.21 ERA, and the team decided to promote him in June, so that he would offer instant help in middle relief.

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As Diaz proved to himself to be a reliable arm, he eventually worked himself into being one of the teams setup men, with Steve Cishek being the closer.Cishek has been serviceable this season, 25 SV in 2016, after a disastrous 2015. But, he has been prone to blowups, and after his sixth blown Save, and sixth loss in back to back outings, the team decided to roll with Diaz as the closer.

Diaz’s current line reads, 1.73 ERA/1 SV/13 HLD/1.26 WHIP/52 K. He also has a ridiculous 18 SO/9, matched with only 8 BB, further demonstrating how dominant he has been. While some relievers may have misleading ratios, Diaz’s pure stuff disapproves any, and all doubt wondering about his success this season.

His fastball averages 97.61 mph, and he pairs that with a sharp breaking, 86 mph slider. Both pitches can be considered plus pitches, and he since becoming a full-time reliever, he has strictly used only both of these offerings. Outside of his pure fastball velocity, and the 11 mph change in speeds when using his slider, both pitches also generate plenty of swings and misses.

Diaz’s stuff really took off in July, as he saw his fastball generate a 15% Whiff Rate, a 3% increase from June, and his slider generated a 43% Whiff Rate, a 14% increase as well. Therefore, you have a reliever that not only has solid command, but also an ever improving, and overpowering arsenal. Fantasy value simply comes down to opportunity and talent, putting Diaz in the perfect situation moving forward.

The Seattle Marines are right in the mix for a postseason bid, and have the parts more than capable of doing just that. But, they will have to rely heavily on the youngster to lock down the 9th inning. Diaz has all the tools necessary and he has his found his groove here lately, he has only surrendered two runs in his last 14 appearances, so all arrows are pointing up.

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The Mariners next six opponents, the Angles, Tigers, Athletics, Yankees, White Sox, and Brewers should offer plenty of save opportunities, as the Tigers are the only team in that group who pose a viable threat. With the fantasy playoffs steadily approaching, these are the types of players and matchups that can make the difference. Diaz was a stud before the move to the closer role, but now his value will only rise. He will offer plenty of Ks to go along with the SV numbers, making him one the few waiver wire candidates that could join elite RP status.

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