2025 Fantasy Baseball: San Franciso Giants Closer Depth Chart
Ryan Walker was a sneaky fantasy asset last year due to his unique combination of double-digit wins (10) and saves (10), paired with 80.0 innings of work. Will his arm translate to a winning closing option in 2025?
Ryan Walker's Ridiculous Stuff. pic.twitter.com/DzWNlRUGzQ
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 18, 2024
CL – Ryan Walker, SF (ADP – 81.9)
Walker was a slow mover through the Giants minor league system after getting drafted in the 31st round of the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft. Over five seasons in the minors, he went 13-6 with a 3.15 ERA, 1.201 WHIP, and 246 strikeouts over 214.0 innings while picking up only 13 saves.
In 2023, Walker made 49 appearances for San Francisco with success in ERA (3.23) but not in WHIP (1.386). He allowed eight home runs over 61.1 innings while showing weakness in his walk rate (3.5).
His arm arrived last year, leading to Walker ranking 28th by FPGscore (2.18) for pitchers. He won 10 games and finished with 10 saves while improving his command (2.0 walks per nine). Batters only hit .179 against him. When given a closing opportunity over the final two months, Walker went 3-1 with a 0.77 ERA, 0.688 WHIP, 33 strikeouts, and 10 saves over 23.1 innings.
He attacked batters with his sinker (95.9 mph – .199 BAA) and slider (.156 BAA), with both pitches gaining about one mph last season.
Fantasy Outlook: The Giants named him as their closer in mid-February, but San Fran still has Camilo Doval (92 career saves) waiting in the wings if Walker trips up. I like the direction of his arm, and his top handcuff is priced low enough (ADP – 402) to pair the two arms together. The Giants bullpen ranked first and second in innings pitched over the past two seasons, suggesting plenty of relief chances for Walker. Call me interested, as his 10 saves in 2024 could turn into 40+ this year.
Top Giants Handcuff – Camilo Doval, SF (ADP – 402.4)
The chase for saves with Doval’s arm last season came with a price. He finished with a crushing fantasy ERA (4.88) and WHIP (1.576) due to his inability to throw consistent strikes (5.9 walks per nine – 3.6 over his first three years with the Giants).
Doval looked on track over his first 23 games (2-0 with a 2.78 ERA, 1.412 WHIP, and 29 strikeouts over 22.2 innings) in 2024 while converting nine of his 10 save tries. The Yankees and Angels drilled him for eight runs, 12 baserunners, and one home run over one inning of work over his first six appearances in June. After a rebound over his following 15.1 innings (2.93 ERA, 21 strikeouts, and 10 saves), the Giants shipped back to AAA after another disastrous game (three runs over an inning). Doval struggled in set role over his final 16 games back in the majors (nine runs, 22 baserunners, and one home run over 15.0 innings).
His average fastball (99.5) remains elite. Doval featured an electric slider (.181 BAA with 57 strikeouts) as his top usage pitch (51.0% - 36.2% in 2023). Batter teed up his sinker (.353 BAA) with success against his four-seamer (.275 BAA). He was a liability against lefties (.280 BAA with 23 walks over 107 at-bats), highlighted by his failure with his two fastballs (FS – .368 BAA and SI – .556 BAA).
Fantasy Outlook: The path back to the ninth inning for Doval is simple: he must command his fastball better in and out of the strike zone. With more strikes thrown, his slider would be much more impressive. For two-thirds of his outings last year, Doval was a helpful closing arm. Keep an open mind, primarily if investing in Ryan Walker.
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