Silva: Undeniable how good Matt Barnes has been

Drew Silva highlights just how good Red Sox closer Matt Barnes has been this season and how he's obliterating his ADP right now.

Video Transcript

DREW SILVA: In this modern era of baseball, a closer would usually rank low down the list of players who deserve, and receive credit, for a team's hot start, but it is absolutely undeniable that Matt Barnes has played a significant role in this early season surge for a Red Sox team that most evaluators projected to finish fourth in the American League East.

As of mid-May, the long time Boston reliever has pitched to a 2.0 ERA, 0.50 whip, and 30 strikeouts through 18 innings the season, while racking up 8 saves. He's given up just six hits and three walks among the 62 batters he's faced, showing both improved command and just flat out overall dominance.

As the ninth inning man on a Sox club that has a terrific offense, but not the most reliable starting pitching. That roster build, at least theoretically, would lead to a lot of close games and a good number of save opportunities, now and moving forward. Barnes is set to become a free agent this winter. So if the Red Sox begin to fade, he could become a trade candidate. That is something to think about.

For now though, he's delivering incredible fantasy value for a guy who went 202nd overall in the average Yahoo draft this spring. Barnes, on most sites, was the 32nd reliever eligible pitcher off the board.