Reliever Roundup & Bullpen Bonanza — July 2024 Awards
Welcome to the fourth Awards Edition of Reliever Roundup and Bullpen Bonanza! In this installment, we will announce the Sport Relay Reliever Award winners for July.
Statistics are for all games in the month of July and exclude position pitchers. To qualify for the leaderboards, a pitcher must have at least seven relief appearances.
We have created a convenient glossary page. If a stat name is linked, click/tap it to see, in a new tab, the definition of that stat.
Click/tap here to see the ranking method.
League averages for July:
AL — 4.07 ERA, 1.293 WHIP, 3.2 HR%, 14.1 K–BB%, 69.9 ScOtg% (ER), 2.8 GE/BE, 1.3 GE, 32.1 IS%.
NL — 4.11 ERA, 1.304 WHIP, 3.1 HR%, 15.5 K–BB%, 70.8 ScOtg% (ER), 2.5 GE/BE, 1.1 GE, 33.0 IS%.
Sport Relay Team Reliever and Bullpen Awards, July 2024
Relief Corps of the Month (AL), July
Cleveland Guardians
13.0 GE/BE (26–2), 80.0 ScOtg%, 1.090 WHIP, 2.6 HR%, 17.7 K–BB%
Shakiest Relief Corps of the Month (AL), July
Chicago White Sox
0.9 GE/BE (10–11), 54.8 ScOtg%, 1.682 WHIP, 3.7 HR%, 8.4 K–BB%
Relief Corps of the Month (NL), July
New York Mets
11.0 GE/BE (22–2), 66.7 ScOtg%, 1.291 WHIP, 5.5 HR%, 18.7 K–BB%
Shakiest Relief Corps of the Month (NL), July
Los Angeles Dodgers
1.3 GE/BE (16–12), 62.4 ScOtg%, 1.626 WHIP, 4.0 HR%, 14.8 K–BB%
Sport Relay Individual Reliever and Bullpen Awards, July 2024
AL Middle Reliever of the Month, July
Cole Sands, Minnesota Twins
Sands did not allow an earned run in his nine July appearances. He faced 44 hitters across 12 2/3 innings, striking out 14 while allowing four hits — all singles — and no walks. This gave him a 0.316 WHIP and 31.8 K–BB%.
NL Middle Reliever of the Month, July
A.J. Puk, Miami Marlins & Arizona Diamondbacks
Puk, who went to the Arizona Diamondbacks at the Trade Deadline, made 11 appearances in July — eight with the Marlins and three with the Diamondbacks. He did not allow an earned run in any of them. Of the 40 batters he faced across 12 innings, he struck out 20 while walking three and allowing one hit — a leadoff single by New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor. This gave Puk a 0.333 WHIP and a 42.5 K–BB% (50.0 K%, 7.5 BB%).
AL Setup Man of the Month, July
David Robertson, Texas Rangers
Robertson had another great month in July, preventing opponents from scoring an earned run in eight of his nine appearances (88.9 ScOtg%) and allowing one out of eight inherited runners to score (12.5 IS%). Of the 38 batters he faced in 10 2/3 innings, he allowed five hits, including one homer, while striking out 13 and walking one. This made for a 0.563 WHIP, 2.6 HR%, 31.6 K–BB% (34.2 K%, 2.6 BB%), and 8–0 GE–BE.
NL Setup Man of the Month, July
Jeff Hoffman, Philadelphia Phillies
All-Star Jeff Hoffman did not allow an earned run in any of his 10 July appearances with 6–0 GE–BE. He faced 42 hitters in 10 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and five walks while striking out 17. His July performance gave him a 0.844 WHIP, 0.0 HR%, and 28.6 K–BB% (40.5 K%, 11.9 BB%).
AL Closer of the Month, July
Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland Guardians
Clase, the AL Closer of the Month for May, returned to the top in July. In his 11 July appearances, he prevented opponents from scoring earned runs in 10 of them (90.9 ScOtg%). His GE–BE tally was 7–0. He faced 41 hitters across 11 innings, allowing one earned run on five hits while striking out four and walking two. This gave him a low K–BB% (4.9 %; 9.8 K% and 4.9 BB%), but it also gave him a 0.636 WHIP.
NL Closer of the Month, July
Tanner Scott, Miami Marlins
Tanner Scott earns another NL Closer of the Month nod in what might be his last month of the season as a closer, as the Marlins traded him to the San Diego Padres July 30. The Padres will continue to have Robert Sanchez as their closer, moving Scott to a setup role. While closing for the Marlins in July, Scott was nearly untouchable. He allowed no runs of any kind — earned, unearned, or inherited. In nine appearances, he had a GE–BE mark of 6–0. Across 9 2/3 innings, he faced 34 batters, striking out 15 while walking four and allowing one hit. This gave him a 0.517 WHIP and 32.4 K–BB% (44.1 K%, 11.8 BB%).
Most Improved, AL, July
Yennier Cano, Baltimore Orioles Setup Man
Cano had –17.9 points in June but springboarded to 120.1 points in July, fifth-best among AL setup men. His 12 June appearances saw him throw 10 innings, going 2–1 in GE–BE. Eight of his twelve appearances were scoreless (75.0 ScOtg%). In the 10 innings he threw in June, he faced 40 batters, striking out 13 while allowing six walks, six hits including a homer, and four earned runs. While his 1.200 WHIP was better than league average, he had a 17.5 K–BB% (32.5 K%, 15.0 BB%).
In July, Cano appeared in eight games, going 5–0 in GE–BE. He held opponents without an earned run in seven appearances, an 87.5 ScOtg%. Across 6 2/3 innings, he faced 27 batters, striking out seven while allowing six hits, two walks, one earned run, and no homers. This gave him a 1.200 WHIP and 18.5 K–BB% (25.9 K%, 7.4 BB%).
Biggest Plunge, AL, July
John Brebbia, Chicago White Sox Setup Man
Talk about a roller coaster! June’s most improved AL reliever — and the AL Setup Man of the month, no less — took its biggest plunge in July, raising questions as to whether June was an outlier.
Brebbia held his opponents scoreless in 13 of his 15 June appearances (86.7%). In Goose Egg innings, he was 8–1–0. He also had a 0.805 WHIP along with no home runs allowed and a 32.7 K–BB% (38.5 K%, 5.8 BB%), giving him 143.6 points for the month.
July saw him crash back to Earth with a resounding thud. In 10 appearances, he lasted 8 2/3 innings. He prevented his opponents from scoring earned runs in six of them (60.0 ScOtg%) — going 4–2 in GE–BE — but the other four appearances saw him get hit hard. Of the 45 batters he faced, he struck out 13, allowed 14 hits including two homers, walked four, allowed both his inherited runners to score, and gave up eight earned runs of his own. This led to a 2.077 WHIP, 4.4 HR%, and 20.0 K–BB% (28.9 K%, 8.9 BB%). His total points in July: –1.1, a drop of –144.7 from his June totals.
Most Improved, NL, July
Tyler Kinley, Colorado Rockies Setup Man
Kinley had a June GE–BE tally of 3–0 but had a lower-than-average ScOtg (7-for-11, 63.6 ScOtg%) and also allowed both runners he inherited to score. He faced 50 batters across 10 1/3 innings, striking out 10 while allowing 10 hits (including two homers), seven walks, and 10 earned runs. This made for a 1.645 WHIP, 4.0 HR%, and 6.0 K–BB% (20.0 K%, 14.0 BB%), giving him a June score of –44.0.
July brought better form from Kinley, who had a GE–BE tally of 4–0 and an 84.6 ScOtg% (11-for-13) while not allowing either runner he inherited to score. Facing 59 hitters across 13 1/3 innings, Kinley struck out 16 and allowed 12 hits (including two homers), seven walks, and six earned runs. This gave him a 1.425 WHIP, 3.4 HR%, and 15.3 K–BB% (27.1 K%, 11.9 BB%). These percentages and rates are still higher than he would have liked, but they did improve enough to give him 112.8 points, a 156.7-point improvement.
Biggest Plunge, NL, July
Evan Phillips, Los Angeles Dodgers closer
Phillips has been among the best relievers in baseball for more than a year, so his ice-cold July comes as a shock. His June performance was in line with what the Dodgers have come to expect from him. He held opponents without an earned run 83.3% of the time (10-for-12) and had a GE–BE tally of 4–0. Across 11 innings, he faced 43 hitters, striking out nine while allowing eight hits, four walks, and four earned runs.
Half of the hits and three of the four earned runs, including the lone homer he allowed during the month, came in a mop-up inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates, when Phillips entered with a huge lead. Two more hits and the remaining earned run came in a mop-up inning against the San Francisco Giants when the Dodgers were facing a huge deficit. Regardless of the context, Phillips had a June WHIP of 1.091 along with a 2.3 HR% and 11.6 K–BB% (20.9 K%, 9.3 BB%). Overall, his performance earned him 103.4 points.
July went about as badly as it could have for Phillips. He appeared in 10 games, allowing earned runs in six (40.0 ScOtg%) and allowing three of five inherited runners to score (60.0 IS%). His GE–BE tally was 2–3, a 0.7 GE/BE ratio. Phillips faced 40 hitters across 7 2/3 innings, meaning he averaged more than five hitters faced per appearance but only 2.3 outs per appearance. He struck out 9 of the 40 batters but allowed 14 hits, including four homers, three walks, and 10 earned runs. This gave him a (gulp) 2.217 WHIP, 10.0 HR%, and 15.0 K–BB% (22.5 K%, 7.5 BB%). His July points added up to –45.3 total points, a 148.7-point freefall from June.
Sport Relay Team Reliever and Bullpen Rankings, July 2024
The Outliers
1. Cleveland Guardians (137.6,1st in AL) ▲ +4 from June
260.6 Clutch, 12.8 Run Prevention, 15.8 Baserunners, 25.3 Command
2. New York Mets (119.2, 1st in NL) ▲ +22 from June
242.5 Clutch, –5.5 Run Prevention, –11.1 Baserunners, 20.4 Command
3. Oakland Athletics (94.7, 2nd in AL) ▲ +26 from June
182.5 Clutch, 5.2 Run Prevention, 10.9 Baserunners, 10.4 Command
The Elite
4. Los Angeles Angels (50.9, 3rd in AL) ▼ –3 from June
88.7 Clutch, 16.5 Run Prevention, 12.8 Baserunners, –10.6 Command
5. Miami Marlins (49.4, 2nd in NL) ▲ +4 from June
86.8 Clutch, 8.8 Run Prevention, 15.2 Baserunners, 27.3 Command
6. Tampa Bay Rays (49.3, 4th in AL) no change from June
88.7 Clutch, 8.0 Run Prevention, 8.0 Baserunners, 26.5 Command
Better Take an Early Lead…
7. Atlanta Braves (42.3, 3rd in NL) no change from June
71.3 Clutch, 8.9 Run Prevention, 20.3 Baserunners, 31.0 Command
8. Houston Astros (27.9, 5th in AL) ▲ +7 from June
51.3 Clutch, 4.2 Run Prevention, –0.2 Baserunners, 15.8 Command
The Very Good
9. San Diego Padres (19.0, 4th in NL) ▲ +21 from June
40.1 Clutch, –8.0 Run Prevention, 7.7 Baserunners, 19.0 Command
10. Minnesota Twins (18.3, 6th in AL) no change from June
37.8 Clutch, –6.0 Run Prevention, 8.3 Baserunners, 12.5 Command
11. Colorado Rockies (16.9, 5th in NL) ▲ +16 from June
40.6 Clutch, –3.1 Run Prevention, –12.0 Baserunners, –22.8 Command
12. St Louis Cardinals (15.0, 6th in NL) ▼ –4 from June
27.2 Clutch, 4.4 Run Prevention, 9.8 Baserunners, –23.0 Command
Slightly above Average
13. Texas Rangers (5.4, 7th in AL) ▼ –1 from June
8.6 Clutch, –1.2 Run Prevention, 7.2 Baserunners, 15.7 Command
14. Chicago Cubs (1.8, 7th in NL) ▲ +7 from June
–22.1 Clutch, 27.6 Run Prevention, 27.4 Baserunners, 8.6 Command
The Average
15. Arizona Diamondbacks (0.7, 8th in NL) ▲ +5 from June
–1.6 Clutch, 4.8 Run Prevention, 3.8 Baserunners, –11.0 Command
16. New York Yankees (0.0, 8th in AL) ▲ +7 from June
–5.1 Clutch, 1.7 Run Prevention, 7.6 Baserunners, 23.2 Command
Slightly below Average
17. Toronto Blue Jays (–1.5, 9th in AL) ▲ +9 from June
11.5 Clutch, –7.5 Run Prevention, –24.9 Baserunners, –42.4 Command
18. San Francisco Giants (–4.6, 9th in NL) ▼ –2 from June
–10.6 Clutch, –0.2 Run Prevention, 1.2 Baserunners, 12.8 Command
Lots of Work to Do
19. Pittsburgh Pirates (–5.2, 10th in NL) ▼ –16 from June
–9.0 Clutch, –2.0 Run Prevention, 2.7 Baserunners, –4.6 Command
20. Seattle Mariners (–7.7, 10th in AL) ▼ –7 from June
–24.9 Clutch, 7.9 Run Prevention, 9.1 Baserunners, 22.4 Command
21. Milwaukee Brewers (–8.4, 11th in NL) ▼ –17 from June
–11.3 Clutch, –3.5 Run Prevention, –8.4 Baserunners, –14.2 Command
Stock Up on Tums
22. Washington Nationals (–11.6, 12th in NL) no change from June
–9.1 Clutch, –11.8 Run Prevention, –13.7 Baserunners, –31.4 Command
23. Cincinnati Reds (–15.1, 13th in NL) ▼ –5 from June
–33.3 Clutch, 3.6 Run Prevention, 4.3 Baserunners, –3.4 Command
24. Baltimore Orioles (–16.2, 11th in AL) ▼ –7 from June
–28.1 Clutch, –12.5 Run Prevention, 5.0 Baserunners, 34.8 Command
25. Kansas City Royals (–17.3, 12th in AL) no change from June
–36.3 Clutch, 4.5 Run Prevention, –6.0 Baserunners, –2.4 Command
26. Philadelphia Phillies (–17.8, 14th in NL) ▼ –12 from June
–26.3 Clutch, –11.0 Run Prevention, –13.6 Baserunners, 12.1 Command
27. Detroit Tigers (–18.5, 13th in AL) ▲ +1 from June
–34.1 Clutch, –1.6 Run Prevention, 0.8 Baserunners, –19.5 Command
Pray for a Blowout Win
28. Los Angeles Dodgers (–21.5, 15th in NL) ▼ –26 from June
–28.3 Clutch, –12.9 Run Prevention, –25.5 Baserunners, –4.5 Command
29. Boston Red Sox (–27.2, 14th in AL) ▼ –18 from June
–27.4 Clutch, –25.1 Run Prevention, –25.2 Baserunners, –44.7 Command
30. Chicago White Sox (–40.8, 15th in AL) ▼ –11 from June
–58.0 Clutch, –19.9 Run Prevention, –28.1 Baserunners, –40.3 Command
Team Category Boards
Sport Relay Individual Reliever and Bullpen Rankings, July 2024
Top Ten Lists
Top Five Lists
Full Individual Leaderboards
Also See:
June Awards, May Awards, April Awards. Week 9 Rankings, Week 8 Rankings, Week 7 Rankings, Week 5 Individual Rankings, Week 4 Individual Rankings.
Main Photo:
The main photo is a mosaic of the following images.
Top left:
Top center:
Top right:
Bottom left:
Embed from Getty Images[Content]
Bottom center:
Bottom right:
More General Baseball Articles
More MLB Articles
- Category
-
General Baseball
