{"id":6651,"date":"2023-07-14T13:46:23","date_gmt":"2023-07-14T20:46:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/?p=6651"},"modified":"2025-12-09T10:09:03","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T18:09:03","slug":"reliever-roundup-bullpen-bonanza-individual-rankings-20230714","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/2023\/07\/14\/reliever-roundup-bullpen-bonanza-individual-rankings-20230714\/","title":{"rendered":"Reliever Roundup and Bullpen Bonanza \u2014 All-Star Break Individual Rankings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reliever Roundup and Bullpen Bonanza \u2014 All-Star Break Individual Rankings<\/h2>\n

After the All-Star Break ends, we will begin Week 15 of the season. We\u2019ve been ranking each team\u2019s relief unit<\/a> since June 12. Now we\u2019ll rank the top ten individual relievers in each league. But we will take it to a different level than the other reliever rankings you\u2019ve seen. We will separate our rankings by closers, setup men, and middle relievers. (We\u2019re not going to worry about ranking long relievers.)<\/p>\n

Rankings are split into the following categories. These categories encompass what a relief pitcher\u2019s jobs are and are weighted according to importance. We don\u2019t want to get bogged down, so we\u2019ll keep it brief. (Author\u2019s Note: For full details, including the full leaderboards, leave a comment and I\u2019ll be glad to get back to you.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Setup Men and Closers<\/h4>\n

Clutch<\/strong> (45% of score) \u2014 How well they perform in late innings either while the game is tied or while holding a narrow lead.<\/p>\n

Run Prevention<\/strong> (35%) \u2014 How well they keep runs off the board, including inherited runners.<\/p>\n

Baserunner Prevention<\/strong> (13%) \u2014 Who has the lowest WHIP and lowest home run percentage (HR%). WHIP is 85% of the Baserunner Prevention score, and HR% is 15%.<\/p>\n

Command<\/strong> (7%) \u2014 Who has the best strikeout percentage minus walk percentage (K\u2013BB%).<\/p>\n

Middle Relievers<\/h4>\n

Run Prevention<\/strong> (60%), Baserunner Prevention<\/strong> (26%), Command<\/strong> (14%)<\/p>\n

Totaling Up the Scores<\/h4>\n

The total score in each category is based on the league average. Zero points equals the league average. Positive scores are better than league average; negative scores are worse. The farther their score is from zero \u2014 either positive or negative \u2014 the farther they are from the league average.<\/p>\n

In addition, a player must have at least 20 relief appearances to qualify for these rankings.<\/p>\n

(Note: Due to weighting each score, adding the categories together won\u2019t equal the total score.)<\/em><\/p>\n

For a full breakdown of each category\u2019s score formula, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Week 15\/All-Star Break Individual Reliever Rankings<\/h3>\n

For the full leaderboards, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

AL Middle Relievers<\/h4>\n

\"Best<\/a><\/p>\n

Brock Stewart<\/a><\/strong> of the Minnesota Twins<\/a> is atop the leaderboard with an overall score of 37.8. Second place goes to Tim Mayza<\/a><\/strong> of the Toronto Blue Jays<\/a>, with a score of 37.6. Jake Diekman<\/a><\/strong> of the Tampa Bay Rays<\/a> and Phil Maton<\/a><\/strong> of the Houston Astros<\/a> are third and fourth with scores of 30.9 and 22.1, respectively. Coming in fifth is Trevor Richards<\/a><\/strong>, also of the Blue Jays, with a score of 22.0. Sixth and seventh place go to Gabe Speier<\/a><\/strong> of the Seattle Mariners<\/a> and Eli Morgan<\/a><\/strong> of the Cleveland Guardians<\/a>. Their scores are 21.5 and 21.3, respectively. Kevin Kelly<\/a><\/strong> of the Rays, Nick Sandlin<\/a><\/strong> of the Guardians, and Nate Pearson<\/a><\/strong> of the Blue Jays round out the top ten. They came in at 21.1, 19.7, and 19.4, respectively.<\/p>\n

AL Setup Men<\/h4>\n

\"Best<\/a><\/p>\n

Jason Foley<\/a><\/strong> of the Detroit Tigers<\/a> leads the AL setup men with an overall score of 145.4. Runner-up Yennier Cano<\/a><\/strong> of the Baltimore Orioles<\/a> is not far behind, with an overall score of 141.0. The injured Matt Moore<\/a><\/strong> of the Los Angeles Angels<\/a> is in third with 128.7. Fourth place is another Blue Jay, Erik Swanson<\/a><\/strong>. Aroldis Chapman<\/a><\/strong>, recently traded to the Texas Rangers<\/a> from the Kansas City Royals<\/a>, is in fifth with a combined total of 94.6 between his two teams. Coming in sixth is Chris Martin<\/a><\/strong> of the Boston Red Sox<\/a>, with 91.5, followed by Enyel De Los Santos<\/a><\/strong> of the Guardians, with 86.2. The final three spots of the top ten are taken by Trevor Stephan<\/a><\/strong> of the Guardians (81.9), Hector Neris<\/a><\/strong> of the Astros (79.1), and Jason Adam<\/a><\/strong> of the Rays (74.3).<\/p>\n

AL Closers<\/h4>\n

\"Best<\/a><\/p>\n

The leading closer is Will Smith<\/a><\/strong> of the Texas Rangers, with a score of 187.0. Number two is Felix Bautista<\/a><\/strong> of the Orioles, who scored 167.4. Paul Sewald<\/a><\/strong> of the Mariners and Alex Lange<\/a><\/strong> of the Tigers are third and fourth with scores of 152.6 and 132.9, respectively. Clay Holmes<\/a><\/strong> of the New York Yankees<\/a> rounds out the top five with a score of 126.8. In sixth is Carlos Estevez<\/a><\/strong> of the Angels (113.3), followed by Jhoan Duran<\/a><\/strong> of the Twins (95.4). Emmanuel Clase<\/a><\/strong> of the Guardians, with a score of 84.4, is in eighth. Jordan Romano<\/a><\/strong> of the Blue Jays and Kendall Graveman<\/a><\/strong> of the Chicago White Sox<\/a> finish off the top ten. Their scores are 78.3 and 76.6, respectively.<\/p>\n

NL Middle Relievers<\/h4>\n

\"Best<\/a><\/p>\n

Of NL middle relievers with at least 20 appearances, Jesse Chavez<\/a><\/strong> of the Atlanta Braves<\/a> comes in first with a score of 26.4. Steven Wilson<\/a><\/strong> of the San Diego Padres<\/a> (25.52, rounded to 25.5) comes in second. Steven Okert<\/a><\/strong> of the Miami Marlins<\/a> (25.48, rounded to 25.5) is in a close third. In fourth is another Marlin, Andrew Nardi<\/a><\/strong>, with 23.2. Taylor Rogers<\/a><\/strong> of the San Francisco Giants<\/a> (18.5) is in fifth, while Dauri Moreta<\/a><\/strong> of the Pittsburgh Pirates<\/a> (17.7) in sixth. Hoby Milner<\/a><\/strong> of the Milwaukee Brewers<\/a> is in seventh, with a score of 15.8. Kevin Ginkel<\/a><\/strong> and Kyle Nelson<\/a><\/strong>, both of the Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a>, are in eighth and ninth with scores of 15.7 and 13.6, respectively. Jose Hernandez<\/a><\/strong> of the Pirates completes the top ten with 13.2.<\/p>\n

On a side note, Austin Adams<\/a><\/strong> of the Arizona Diamondbacks has a higher score than Chavez but is three appearances shy of being eligible for the list.<\/p>\n

NL Setup Men<\/h4>\n

\"Best<\/a><\/p>\n

Joel Payamps<\/a><\/strong> of the Brewers leads all eligible NL setup men with a score of 166.2. Tyler Rogers<\/a><\/strong> of the Giants, twin brother of Taylor, is second, with 145.2. Lucas Sims<\/a><\/strong> of the Cincinnati Reds<\/a> is third, with 105.7. Fourth and fifth are Brooks Raley<\/a><\/strong> of the New York Mets<\/a> and Tanner Scott<\/a><\/strong> of the Marlins, with scores of 103.0 and 95.4, respectively. Colin Holderman<\/a><\/strong> of the Pittsburgh Pirates is sixth, scoring 93.9. Narrowly separated at seventh and eighth are Elvis Peguero<\/a><\/strong> of the Brewers and Giovanny Gallegos<\/a><\/strong> of the St. Louis Cardinals<\/a>. Their scores, both rounded to 91.0, are 91.03 and 91.02, respectively. Kyle Finnegan<\/a><\/strong> of the Washington Nationals<\/a> and Dylan Floro<\/a><\/strong> of the Marlins finish off the top ten with scores of 83.5 and 81.2, respectively.<\/p>\n

NL Closers<\/h4>\n

\"Best<\/a><\/p>\n

The highest-scoring closer in the NL is David Bednar<\/a><\/strong> of the Pirates, with a score of 261.1. Alexis Diaz<\/a><\/strong> of the Reds is the runner-up, with 212.9, while Devin Williams<\/a><\/strong> of the Brewers is third, scoring 195.8. Raisel Iglesias<\/a><\/strong> of the Braves is fourth, with Josh Hader<\/a><\/strong> of the Padres in fifth. Their scores are 163.1 and 99.3, respectively. In sixth and seventh are David Robertson<\/a><\/strong> of the Mets (89.2) and Ryan Helsley<\/a><\/strong> of the Cardinals (80.5). A.J. Puk<\/a><\/strong> of the Marlins, with a score of 79.9, is eighth. Rounding out the top ten are Justin Lawrence<\/a><\/strong> of the Colorado Rockies<\/a> and Camilo Doval<\/a><\/strong> of the Giants. Their respective scores are 77.07 and 77.06, both rounded to 77.1.<\/p>\n

Full Score Explanation<\/h3>\n

For clutch, we will use both the Goose Egg total (33%) and the ratio of Goose Eggs to Broken Eggs (67%) due to the major flaws in Saves and Holds. Full details about Goose Eggs are here<\/a>. Otherwise, here\u2019s the elevator speech.<\/p>\n

A Goose Egg is like a save, except more restrictive. Here are the main points…<\/p>\n