These rankings are not interested in what some guy in the minors did back in April before he was sent down. We want to see whose current relief roster is the toughest. That will be most useful when watching and analyzing games.<\/p>\n
Brief Rankings Explanation<\/h4>\n
Rankings are split into the following categories. These categories encompass what a relief pitcher\u2019s jobs are<\/a> 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, leave a comment and I\u2019ll be glad to get back to you.)<\/em><\/p>\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 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 (Note: Due to weighting each score, adding the four 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 79.9 Clutch, 8.7 Run Prevention, 10.2 Baserunners, 16.5 Command<\/em><\/p>\n The Brewers are still the class of the majors. Now that they\u2019re hitting the baseball, they\u2019re on fire. Setup man Joel Payamps<\/a><\/strong> and closer Devin Williams<\/a><\/strong> are also tops in the NL in their respective roles, Williams by a large margin.<\/p>\n 24.8 Clutch, 7.9 Run Prevention, 7.3 Baserunners, 27.1 Command<\/em><\/p>\n How many teams can trade their closer and still be the best relief corps in their league? That\u2019s exactly what the Mariners have done, and their recent hot streak has vaulted them past the Rangers and Astros into first place. Three of their relievers are in the AL top ten for their role: middle man Gabe Speier<\/a><\/strong> (#4) and two setup men, Justin Topa<\/a><\/strong> (#6) and Matt Brash<\/a><\/strong> (#9).<\/p>\n 35.8 Clutch, -2.3 Run Prevention, 6.7 Baserunners, 7.0 Command<\/em><\/p>\n The Giants\u2019 recent skid has hurt their playoff chances, but their relievers are still among the class of the NL. They have someone in the top ten in all three roles: middle man Taylor Rogers<\/a><\/strong> (#8), setup man Tyler Rogers<\/a><\/strong> (#2), and closer Camilo Doval<\/a><\/strong> (#9).<\/p>\n 24.8 Clutch, -0.3 Run Prevention, 3.3 Baserunners, -13.5 Command<\/em><\/p>\n Every week, the Tigers are toward the top of the rankings. And every week, we get comments of surprise. \u201cThe Tigers?!?? Really?\u201d Our response is always the same \u2014 they aren\u2019t ahead late in games often. But when they are, they rarely blow it. Middle man Tyler Holton<\/a><\/strong> was #5 in the AL in Friday\u2019s rankings. Setup man Jason Foley<\/a><\/strong> (#4) and closer Alex Lange<\/a><\/strong> (#2) also were in the top five.<\/p>\n 12.2 Clutch, 5.6 Run Prevention, 2.6 Baserunners, 5.1 Command<\/em><\/p>\n The Cubs have surged toward the top of the NL Central with a 16\u20138 August (so far). Their \u2018pen has played a large part in the success. Setup man Mark Leiter Jr.<\/a> <\/strong>is in the top five. Closer Adbert Alzolay<\/a><\/strong> is 12th, having climbed two spots in August, but his score has increased by over 30 points in that span.<\/p>\n 14.8 Clutch, 1.2 Run Prevention, 1.0 Baserunners, 8.4 Command<\/em><\/p>\n The Red Sox are another team with appearances on all three individual leaderboards. Middle reliever Nick Pivetta<\/a><\/strong> is seventh, while setup man Chris Martin<\/a><\/strong> is fifth and closer Kenley Jansen<\/a><\/strong> is ninth.<\/p>\n 16.5 Clutch, 1.0 Run Prevention, 0.0 Baserunners, -2.7 Command<\/em><\/p>\n The Rays\u2019 relief corps is surging at the right time. They have been stuck in the high teens or low 20s for weeks but are now locking into form. Perfect timing, given the devastating injury news the Orioles received Friday. They have two middle relievers in the top ten: Shawn Armstrong<\/a><\/strong> (#1) and midseason pick-up Robert Stephenson<\/a><\/strong> (#9).<\/p>\n 14.2 Clutch, -1.3 Run Prevention, -0.9 Baserunners, 14.0 Command<\/em><\/p>\n The Braves have the #3 closer in the National League, Raisel Iglesias<\/a><\/strong>. They also have the #3 middle reliever, Jesse Chavez<\/a><\/strong>, but he has been out for over two months. He is expected to return some time next month, and it will be a welcome addition for the Braves. Pierce Johnson<\/a><\/strong>, acquired in a trade with the Rockies, has been sharp in a middle relief role for the Braves. Eleven of his thirteen appearances have been scoreless.<\/p>\n 24.8 Clutch, -6.6 Run Prevention, -12.0 Baserunners, -9.8 Command<\/em><\/p>\n If the Angels are ahead at the end of the seventh, they rarely lose. Setup man Matt Moore<\/a><\/strong> is tops in the AL, while closer Carlos Estevez<\/a><\/strong> is fourth. Like the Tigers, they simply need to be ahead more often. (We know\u2026we\u2019re saying it like it\u2019s simple to fix, akin to flipping a switch. Yet we digress\u2026)<\/p>\n -3.2 Clutch, 13.9 Run Prevention, 4.1 Baserunners, 23.3 Command<\/em><\/p>\n The Blue Jays relievers don\u2019t give up runs often. But when they do, it\u2019s at a critical point. That is why their clutch score is below average. But their run prevention and command scores are off the charts, keeping them in the top ten. Two middle relievers \u2014 Tim Mayza<\/a><\/strong> (#3) and Trevor Richards<\/a><\/strong> (#10) \u2014 are in the top ten. So are setup man Erik Swanson<\/a><\/strong> (#2) and closer Jordan Romano<\/a><\/strong> (#10).<\/p>\n 5.8 Clutch, 6.0 Run Prevention, 2.1 Baserunners, -1.7 Command<\/em><\/p>\n Guardians setup man Trevor Stephan<\/a><\/strong> (#8) is in the top ten, as is closer Emmanuel Clase<\/a><\/strong> (#5).<\/p>\n 3.7 Clutch, 7.1 Run Prevention, 3.8 Baserunners, -0.5 Command<\/em><\/p>\n The Dodgers have made a lot of personnel changes in the \u2018pen but still have four players in the top ten. Ryan Brasier<\/a><\/strong> is the #1 middle reliever in the NL. Setup men Caleb Ferguson<\/a><\/strong> and Brusdar Graterol<\/a><\/strong> are sixth and tenth, respectively. Closer Evan Phillips<\/a><\/strong> is tenth. This is good news for the NL West leaders as they head into the stretch run.<\/p>\n 8.4 Clutch, -0.6 Run Prevention, 5.5 Baserunners, 1.2 Command<\/em><\/p>\n The Yankees relief corps is in a free-fall like the rest of their team. Closer Clay Holmes<\/a><\/strong> (#7) has not converted a goose egg in three weeks. A bright spot has been middle reliever Ian Hamilton<\/a><\/strong>, who is #8 in the AL.<\/p>\n 15.5 Clutch, -8.1 Run Prevention, -9.4 Baserunners, -2.0 Command<\/em><\/p>\n The Pirates have someone on all three individual top ten boards. They are middle reliever Angel Perdomo<\/a><\/strong> (#4), setup man Colin Holderman<\/a><\/strong> (#7), and closer David Bednar<\/a><\/strong> (#4). However, the rest of their \u2018pen has struggled mightily, leading both to their hard fall and their negative scores in three of the four categories.<\/p>\n 3.4 Clutch, 2.9 Run Prevention, 1.0 Baserunners, -4.7 Command<\/em><\/p>\n Reds setup man Lucas Sims<\/a><\/strong> (#4) and closer Alexis Diaz<\/a><\/strong> (#2) are each in the top five. But the performance of the rest of their relief unit has pulled them down to the middle of the pack in team rankings. Not good for a team fighting for a wild card spot.<\/p>\n![\"Team](\"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/RRBB-20230828-01-Team-Board-1024x341.png\")
<\/a>Week 21 (Aug 28 to Sep 3) Team Reliever and Bullpen Rankings<\/h3>\n
The Outlier<\/h4>\n
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Better Take an Early Lead\u2026<\/h4>\n
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The Very Good<\/h4>\n
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The Good<\/h4>\n
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Slightly Above Average<\/h4>\n
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The Average<\/h4>\n
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