{"id":7748,"date":"2023-09-01T20:36:15","date_gmt":"2023-09-02T03:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/?p=7748"},"modified":"2025-12-09T10:09:01","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T18:09:01","slug":"reliever-roundup-bullpen-bonanza-week-21-individual-rankings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/2023\/09\/01\/reliever-roundup-bullpen-bonanza-week-21-individual-rankings\/","title":{"rendered":"Reliever Roundup and Bullpen Bonanza \u2014 Week 21 Individual Rankings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reliever Roundup & Bullpen Bonanza \u2014 Week 21 Individual Rankings<\/h2>\n

We are near the end of Week 21 of the season. Here are the top ten individual relievers in each league. But these rankings 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<\/a> 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 25 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 21 Individual Reliever Rankings<\/h3>\n

AL Middle Relievers<\/h4>\n

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

The injured Brock Stewart<\/a><\/strong> of the Minnesota Twins<\/a> returns to the #1 position with an overall score of 38.2. Danny Coulombe<\/a><\/strong> of the Baltimore Orioles<\/a> is second, with 28.5. Third place goes to Tim Mayza<\/a><\/strong> of the Toronto Blue Jays<\/a>, with a score of 26.9. Gabe Speier<\/a><\/strong> of the Seattle Mariners<\/a> and Tyler Holton<\/a><\/strong> of the Detroit Tigers<\/a> are fourth and fifth with scores of 25.7 and 23.6, respectively. Coming in sixth is Ian Hamilton<\/a><\/strong> of the New York Yankees<\/a> with a score of 22.8. Seventh and eighth place go to Robert Stephenson<\/a><\/strong> of the Tampa Bay Rays<\/a> and Trevor Richards<\/a><\/strong> of the Blue Jays. Their scores are 22.8 and 20.1, respectively. Brennan Bernardino<\/a><\/strong> of the Boston Red Sox<\/a> and Sam Hentges<\/a><\/strong> of the Cleveland Guardians<\/a> round out the top ten. They came in at 16.2 and 14.8, respectively.<\/p>\n

AL Setup Men<\/h4>\n

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

Erik Swanson<\/a><\/strong> of the Blue Jays leads the AL setup men with an overall score of 145.8. Runner-up Yennier Cano<\/a><\/strong> of the Orioles has an overall score of 143.6. Jason Foley<\/a><\/strong> of the Tigers holds third place with a score of 125.4. Aroldis Chapman<\/a><\/strong> of the Texas Rangers<\/a>, who began the season with the Kansas City Royals<\/a>, is in fourth with a combined total of 122.7 between his two teams. Fifth place is Chris Martin<\/a><\/strong> of the Red Sox. His score is 119.6. In sixth is Justin Topa<\/a><\/strong> of the Mariners with 112.4. Coming in seventh is Matt Moore<\/a><\/strong> of the Guardians \u2014 whom they recently claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels<\/a> \u2014 scoring 110.3. Hector Neris<\/a><\/strong> of the Houston Astros<\/a>, Trevor Stephan<\/a><\/strong> of the Guardians, and Matt Brash<\/a><\/strong> of the Mariners round out the top ten. Their scores are 108.7, 97.8, and 93.6, respectively.<\/p>\n

AL Closers<\/h4>\n

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

The leading closer is the injured Felix Bautista<\/a><\/strong> of the Orioles, who scored 247.2. Number two is Alex Lange<\/a><\/strong> of the Tigers, who scored 144.3. Carlos Estevez<\/a><\/strong> of the Angels and Will Smith<\/a><\/strong> of the Rangers are third and fourth with scores of 117.0 and 106.3, respectively. Emmanuel Clase<\/a><\/strong> of the Guardians rounds out the top five with a score of 100.1. In sixth is Jhoan Duran<\/a><\/strong> of the Twins (100.0), followed by Clay Holmes<\/a><\/strong> of the Yankees (95.1). Kenley Jansen<\/a><\/strong> of the Red Sox, with a score of 88.6, is in eighth. Ryan Pressly<\/a><\/strong> of the Astros and Jordan Romano<\/a><\/strong> of the Blue Jays finish off the top ten. Their scores are 81.5 and 76.7, respectively.<\/p>\n

NL Middle Relievers<\/h4>\n

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

Of NL middle relievers with at least 25 appearances, Andrew Nardi<\/a><\/strong> of the Miami Marlins<\/a> comes in first with a score of 29.1. The injured Jesse Chavez<\/a><\/strong> of the Atlanta Braves<\/a> (27.0) comes in second. Third and fourth belong to Angel Perdomo<\/a><\/strong> of the Pittsburgh Pirates<\/a> (25.2) and Jeff Hoffman<\/a><\/strong> of the Philadelphia Phillies<\/a> (25.1). Ryan Walker<\/a><\/strong> of the San Francisco Giants (20.3) rounds out the top five. Another Giant, Taylor Rogers<\/a><\/strong> (19.9), is in sixth, while Hoby Milner<\/a><\/strong> of the Milwaukee Brewers<\/a> (18.9) is in seventh. Steven Okert<\/a><\/strong>, another Marlin, is in eighth with a score of 18.8. Jordan Weems<\/a><\/strong> of the Washington Nationals<\/a> (18.3) and Ryan Brasier<\/a><\/strong> of the Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a> (15.8) complete the top ten.<\/p>\n

NL Setup Men<\/h4>\n

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

Joel Payamps<\/a><\/strong> of the Brewers leads all eligible NL setup men with a score of 155.3. Tanner Scott<\/a><\/strong> of the Marlins, with 126.4, is second. Tyler Rogers<\/a><\/strong> of the San Francisco Giants<\/a> \u2014 twin brother of Taylor \u2014 is in third (125.5). Fourth and fifth are Lucas Sims<\/a><\/strong> of the Cincinnati Reds<\/a> and Mark Leiter Jr.<\/a><\/strong>of the Chicago Cubs<\/a>, with scores of 95.6 and 95.0, respectively. Colin Holderman<\/a><\/strong> of the Pirates is sixth, scoring 84.3. At seventh and eighth are Caleb Ferguson<\/a><\/strong> of the Dodgers and Hunter Harvey<\/a><\/strong> of the Nationals. Their scores are 74.5 and 68.5, respectively. Gregory Soto<\/a><\/strong> of the Phillies and Dylan Floro<\/a><\/strong> of the Marlins finish off the top ten with scores of 66.3 and 66.2, respectively.<\/p>\n

NL Closers<\/h4>\n

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

The highest-scoring closer in the NL by a wide margin is Devin Williams<\/a><\/strong> of the Brewers, with a score of 309.7. Raisel Iglesias<\/a><\/strong> of the Braves is the runner-up, with 183.7, while Alexis Diaz<\/a><\/strong> of the Reds is third, scoring 168.8. David Bednar<\/a><\/strong> of the Pirates is fourth, with Paul Sewald<\/a><\/strong> of the Diamondbacks in fifth. Their scores are 152.6 and 126.4, respectively, with Sewald\u2019s total including the points he earned with the Mariners before the July 31 trade. In sixth and seventh are Kyle Finnegan<\/a><\/strong> of the Nationals (124.3) and Giovanny Gallegos<\/a><\/strong> of the St. Louis Cardinals<\/a> (112.8). Evan Phillips<\/a><\/strong> of the Dodgers is eighth (106.1). Rounding out the top ten are Camilo Doval<\/a><\/strong> of the Giants and Josh Hader<\/a><\/strong> of the San Diego Padres<\/a>. Their respective scores are 105.6 and 99.0, respectively.<\/p>\n

Full Leaderboards<\/h4>\n
\"AL<\/a>
AL Middle Relievers, full leaderboard, through end of play 8\/31. Minimum of 25 relief appearances.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
AL Setup Men, full leaderboard, through end of play 8\/31. Minimum of 25 relief appearances.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
AL Closers, full leaderboard, through end of play 8\/31. Minimum of 25 relief appearances.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
National League<\/h5>\n
\"\"<\/a>
NL Middle Relievers, full leaderboard, through end of play 8\/31. Minimum of 25 relief appearances.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
NL Setup Men, full leaderboard, through end of play 8\/31. Minimum of 25 relief appearances.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
NL Closers, full leaderboard, through end of play 8\/31. Minimum of 25 relief appearances.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Multi-team<\/h5>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Current AL Middle Relievers who have played on multiple teams in 2023, full leaderboard, through end of play 8\/31. Minimum of 25 relief appearances.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Current AL Middle Setup Men who have played on multiple teams in 2023, full leaderboard, through end of play 8\/31. Minimum of 25 relief appearances.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Current NL Middle Relievers who have played on multiple teams in 2023, full leaderboard, through end of play 8\/31. Minimum of 25 relief appearances.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Current NL Setup Men who have played on multiple teams in 2023, full leaderboard, through end of play 8\/31. Minimum of 25 relief appearances.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\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