{"id":7987,"date":"2023-09-10T18:51:34","date_gmt":"2023-09-11T01:51:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/?p=7987"},"modified":"2025-12-09T10:07:34","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T18:07:34","slug":"reliever-roundup-bullpen-bonanza-week-22-individual-rankings-20230907","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportrelay.com\/mlb\/2023\/09\/10\/reliever-roundup-bullpen-bonanza-week-22-individual-rankings-20230907\/","title":{"rendered":"Reliever Roundup and Bullpen Bonanza \u2014 Week 22 Individual Rankings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reliever Roundup & Bullpen Bonanza \u2014 Week 22 Individual Rankings<\/h2>\n

We are at the end of Week 22 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 20 relief appearances to qualify for these rankings. Players who have played for multiple teams this season are ranked based on their full-season totals, even if they have switched leagues. They are ranked in the league of their current team.<\/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 22 Individual Reliever Rankings<\/h3>\n

AL Middle Relievers<\/h4>\n

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

Shawn Armstrong<\/a><\/strong> of the Tampa Bay Rays<\/a> takes the #1 position with an overall score of 42.4. Brock Stewart<\/a><\/strong> of the Minnesota Twins<\/a> is second with 37.4. Third place goes to Danny Coulombe<\/a><\/strong> of the Baltimore Orioles<\/a> with a score of 28.9. Tim Mayza<\/a><\/strong> and Jay Jackson<\/a><\/strong>, both of the Toronto Blue Jays<\/a>, are fourth and fifth with scores of 27.3 and 26.0, respectively. Coming in sixth is Gabe Speier<\/a><\/strong> of the Seattle Mariners<\/a> with a score of 23.4. Seventh and eighth place go to Robert Stephenson<\/a><\/strong> of the Tampa Bay Rays, who began the season with the Pittsburgh Pirates<\/a>, and Ian Hamilton<\/a><\/strong> of the New York Yankees<\/a>. Their scores are 23.3 (combined total) and 22.2, respectively. Sam Hentges<\/a><\/strong> of the Cleveland Guardians<\/a> and Brennan Bernardino<\/a><\/strong> of the Boston Red Sox<\/a> round out the top ten, a flip flop from last week. They came in at 17.5 and 15.8, 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 146.5. Runner-up Jason Foley<\/a><\/strong> of the Detroit Tigers<\/a> has an overall score of 133.7. Chris Martin<\/a><\/strong> of the Red Sox holds third place with a score of 128.5. Justin Topa<\/a><\/strong> of the Mariners is in fourth with 117.4. Aroldis Chapman<\/a><\/strong> of the Texas Rangers<\/a>, who began the season with the Kansas City Royals<\/a>, is in fifth with a combined total of 115.5 between his two teams. In sixth is Colin Poche<\/a><\/strong> of the Rays with 113.5. Coming in seventh is Hector Neris<\/a><\/strong> of the Houston Astros<\/a>, scoring 109.7. Matt Brash<\/a><\/strong> of the Mariners, Tyler Holton<\/a><\/strong> of the Tigers, and Matt Moore<\/a><\/strong> of the Guardians, who began the season with the Los Angeles Angels<\/a>, round out the top ten. Their scores are 107.4, 105.9, and 97.5, respectively.<\/p>\n

AL Closers<\/h4>\n

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

The leading closer is still the injured Felix Bautista<\/a><\/strong> of the Orioles, who scored 248.8. Number two is Alex Lange<\/a><\/strong> of the Tigers, who scored 157.6. Yennier Cano<\/a><\/strong> of the Orioles and Will Smith<\/a><\/strong> of the Rangers are third and fourth with scores of 142.7 and 112.9, respectively. Emmanuel Clase<\/a><\/strong> of the Guardians rounds out the top five with a score of 109.5. In sixth is Carlos Estevez<\/a><\/strong> of the Angels (108.8), followed closely by Clay Holmes<\/a><\/strong> of the Yankees (108.7). Jhoan Duran<\/a><\/strong> of the Twins, with a score of 101.0, is in eighth. Jordan Romano<\/a><\/strong> of the Blue Jays and Ryan Pressly<\/a><\/strong> of the Astros finish off the top ten. Their scores are 87.0 and 81.7, respectively.<\/p>\n

NL Middle Relievers<\/h4>\n

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

Of NL middle relievers with at least 20 appearances, Jeff Hoffman<\/a><\/strong> of the Philadelphia Phillies<\/a> comes in first with a score of 26.5. Angel Perdomo<\/a><\/strong> of the Pittsburgh Pirates<\/a> (25.4) comes in second. Third and fourth belong to Trevor Megill<\/a><\/strong> of the Milwaukee Brewers<\/a> (23.7) and Kirby Yates<\/a><\/strong> of the Atlanta Braves<\/a> (21.3). Hoby Milner<\/a><\/strong> of the Brewers (20.4) rounds out the top five. Steven Okert<\/a><\/strong> of the Miami Marlins<\/a> (18.7) is in sixth, while Ryan Walker<\/a><\/strong> of the San Francisco Giants<\/a> (18.6) is in seventh. Ryan Brasier<\/a><\/strong> of the Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a>, who began the season with the Red Sox, is in eighth with a combined score of 17.6 between the two teams. Dylan Lee<\/a><\/strong> of the Braves (17.3) and Tom Cosgrove<\/a><\/strong> of the San Diego Padres<\/a> (16.8) complete the top ten.<\/p>\n

NL Setup Men<\/h4>\n

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

Andrew Nardi<\/a><\/strong> of the Marlins leads all eligible NL setup men with a score of 166.2. Joel Payamps<\/a><\/strong> of the Brewers, with 131.0, is second. Tyler Rogers<\/a><\/strong> of the Giants is in third (117.6). Fourth and fifth are Julian Merryweather<\/a><\/strong> of the Chicago Cubs<\/a> and Lucas Sims<\/a><\/strong> of the Cincinnati Reds<\/a>, with scores of 101.7 and 94.6, respectively. Colin Holderman<\/a><\/strong> of the Pirates is sixth, scoring 84.7. At seventh and eighth are Hunter Harvey<\/a><\/strong> of the Washington Nationals<\/a> and Mark Leiter Jr.<\/a><\/strong>of the Cubs. Their scores are 84.6 and 83.1, respectively. David Robertson<\/a><\/strong> of the Marlins, who started the season with the New York Mets<\/a>, and Caleb Ferguson<\/a><\/strong> of the Dodgers finish off the top ten with scores of 77.7 (combined) and 74.5, respectively.<\/p>\n

NL Closers<\/h4>\n

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

The highest-scoring closer in the NL by a wide margin is, once again, Devin Williams<\/a><\/strong> of the Brewers, with a score of 247.1. Raisel Iglesias<\/a><\/strong> of the Braves is the runner-up, with 184.7, while David Bednar<\/a><\/strong> of the Pirates is third, scoring 173.3. Alexis Diaz<\/a><\/strong> of the Reds is fourth, with Paul Sewald<\/a><\/strong> of the Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a> in fifth. Their scores are 157.9 and 132.2, respectively, with Sewald\u2019s total including his performance with the Mariners before the July 31 trade. In sixth and seventh are Tanner Scott<\/a><\/strong> of the Marlins (130.1) and Kyle Finnegan<\/a><\/strong> of the Nationals (123.5). Giovanny Gallegos<\/a><\/strong> of the St. Louis Cardinals<\/a> is eighth (118.5). Rounding out the top ten are Evan Phillips<\/a><\/strong> of the Dodgers and Camilo Doval<\/a><\/strong> of the Giants. Their respective scores are 111.9 and 104.7, respectively.<\/p>\n

Full Leaderboards<\/h4>\n
\"AL<\/a>
AL Middle Relievers, full leaderboard, through end of play 9\/7. Minimum of 20 total relief appearances.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"AL<\/a>
AL Setup Men, full leaderboard, through end of play 9\/7. Minimum of 20 relief appearances.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"AL<\/a>
AL Closers, full leaderboard, through end of play 9\/7. Minimum of 20 total relief appearances.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"NL<\/a>
NL Middle Relievers, full leaderboard, through end of play 9\/7. Minimum of 20 relief appearances.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"NL<\/a>
NL Setup Men, full leaderboard, through end of play 9\/7. Minimum of 20 total relief appearances.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"NL<\/a>
NL Closers, full leaderboard, through end of play 9\/7. Minimum of 20 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