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The San Francisco Giants held a 5-2 lead over the Chicago Cubs as Game 4 of the 2016 NLDS went to the top of the ninth. If any other team held this lead, fans would have been confident that the series would head back to Chicago for a decisive Game 5. But not the Giants. Not the team whose bullpen had blown 30 saves throughout the regular season. Could the Giants’ most daunting shortcoming save the game for them, literally?
Well, with Derek Law on the mound, NL MVP Kris Bryant led off the inning with a single. Then lefty, Javier Lopez, was summoned out of the bullpen to face All-Star, Anthony Rizzo. He walked him. Giants manager, Bruce Bochy, called on Sergio Romo to face Ben Zobrist. After falling behind 3-1, Romo gave up an RBI double. 5-3.
Another pitching change. Will Smith, the fourth reliever of the inning was the next pitcher given a shot to close out the Cubs. Pinch hitter, Wilson Contreras, singled up the middle, scoring both baserunners. Tie game.
After a throwing error on Gold Glove shortstop, Brandon Crawford, Jason Heyward stood on second when Bochy went to his fifth reliever, Hunter Strickland. Fan favorite Javy Baez was up. While breaking his bat, Baez singled up the middle, bringing in the go-ahead run. The Cubs would end up winning this game 6-5, as well as the World Series.
If this postseason taught us anything, it’s that a strong bullpen is crucial to winning games in October. So who has the best bullpens in the MLB this year?
5. Houston Astros
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Although the Astros aren’t as strong at the back of their bullpen like the other teams on this list, they have one of the deepest bullpens in the MLB, allowing them to call on a handful of pitchers who can get the job done.
Their closer is Ken Giles. Last season, Giles recorded 13.98 K/9, which was sixth among relief pitchers. He also had the eighth most strikeouts for a reliever with 102. Although Giles had an ERA of 4.11 last season, with a fastball that averages over 97 mph, Giles can rack up the saves.
Behind Giles, the Astros have a number of reliable relievers, including Luke Gregerson, Will Harris, and Chris Devenski. Last season, Devenski was ninth among relievers in WAR at 2.2 behind pitchers like Aroldis Chapman, Zach Britton, Jeurys Familia, and other top-notch closers. He was also fifth in ERA at 1.61.
Will Harris was tied for 19th among relievers in ERA last season at 2.25. He added 12 saves, as well, out of 15 attempts. Harris was tied for fourth in the MLB in holds at 28.
Although Gregerson’s ERA was his highest mark of his MLB career last season (3.28), he struck out 10.49 batters per nine innings, which was his highest MLB number since his rookie season. He also added 15 saves and 15 holds. Although Gregerson is not the closer he used to be, he is still a valuable reliever.
4. Miami Marlins
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The Marlins, like the Astros, have a deep bullpen, starting with closer A.J. Ramos. Last season, Ramos was sixth in saves with 40 while only blowing 3 save opportunities. Ramos also added 73 strikeouts in 64 innings.
Along with Ramos, the Marlins have three solid relievers in Kyle Barraclough, Brad Ziegler, and David Phelps. Barraclough was tenth among relievers with a 2.1 WAR and fifth with 14 K/9. Ziegler, a former closer, finished with 22 saves last season and a 2.25 ERA. David Phelps was 25th in WAR last season at 1.3 along with an ERA of 2.31. Although the Marlins are still a few pieces away from competing, they can match up with almost anybody when it comes to their bullpen.
3. Chicago Cubs
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I don’t know if you’ve heard yet, but the Cubs won the World Series last season, snapping their 108-year World Series drought, the most notorious streak in all of sports. A big part of their late season success was newly acquired closer, Aroldis Chapman. Although Chapman left the Windy City for the Bronx in the offseason, the Cubs will still have one of the best bullpens in baseball.
The fate of the Cubs’ quest to repeat as champions will lie heavily on the shoulders, or the right arm, of closer Wade Davis. Once a premier MLB closer, there are concerns about Davis’ arm after a couple of DL stints last season. However, through 4 appearances, he is 2/2 on save opportunities without giving up a run so far this season.
With Davis slotting in at closer, Hector Rondon will become the Cubs' set-up man. Although his ERA jumped a little last season, Rondon has a good track record, recording 77 saves in the last two seasons with a career 2.98 ERA.
The Cubs also have Pedro Strop, who since coming to the Cubs with Jake Arrieta in 2013, has a 2.72 ERA and a .995 WHIP. Young Carl Edwards Jr., who was a 48th round pick in 2011, has a career 3.53 ERA in 2+ seasons. His K/9 jumped from 7.7 to 13 from 2015 to 2016, which explains why the Cubs are very fond of his abilities.
2. Cleveland Indians
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After falling to the Cubs in an epic World Series Game 7, the Indians look poised to make another deep playoff run in large part due to their excellent bullpen. It starts with one of the best left-handed pitchers in all of baseball, Andrew Miller. In 2015 as a member of the New York Yankees, Miller converted 36 of 38 saves. He finished 2016 with a 1.45 ERA, was second in WAR at 3.0, and was second in total strikeouts at 123. Miller continued this dominance into the playoffs, leading the Indians (he was traded midway through the season) to the World Series.
Behind Miller is closer Cody Allen. Allen has back to back 30-save seasons and a career 2.61 ERA. Although Allen struggled at the beginning of last season, he was lights out the rest of the way, giving up only 11 earned runs (five in one appearance) after the month of April.
The Indians also have Bryan Shaw in their bullpen. He has a career ERA of 3.03 as well as 20 or more holds in each of the last three season. With a healthy lineup and rotation (and Edwin Encarnacion) the Indians can not only return to the World Series, but take it home this year, ending a long drought of their own.
1. New York Yankees
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Although the Yankees seem to be headed towards a full rebuild, they boast the best bullpen in baseball thanks to the lethal combination of Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman. Last season Betances was third among relievers in WAR at 2.9, and Chapman was fourth at 2.7. Betances was also first in total strikeouts at 126 and K/9 at 15.53. Chapman was not that far behind with 90 total strikeouts and a K/9 of 13.97.
It is very easy to see why Chapman and Betances are so unhittable. Chapman is famous for his blazing fastball which is consistently above 100 mph. According to MLB’s Statcast, Chapman’s fastball had an average velocity of 100.9 mph, which was the highest in MLB. He throws so hard that if you look at Statcast’s fastest pitches of the season last year, MLB.com provides a “Chapman Filter” because he occupies every spot in their leaderboard. Although Chapman can have some control issues, his incredible velocity has helped him earn over 35 saves in four of the last five seasons (he had 33 that other season).
Betances may be the best relief pitcher in baseball. In 2014, Betances had a 1.40 ERA, in 2015, he had a 1.50 ERA, and in 2016, he had a 3.08 ERA. Although his ERA has climbed the last couple of years, so has has strikeout rate. Betances has an almost unhittable knuckle-curve. This is because it spins at 2583 RPM, which is significantly higher than the league average of 2413 RPM. If the Yankees have a lead going into the seventh inning, you can chalk the game up as win for New York because there is no scoring on that bullpen.