One group was excluded from my recent review of individual performances during the 2021 baseball season.
I announced the winners of six batting awards on consecutive Tuesdays — the ninth of November and the 16th — followed by three pitching awards on the 23rd. And I filled in with Friday reports on the top and bottom base values at the plate and from the mound, and even a roundup of players who amassed the year’s worst overall numbers.
What could possibly be left?
My pitching awards were limited to men who had worked at least 162 innings this year — in other words, starters. Relievers stayed off my radar screen. It’s time to remedy that discrepancy.
So I calculated the past season’s base values for all pitchers who averaged less than two innings per appearance, thereby removing starters from the mix.
I began by determining how many outs each pitcher registered, as well as the number of bases he allowed through hits, walks, hit batsmen, stolen bases, and sacrifices. Then I compared each performance against the big-league average of .690 bases per out (BPO).
The best resulting score belonged to Emmanuel Clase, a 23-year-old native of the Dominican Republic who emerged from obscurity this year to become the closer for the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians). Clase was so consistently strong that he allowed a grand total of one earned run — just one — in his final 32 appearances. He struck out 33 batters while walking only two in that span, which ran from July 17 to the beginning of October.
These were his season totals: 84 bases allowed and 218 outs obtained, which works out to a microscopic BPO of .385. The typical pitcher who notched 218 outs would have surrendered 150 bases with a .690 BPO.
The difference between those two figures — the bases allowed by the Cleveland closer and a typical pitcher under the same conditions — is known as a base value (BV). The lower a pitcher’s BV gets, the better it is, and Clase’s minus-66 was the very best for any reliever in 2021.
Three other relief pitchers posted BVs lower than minus-50 — Liam Hendriks of the White Sox at minus-52, and Josh Hader of the Brewers and Collin McHugh of the Rays, both at minus-51.
Look below for lists of the 10 relievers who registered the best performances in each league in 2021, as well as those who finished with the worst numbers.
The amazing thing about the latter lists is the speed with which some pitchers plummeted into the bottom 10. The most extreme case was that of Mac Sceroler, who appeared in only five games for the Orioles in April and June. Sceroler was lashed for a 1.840 BPO in those appearances, giving him a base value of plus-29. The latter was the fifth-worst in the AL for the entire six-month season.
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American League BV top 10 relievers
1. Emmanuel Clase, Indians, -66
2. Liam Hendriks, White Sox, -52
3. Collin McHugh, Rays, -51
4. Jonathan Loaisiga, Yankees, -49
5. Ryan Pressly, Astros, -48
6. Casey Sadler, Mariners, -44
7. Chad Green, Yankees, -38
8. Andrew Kittredge, Rays, -37
8. Josh Staumont, Royals, -37
10. Kendall Graveman, Mariners-Astros, -35
National League BV top 10 relievers
1. Josh Hader, Brewers, -51
2. Giovanny Gallegos, Cardinals, -46
2. Aaron Loup, Mets, -46
4. Craig Kimbrel, Cubs, -44
4. Tyler Rogers, Giants, -44
6. Jose Alvarez, Giants, -42
7. Blake Treinen, Dodgers, -40
8. Dylan Floro, Marlins, -37
8. Kenley Jansen, Dodgers, -37
10. Andrew Chafin, Cubs, -36
10. Jake McGee, Giants, -36
10. Ryan Tepera, Cubs, -36
American League BV bottom 10 relievers
1. Adam Plutko, Orioles, 54
2. Bryan Garcia, Tigers, 39
3. Aaron Slegers, Angels, 35
4. Brooks Kriske, Yankees-Orioles, 31
5. Beau Burrows, Tigers-Twins, 29
5. Mac Sceroler, Orioles, 29
7. Trent Thornton, Blue Jays, 27
8. Buck Farmer, Tigers, 26
8. Adam Ottavino, Red Sox, 26
10. Trevor Stephan, Indians, 25
National League BV bottom 10 relievers
1. Yency Almonte, Rockies, 30
2. Enyel De Los Santos, Phillies-Pirates, 29
2. Alex Young, Diamondbacks, 29
4. David Hess, Marlins, 28
4. Luis Oviedo, Pirates, 28
6. Daniel Bard, Rockies, 26
6. Trevor Megill, Cubs, 26
8. Brandon Kintzler, Phillies, 25
9. Ben Bowden, Rockies, 24
10. Josh Tomlin, Braves, 23