Top Relievers in 2007

So, I had planned to post a thorough review of the top relievers of 2007 a few days ago. Sorry — my NYE Spinach & Artichoke Dip preparation got in the way. Now, because 2007 is so yesterday, here’s my cop-out Top Five list (please note that this list is in no way based upon holds or saves):

* Honorable mention: Pat Neshek, Tony Pena, Rafael Perez, Chad Qualls, Brandon Lyon

5. Joba Chamberlain – He was called up on August 8, but his name belongs on this list because: (1) he had an utterly dominant two-month stretch, helping to propel the Yankees to the postseason; (2) he achieved icon status in New York in record time; and (3) I’m a biased Yankees’ fan.

4. Carlos Marmol – Was nearly N.L. MVP. Plus, 96 K’s in 69.1 innings!

3. Hideki Okajima - The silver lining for us Yankees’ fans is that Jeemer struggled in the second half of the season; perhaps the league caught up to him a bit. Nevertheless, he was lights out in the first half and a major contributor to Boston’s championship season. Who woulda thunk that he’d be Boston’s best Japanese import?

2. Rafael Betancourt – I almost put him at number one, but because the Mitchell Report can selectively single out a small percentage of players who might have used PEDs, I choose to selectively discount Betancourt’s 2007 accomplishments because of his positive test a few years back. That said, Betancourt was awesome this past season. See, e.g., 312 ERA+!!!!

1. Heath Bell - A year ago, the Mets sent Bell to Kevin Towers’s Padres after a disappointing 2006 campaign. In 2007, Bell made, to say the least, a dramatic turnaround. While most of his numbers are similarly impressive as compared to the other guys on this list, what stands out the most, and what made Bell such a valuable reliever in 2007, is that he put those numbers up over 81 games and 93.2 innings pitched. In other words, Joe Torre would love to get this guy in a Dodgers uniform.

His arm might fall off by the middle of 2008, but, in 2007, Heath Bell was the best middle-relief pitcher in baseball. Congratulations, Heath!

Christmas Miracle: Relief Pitcher Turns to God After Steroid Use

I thoroughly enjoyed this story about Dan Naulty, former relief pitcher named in the Mitchell Report, whose use of steroids caused him to question the meaning of life and ultimately put him on a more righteous path.

Happy Holidays!

Below:  Hot-selling new Christmas tree ornament.  

 

Closers in Non-Save Situations

1 AM… post-Thanksgiving feast… stomach preventing sleep. Naturally, I begin to think about closers in non-save situations. Last week, after I commented that Eric Gagne doesn’t deserve “closer dollars” following his abysmal few months with the Red Sox, Gnopple and loyal reader MJ indicated that Gagne was better as a closer than a reliever pitching “outside of his comfort zone” in non-save situations. After I called bullshit on this theory, Gnopple attacked:

ugh. John Stevens, you’re taking the game and the people who play it out of baseball and replacing it with FJM statistical blindness. You forget that people play the game, not vacuumed numbers.

Harsh.

At this late hour, I decided to do some preliminary Google research on the topic. Check out this result… and this result. [Note that each result only looks at one season of data.]

If you’re too lazy, here’s a quick synopsis: closers, not vacuumed numbers, perform around their general ability level in save and non-save situations. While there are exceptions, those exceptions can be found in each direction — some closers are better in save situations; others in non-save situations.

Thanksgiving Haiku

A Haiku Inspired by Middle Reliever, Mike Timlin:

Bird, reveal yourself,
There is no brush-back arrow
Paps will pick the bones.

Feel free to contribute your own middle reliever thanksgiving related haikus in the comments.

Happy Thanksgiving

I believe the children are our future. This Thanksgiving, take the time to educate a youngster about the value of middle-relief pitching.