Sorting The Relievers Of The 2017-18 Free Agent Class

Earlier this week I looked at the 2017-18 crop of free agent starters and sorted the lot by a number of different useful metrics when determining and attempting to predict a pitcher’s effectiveness. There are hundreds of other metrics to explore for deeper dives into any given pitcher (or group of pitchers), and this is by no means intended to be any sort of definitive ranking of the “best” available free-agent relievers. Nonetheless, the general premise of missing bats, limiting walks and avoiding hard contact is a recipe for success on the mound.

With that in mind, I turned to Fangraphs for help once again, creating a custom list of the 49 free-agent relievers that tossed at least 20 innings out of the bullpen this season to see which of the arms in question excelled in these areas. Players like Jesse Chavez, Dillon Gee and others that both worked as a starter and a reliever in 2017 had only their relief work factored into these lists. I’ve also left off Craig Kimbrel and Jerry Blevins, as each will have his 2018 club option exercised.

Hardest Throwers (Fangraphs leaderboard)

League average = 93.7 mph

1. Brandon Morrow: 97.7 mph average fastball
2. Tommy Hunter: 96.3 mph
3. Neftali Feliz: 96.2 mph
4. Juan Nicasio: 95.4 mph
5. Tom Wilhelmsen: 95.3 mph
6. John Axford: 95.0 mph
7. Jake McGee: 94.9 mph
8. Joaquin Benoit: 94.8 mph
9. Anthony Swarzak: 94.7 mph
10. Fernando Rodney: 94.6 mph

Top Strikeout Arms (Fangraphs leaderboard)

League average = 23.3 K%, 8.95 K/9

1. Joe Smith: 33.0 K%, 11.8 K/9
2. Jesse Chavez: 32.4 K%, 12.0 K/9
3. Wade Davis: 32.1 K%, 11.9 K/9
4. Boone Logan: 30.8 K%, 12.0 K/9
5. Anthony Swarzak: 30.5 K%, 10.7 K/9
6. Brandon Morrow: 30.1 K%, 10.6 K/9
7. Greg Holland: 29.9 K%, 11.0 K/9
8. Pat Neshek: 29.4 K%, 10.0 K/9
9. Tommy Hunter: 28.7 K%, 10.0 K/9
10. Bud Norris: 28.6 K%, 11.2 K/9

Fewest Walks (Fangraphs leaderboard)

League average = 9.2 BB%, 3.54 BB/9

1. Pat Neshek: 2.6 BB%, 0.9 BB/9
2. Addison Reed: 4.0 BB%, 1.5 BB/9
3. David Hernandez: 4.3 BB%, 1.5 BB/9
4. Brandon Morrow & Joe Smith: 4.8 BB%, 1.7 BB/9 (tie)
5. Jesse Chavez: 4.9 BB%, 1.82 BB/9
6. Dillon Gee: 5.3 BB%, 1.93 BB/9
7. Brandon Kintzler: 5.3 BB%, 1.91 BB/9
8. Yusmeiro Petit: 5.4 BB%, 1.9 BB/9
9. Seung-hwan Oh: 5.7 BB%, 2.28 BB/9
10. Tommy Hunter: 5.8 BB%, 2.o BB/9

Highest Ground-Ball Rates (Fangraphs leaderboard)

League average = 44.3 percent

1. Peter Moylan: 61.9 percent
2. Bryan Shaw & Brandon Kintzler: 55.9 percent (tie)
3. Steve Cishek: 55.5 percent
4. Craig Stammen: 51.8 percent
5. Fernando Rodney: 51.5 percent
6. Matt Albers: 51.4 percent
7. Jeanmar Gomez: 50.7 percent
8. Dustin McGowan: 50.4 percent
9. Luke Gregerson: 50.3 percent
10. John Axford, Boone Logan, Joe Smith: 50.0 percent (three-way tie)

Least Hard Contact Allowed (Fangraphs leaderboard)

League average = 31.0 percent

1. Matt Albers: 21.9 percent
2. Steve Cishek: 22.3 percent
3. Tony Watson: 22.9 percent
4. Bryan Shaw: 23.3 percent
5. Dillon Gee: 23.7 percent
6. Pat Neshek: 24.4 percent
7. Brandon Kintzler & Tommy Hunter: 25.5 percent (tie)
8. Peter Moylan (26.2 percent)
9. Joe Smith: 26.4 percent
10. Neftali Feliz: 26.7 percent

As noted on Monday when looking at the starters, this is obviously a rather high-level look at the overall relief market, as there are myriad different means of breaking down the class. Age, handedness, target contract length, total innings pitched and injury history weren’t even factored into these quick rankings, for example, and each will factor prominently into these pitchers’ offseason negotiations.

That said, there are some perhaps under-the-radar names that continually surface when looking at these elements of a pitchers’ skill set. It’s easy for the excellent seasons for Morrow and Hunter to get lost in the shuffle, for instance, but they both fit near the top of the leaderboard in a number of categories. Albers, like each of those players, parlayed a minor league pact into a significant late-inning role and is ranked favorably here as well. Smith has quietly been a K%-BB% juggernaut this season, and Chavez has even more quietly posted terrific secondary numbers out of the bullpen despite a dismal 5.84 ERA.

Moreover, the frequent appearances of Morrow, Hunter, Swarzak, Petit, Albers, Moylan and Gee serve as a reminder that often times, less-heralded minor league signings can still pay significant dividends in free agency. Each of those players should be poised for a more favorable run in free agency this offseason than last.