Imagine a year ago saying that in one year the Yankees best reliever would be some low leverage reliever on the Pirates named Clay Holmes but here we are. It’s certainly up for debate as to who the best reliever is in this bullpen as they have quite a few high quality arms, but Holmes has been the most consistent since coming over to New York last season. Just take a look at this chart of the top Yankees relievers since July 28 2021.
| NAME | IP | K-BB% | GB% | CSW | SIERA | xFIP | WAR |
| Clay Holmes | 44.1 | 27% | 68.9% | 33.4% | 1.76 | 2.13 | 1.5 |
| Aroldis Chapman | 32 | 19.7% | 42.6% | 33.4% | 3.41 | 3.71 | 0.5 |
| Chad Green | 44 | 25.7% | 25.9% | 29.1% | 2.82 | 3.41 | 0.6 |
| Jonathan Loáisiga | 34.1 | 14.4% | 52.2% | 30.6% | 3.61 | 3.61 | 0.5 |
| Michael King | 35 | 27.2% | 39.8% | 36.5% | 2.30 | 2.56 | 1.3 |
| Lucas Luetge | 34 | 21.6% | 41.9 | 26.3% | 3.06 | 3.48 | 0.8 |
Holmes ranks first or second in each of the categories, and the combination of his high ground ball rate, low walk rate/strike zone command, and above-average swing and miss ability make him the perfect high leverage reliever for the Yankees to trust in key spots moving forward. Unlike a lot of other relievers I’ve talked about who have upped their slider usage, Holmes has actually gone the other way, throwing his sinker more (up 20.4%). Why it works for him though, is A.) he just gets a ton of ground balls with it, and B.) it’s leading to more whiffs on his slider as it’s now more of an out pitch for him. Ideally, I’d still like to see a little higher slider usage but I won’t complain about the current results.
Notes
- It’s been a rough start to the season for Diego Castillo, but it may be a good opportunity to buy low. The same stuff that Castillo has had in the past is still there, with nothing changing in his repertoire at all. I’d chalk up these past two games, in which he’s allowed 8 earned runs while getting just 2 outs, to bad luck and not executing locations. I think, for now, Castillo’s track record should keep him in the Mariners’ late inning plans, but another bad outing or two could change things.
- We know the Rays tend to be all over the place with how they use their relievers, with the past two weeks and Brooks Raley being a prime example. It can be hard to do, but I think when it comes to ranking or rostering a Rays reliever, you have to be patient and take the good weeks with the bad. Raley for his part should remain in a high leverage role for the most part, and as I’ve mentioned with other relievers early in the season, you love to see the changes he’s made when it comes to pitch usage (slider up 18.6%, changeup up 13.3%).
- Tyler Matzek is struggling with his command again but still seems like a big part of the Braves’ bullpen despite Will Smith and A.J. Minter outpitching him so far. Matzek is always going to have a high walk rate, but obviously his current 19.1% rate will need to come down for him to continue seeing high leverage work.
- Rafael Montero continues to confound as I can’t pinpoint what has led to his fastball being so dominant to begin the season (outside of locating it more on the other side of the plate?), but as long as it’s working the Astros will continue to rely on him in big spots.
- Tommy Kahnle recently returned after missing all of last season following TJS, and while the results have been hit or miss, his stuff has looked good, at least in his first two outings. Yesterday his velo dropped 2.5 MPH so hopefully, that is just him shaking off some rust. If Kahnle is healthy, he can be a difference maker as he was great back in 2017 and 2019.
- Joe Kelly also made his return to the mound and looked sharp despite allowing two hits. The White Sox bullpen is a bit thin after the top two options, so Kelly should be in line for some high leverage work right away, especially with Aaron Bummer out. Kelly’s track record and contract suggest he would be the favorite for that secondary setup role over the likes of Matt Foster and José Ruiz.
Photo by Steven King/Icon Sportswire | (Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)
R.I.P. Art Warren
Ah, guess he’s considered the closer now – never mind :)