Ever since the Royals won the World Series in 2015, every team has put a lot more emphasis on their bullpen and structuring it in a way that can make them as successful as possible. Often times in the game today, relievers are more in-demand than starting pitchers and as this trend has become more popular league wide, every team has learned about the advantage of having substantial depth within their bullpen. Gone are the days of having only a few impact relievers on every team and building the pen from front to back and in are the days of bullpens built from the back end forward and bullpens that consist of relievers that can provide substantial value during the regular and postseasons.
Now that more emphasis is being placed on the bullpen, fans across the game know what relievers that can count on year in and year out to pitch at a stellar level and always provide a substantial boost to their team. Those relievers consist of a mix of: Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman, Kenly Jansen, Craig Kimbrel, and Wade Davis. However, there are plenty of other relievers that can pitch at that elite level that don't get nearly as much credit as they deserve.
Here are three under-the-radar relief pitchers to watch this season.
1. Chris Devenski - Houston Astros: Devenski got a little notoriety as he helped lift the Astros into the postseason and eventually to a World Series Championship last year, but it seems as though he still doesn't get nearly as much credit as he deserves. After all, dating back to the 2014 season, Devenski ranks 7th among relievers with a 2.14 ERA over 164.1 IP. In addition, Devenski has a 2.80 Fielding Independent Percentage (FIP) over that span, which puts him 14th in the league, and a 83.3 left-on-base (LOB) percentage good for 10th best in the league and tied with Zach Britton, Hector Nerris, and Zach McAllister. Part of Devenski's success has been his ability to throw his changeup, which sits in the mid-90s, 43.1% of the time on average the past two seasons. Another thing working in Devenski's favor is his uptick in velocity over the last two seasons. In 2016, he had an average four seam fastball velocity of 93.3 MPH, while last season he increased that to 94.3 MPH. His changeup also experienced quite a jump in velocity going from 81.8 MPH in 2016 to 83.4 MPH last season. Last year, Devenski provided a huge boost for the Astros at the back end of the bullpen and he looks to have the same success this coming season.
2. Raisel Iglesias - Cincinnati Reds: Iglesias has been mentioned in trade rumors off-and-on over the past couple of seasons and the Reds are making the better move by sticking with him as their closer. Over the past four seasons, Iglesias has pitched to the tune of a 2.44 ERA over 129.0 IP which is 14th best among relievers. Also, another thing that makes Iglesias an attractive option for the Reds is his 0.56 HR/9 rate along with his 10.33 SO/9 value. Back when Cincinnati had Aroldis Chapman at the back of their bullpen, he developed a reputation of being a flame thrower, who could record strikeouts courtesy of being able to throw over 100 MPH, something that Iglesias has also been able to do, but at a bit of a lower level. Since 2015, Iglesias has relied on his fastball, which is his go to pitch and sits on average in the mid-90's, about 57% of the time. In addition, Iglesias has relied on his slider about 31% of the time and has thrown his changeup 12.5% over that period. Iglesias had his best season last year, pitching to the tune of a 2.49 ERA over 76.0 IP with 92 strikeouts, and should continue to only get better. At 28 years-old, Iglesias is in the midst of his prime right now and is one reliever that deserves more attention.
3. David Robertson - New York Yankees: In terms of Wins Above Replacement (WAR), David Robertson ranks among the best of the best. Over the past four seasons, he has a 6.3 WAR, which ties him with Cody Allen of the Cleveland Indians, for 8th best in the league. Beyond that factor, Robertson has also been extremely valuable from a durability standpoint, tossing 258.1 innings dating back to 2014, which is 13th best, and has a 2.83 FIP over that span, which also puts him just below Cody Allen. The Yankees acquired Robertson from the White Sox, at the trade deadline last year, and he was nothing but a valuable asset for them down the stretch and was a big reason why they made it to the ALCS. In 30 games after being acquired by the Yankees, Robertson recorded a 1.03 ERA over 35.0 IP and gave up only 4 earned runs over that period, while recording 51 strikeouts. From an innings pitched standpoint, Robertson had a career year last season when you combine his stats with the Yankees with those from the White Sox - 1.84 ERA over 68.1 IP. Robertson, who will turn 33 in April, is a veteran reliever, but easily one of the best over the past four seasons in the game.
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