Is Wade Davis the best reliever in baseball?

Wade Davis had a legendary 2014 season. The Kansas City Royals’ setup man went 9-2 with a 1.00 ERA. In 72 innings pitched, he struck out 109 batters and never surrendered a home run. Opponents only hit .151 against him in a year that propelled Davis to elite reliever status.

Given his dominance, has he already grown into the best reliever in baseball? Here’s an examination of the right-hander and his case as the top bullpen weapon in the MLB.

The former starting pitcher is partially successful in relief because of characteristics gained as a starter. Most late-inning relievers throw two pitches and any third offering is an undeveloped backup option. For Davis, he utilizes a fastball, cutter and curveball combination. Fastballs and cutters are often categorized together, but their difference is noteworthy. Davis throws such a collection of pitches because he carries his starting pitching background into his bullpen role.

According to FanGraphs, which will be used as the source for all advanced measurements in this article, Davis threw fastballs 61% of the time in 2014, cutters on 21% of occasions and curveballs at a roughly 19% clip. To put it simply, nearly four out of ten pitches from Davis won’t be a fastball. Considering his average fastball velocity clocked in at 95.7 mph in 2014, that’s nightmarish for opponents. His cutter came in at a 91.8 mph average with his better ones sniffing the mid-90s. Davis’ curveball, which has the look of a freakishly altered slider, arrived at an average speed of 84.6 mph.

We can discuss Davis’ 1.00 ERA and marvel at his practically allergic reaction to the long ball, but nothing summarizes his ability to dominate better than his arsenal of pitches and velocity averages. Other top relievers include Craig Kimbrel, Dellin Betances, Aroldis Chapman and Greg Holland. The theme among them? All are essentially two-pitch relievers. Any third pitch between them is rarely used or underdeveloped. Successful in their own right, absolutely, but Davis’ third weapon gives him an edge over those in his category.

Why does a third pitch make such a difference for a reliever? Davis’ 72 innings pitched in 2014 came in 71 games, meaning that he’s basically a one-inning-appearance pitcher. He almost always entered the game in the eighth inning. In a contest when the opposition is often down or tied, how must they like facing a fresh arm with the pitch selections of a starter and the rear back and gun it velocity of a reliever? With only one inning to face Davis, a hurler who rocked a 0.85 WHIP, there’s almost no time to touch him up. His quick efficiency and selection versatility make him profoundly unique.

To dive even deeper into Davis’ value, here’s a look at how he compares to his fellow relievers, Kelvin Herrera and Holland. This trio helped the Royals reach the World Series and also raised the market value of all relievers on the free agent market. Davis had a WAR of 3.1, while Herrera posted a 1.4 and Holland had a 2.3 in the same category. According to a metric deemed important by new-age baseball thinking, Davis has more value than Holland, the best closer in the game.

This is merely one statistic, but it’s part of a larger theme with Davis. His most impressive number is the amount of extra base hits he allowed. To go with the zero home runs, he surrendered three doubles and two triples. Five extra base hits in 72 innings pitched? That’s ludicrous. Here’s more unfathomable numbers. Righties hit .111 against Davis and slugged .128. It’s not often that a slugging clip starts with a 1. Davis also posted a 0.00 ERA in three months of the season: May, July and August. Whether it’s the eye test of his pitches or the advanced metrics of his numbers, Davis is a monster.

It’s fair to say Kimbrel, Chapman and others have been more consistently dominant throughout their careers. Aside from a 2012 season with the Tampa Bay Rays and 2014’s amazing run, Davis hasn’t been this bullpen grim reaper. He was starting games and barely staying in the league during his other seasons. Fluke status doesn’t apply here though. Not with this collection of excellence and series of undeniable trends. Davis is in the bullpen for good and opponents better get used to it. They also better start calling him the best reliever in the game.