MLB: Top 5 relievers in the AL and NL Championship Series

CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 11: Aroldis Chapman
CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 11: Aroldis Chapman
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CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 06: Chad Green
CLEVELAND, OH – OCTOBER 06: Chad Green

Chad Green

Most casual baseball fans don’t know Yankees righty Chad Green. He was unspectacular as a rookie in 2016, starting 8 of 12 games pitched and bouncing between the majors and AAA. This year started in the minors again.

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He was called up in early May and never looked back, registering a 13.4 K/9 along with a 1.83 ERA and 1.75 FIP. He yielded only 4.4 H/9, less than one hit per every two innings. Of all relievers remaining in the playoffs only Jansen had a higher fWAR than Green’s 2.3.

With starting pitchers frequently getting hooked early in games during the postseason, relievers who can throw multiple innings are of tantamount importance. Green proved himself capable of this all year, throwing 69 innings in only 40 games. He recorded four or more outs in 30 of those appearances. If such a thing as a fourth inning relief ace exists, Green is the man for the job.