Oakland A’s: Chris Bassitt has names for Reliever of the Year finalists

Oakland A’s starter Chris Bassitt believes middle relievers are being overlooked during award season and he’s got the numbers to back it up.

Middle relievers can be dominant pitchers too. And Oakland A’s starter Chris Bassitt wants to make sure the awards voters know it.

So, Bassitt took to Twitter to criticize the AL Reliever of the Year list of finalists.

And Bassitt has a point. Closers are not the only relievers in the market. In fact, more and more teams around the league are using their most effective relievers in high leverage situations, rather than simply as the closer.

Nick Anderson of the Tampa Bay Rays, for instance, was clearly the best pitcher in the Rays bullpen. But you won’t see his name on this list because he only recorded six saves. The very fact that Anderson isn’t included on this list is a testament to the point Bassitt is making.

To set a baseline for the list, A’s closer Liam Hendriks is a worthy candidate. He recorded 14 saves in 24 outings with an ERA of 1.78 and a K% of 40.2%. Hendriks ranked in the top 2% of the league in K%, BB%, xERA, xwOBA and the top 1% in the league in xOBA. That’s about as dominant as it gets.

Brad Hand, however, was not quite as dominant. Sure, he had a great season, but the weight of his candidacy rests heavily on his league leading 16 saves. His league standing with regards to the above mentioned statistics are more similar to Jake Diekman than Liam Hendriks. And if saves are going to be valued as highly as they are, ERA should be valued as well. And Hand’s 2.05 ERA is a long ways off from his competition.

Diekman, as brought up by Bassitt, was just about as dominant as Hand. He finished in the top 5% of K%, xERA, and xwOBA and the top 1% of xOBA and xBA. His only real statistical blunder was his astronomical BB% of 14.3%. And while it’s true, Jesse Hahn only gave up four hits the entire season, his underlying numbers don’t show any evidence of him dominating opposing hitters the way Hendriks, Hand, and Diekman did.

But the point Bassitt is making isn’t to cherry pick the names on the list. The point is that middle relievers deserved a lot more credit in the decision making process that led to this list. They’re often used in more high leverage situations than their closers, on the basis of entering games with runners on base or with weak leads. If a closer gets a three run lead and a clean inning, he gets a low pressure save. But the reliever who came in with only a one run lead and runners on earlier in the game was the more important arm that day.

Unfortunately, the almighty save is still going to play a major role in the winners of these awards. Sometimes they’ll get it right. In this instance, Hendriks is a worthy candidate for the award and should be the winner. But in the future, Oakland A’s starter Chris Bassitt just wants other deserving players to get the recognition that they’re owed.