Top 10 MLB Relief Pitchers for 2022

Player Name

Closers will generally find their names higher on the list, but a few players made the cut without closer experience. We tried to find the 15 arms we wanted most in our bullpen for 2022.

By Zach Smith

We gave a lot of credit to past success but also used plenty of pitch data to support these rankings. Just Baseball’s Peter Appel breaks down the ten best relief pitchers in the MLB:

Edwin Diaz – NYM Kenley Jansen – ATL Giovanny Gallegos – STL Garrett Whitlock – BOS Jonathan Loaisiga – NYY

Honorable Mentions:

Craig Kimbrel may find himself in Cooperstown one day. He has a 2.19 ERA for his career; the third-lowest ever behind Zack Britton and Mariano Rivera.

10: Craig Kimbrel Los Angeles Dodgers

Romano has been elite since 2020. In that year he allowed just two earned runs in 14.2 IP. In 2021, he struck out 34% of hitters and held opponents to a .190 batting average.

9: Jordan Romano Toronto Blue Jays

Chapman gets a lot of blame for blow-ups, and for good reason. The thing is, he’s always in big spots, always in at the most significant moments.

8: Aroldis Chapman New York Yankees

In 2018, he was 50% sinker and 11% cutter. In 2021, he was 28% sinker and 30% cutter. The new Treinen is still a stud, even though the sinker has lost some velocity.

7: Blake Treinen Los Angeles Dodgers

When you think best changeups of all-time, you think Pedro Martinez, maybe Trevor Hoffman, but Devin William’s changeup with 43 inches of drop is up there.

6: Devin Williams Milwaukee Brewers

Last year, Pressly had a 2.25 ERA and a WHIP under 1.00 while walking fewer than two guys per nine innings. What he uses can be flashy, but the way he mixes them is elite.

5: Ryan Pressly Houston Astros

Iglesias has been one of the best relievers in baseball for the past two seasons, putting up a 2.61 ERA, even lower peripheral stats, and he’s second in WAR in that span.

4. Raisel Iglesias Los Angeles Angels

Emmanuel Clase is a video game character. He throws a 100 MPH cutter that produced a 75% GB rate last year. In a talented Guardians bullpen, he's the best, and he's only 24 years old. He'll be one of the best for the foreseeable future. 

3. Emmanuel Clase Cleveland Guardians

If you told us our second-best reliever should be number one, we wouldn’t say you’re wrong. Since 2020, Hendriks leads in K/9, BB/9, ERA, FIP, xFIP, and WAR.

2: Liam Hendriks Chicago White Sox

The undisputed. He’s been in the league since 2017 and has never put up a WHIP over 1.00. In 58.2 IP last year, he allowed three home runs and had a 1.23 ERA.

1: Josh Hader Milwaukee Brewers