7 MLB Relievers Who Have Been Near-Perfect This Season

Relievers are being used, and dominating, more than ever before in baseball. Managers can now call upon in many cases multiple relievers who throw gas and have disgusting off-speed pitches. Hell, skippers are even turning to relievers to pitch the first frame of ball games. As the dependency upon bullpens increases across the league, so does the scrutiny these guys face when they fail. For some teams, bullpen disasters have been occurring far too often, and they're probably wishing they had one of these stud relievers to turn to when things get rough.

1. Adam Ottavino, New York Yankees

The Yankees made a splash this offseason when they signed Adam Ottavino, who was coming off of an excellent season with the Colorado Rockies. Somehow, Ottavino has been even better as a Yankee, with career best 1.37 ERA and an outstanding 330 ERA+, the Brooklyn native has been lights out since joining the team he grew up admiring. His wicked slider has made him one of the game's elite relievers and arguably the most dominant arm in an excellent Yankees pen.

2. Ryan Pressly, Houston Astros

Ryan Pressly has surrendered runs at an astonishingly low rate this season. Entering play today, the Astros' star has an other worldly 0.36 ERA in just over 25 innings of work. Teams have been lucky to even get base-runners against Pressly, who owns a sparkling 0.59 WHIP, coupled with an excellent 14.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The Twins are probably kicking themselves for shipping Pressly to the Astros last season, as he's been a major difference-maker.

3. Kirby Yates, San Diego Padres

The Padres' star closer not only leads the league in saves, he's been virtually un-hittable so far this season. The right-hander owns a 1.08 ERA, but the crazy part is his 0.82 FIP indicates he actually has somehow been better than his numbers show. He's been one of the best in the business at closing out games, and Yates leads all relievers in baseball in WAR with 1.7, ranking just ahead of the next reliever on our list.

4. Josh Hader, Milwaukee Brewers

Josh Hader had his big breakout year last season, and all he has done this season is continue to show that he is one of the most dominant relievers in baseball. He ranks second in the MLB in reliever WAR with 1.1, while also sporting the best strikeout rate in baseball, sitting at a ridiculous 17 K/9. Hader has also not allowed a single baserunner to score the entire season, but has surrendered an uncharacteristic five home runs, though the 20% home run-to-fly ball ratio shows that Hader has been a bit unlucky. He's as reliable an option as there is out of the bullpen, and he's capable of eating up multiple innings.

5. Ty Buttrey, Los Angeles Angels

Ty Buttrey has been a godsend for the Angels this season, helping to stabilize a typically suspect bullpen for LA. Buttrey owns a dazzling 1.27 ERA, and has done an excellent job of stranding runners on base with a 91.5% left on base rate. The second-year reliever also has an excellent 11.1 K/9 while also limiting hard contact. Buttrey has 35 strikeouts to just 7 walks, and has given up just four earned runs all year.

6. Tommy Kahnle, New York Yankees

It should come as no surprise to see another New York Yankee on this list, in fact you can argue Zack Britton and Aroldis Chapman could be here too. Nevertheless, Tommy Kahnle, who struggled with shoulder issues last season, has rebounded this year and is dominating. Kahnle's numbers are amazing, with a 1.64 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and 13 K/9. Even more impressive, Kahnle has allowed the third lowest hard hit rate in baseball, at 19.2%. He's bounced back in a big way, as Kahnle is proving to be one of the most reliable options out of the Yankees pen.

7. Ken Giles, Toronto Blue Jays

Ken Giles' attitude issues last season wound up with him being sent to Toronto. Giles has made the most of his fresh start up North and is having a dominant season. The veteran reliever owns a fantastic 1.25 ERA, backed by an excellent 0.97 WHIP. His 14.12 K/9 also ranks seventh among relievers in all of baseball, and he's only issued five walks while striking out 34 across 21.2 innings.