Relief pitchers are extremely volatile, perhaps the most out of all baseball positions.
Volatility means that one year they could be stars, and they could flame out, get severely injured, or lose effectiveness just as quickly as they arrived.
That’s why having a pitcher who combines effectiveness with availability is like hitting the jackpot.
The Mariano Riveras and Trevor Hoffmans of the world, relievers who sustain a stellar level for multiple years, are a rarity in today’s game.
Putting together even three seasons of excellent results is tricky and harder than the average fan realizes.
Thankfully for the Cleveland Guardians, they have a very solid bullpen led by a pitcher who has proven he can be dominant and avoid injuries for a long period of time.
“Pitchers with 70+ appearances each of last 3 seasons: Emmanuel Clase, Héctor Neris,” Baseball Reference’s Christopher Kamka tweeted.
Pitchers with 70+ appearances each of last 3 seasons:
Emmanuel Clase
Héctor Neris— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) February 29, 2024
Even if a reliever stays healthy for an entire season, appearing in 70 games is not for everybody.
There are usually workload-related restrictions to navigate through, not to mention specific roles and situations to bring in certain pitchers.
Clase is just one of two hurlers to surpass that 70-game minimum in the last three years, showing that his manager has full confidence in him getting the job done.
He has earned that trust with marvelous numbers and performances: Clase had a 1.29 ERA in 2021, an 1.36 mark in 2022, and a 3.22 mark last year.
You know you have set some insanely high standards when people see that 3.22 ERA he had in 2023 and say he wasn’t quite at his best.
They are right, though, because his absolute best is what he showed the two years prior.
Still, any team would gladly take 2023’s version of Clase.
He is an All-Star closer and one of the most valuable trade pieces in the game.
NEXT: Insider Notes Rare Feat For The 2024 Guardians
