It’s Not Your Imagination: A Lot of Relievers Are Really Good Now

First, let’s look at velocity. Over half of the pitchers on the list sit above the major league average fastball speed of 93.8 mph. It’s not a guarantee that each of them will hold that velo throughout their careers, but an impressive number meet a minimum threshold to be above average by big league standards. Ten can reach back for triple digits, and that doesn’t even include the guys in the higher FV tiers. Of the 81 plus or better pitches among the 35+ FV guys, about half are fastballs, but an impressive 39 are breaking balls, 31 of which are sliders. Pitchers throw about twice as many sliders as they did when the pitch tracking era began in 2008, and the fact that so many pitchers can throw one at a high level is certainly a leading cause.

Of course, there are plenty of threes and fours in the command grades for these pitchers – again, not everyone can be elite. But the sheer amount of high-octane stuff throughout even the bottom of organizational prospect lists speaks to the proliferation of pitching talent. No longer are replacement-level relievers a clear step down from the echelon of established big leaguers; the immense strides in player development have significantly raised the bar for even the last guy in an eight- or nine-man bullpen. Watching Webb and Garza flash excellence on Tuesday was quite impressive, especially after diving into the data. But as it turns out, guys just like them can be found all around baseball.