Josh Hader NL relief pitcher of the year

[sveumrules]

Because Hader pitched for a good team. Yates pitched for a crap team. More pressure and higher leverage pitching for a good team. The Padres suck.

 

My argument against that is that it wasn't "the best relief pitcher on a good team" award.

 

Never thought I'd say this, but a relief pitcher playing for the Milwaukee Brewers probably has a larger national audience and greater following than one playing in big market San Diego. It has to be something like that, because solely based on stats, Yates should have gotten it.

 

Yup. From what I could find it appears as though the award is voted on by a panel of eight ex-MLB relievers...

 

Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman, Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Bruce Sutter, Lee Smith, John Franco and Billy Wagner.

 

I'm guessing the eight of them aren't looking too closely at things like fWAR, bWAR, ERA-, FIP- or Win Probability Added.

[rickh150]

They are looking at the gas and K rate..... impressive as all get out. Yet, overall, Yates did better and didn't give up the dingers in high leverage situations.

[MrTPlush]

Yates didn’t have a high leverage outing all year long.

 

There is something to be said about every outing being huge and every outing meaning nothing as far as the team goes. Hader pitched in huge spots all year. When you think about it a high leverage reliever is expected to do his job (be perfect) or he is a choker who blew the game. It is so much different than say a hitter. A hitter is either going to be a hero or he just didn’t get it done that time. Someone like Hader is put under a microscope every single time he takes the mound, his results either make or break a game.

 

Not saying I would pick Hader over Yates, but for a reliever I do think the status of your team means something. Heck a lot on here rail Villar and accredited most of his success this year to being on a loser with no pressure.