The Five Best Diamondbacks Right Hand Setup Single Seasons

Who were the best at getting the ball to the closer?

Right handed setup men are essential to any good bullpen. Their role is typically a hybrid one, called upon to both put out fires with men on base and also protect a lead and get the ball to the closer.  As such they are in a lot of high leverage situations and impact a team's fortunes disproportionately to the number of innings they pitch. 

As part of our continuing series on best single seasons by a Diamondback at every position here is our ranking of the top five seasons by a right handed set up man. 

Number 5:  Oscar Villarreal, 2003

Signed by the Diamondbacks as an amateur free agent out of Mexico in 1998, Villareal was a rookie in 2003.  That didn't stop manager Bob Brenly from leaning on him heavily.  The 21 year old made a staggering 85 relief appearances and threw 95 innings out of the pen. (He also made one three inning start). And they were quality innings, leading to the second highest setup man ERA+ and WAR in franchise history, behind only Archie Bradley. 

Despite the workload, Villareal actually pitched better in the second half of the season than the first, (2.75 ERA in 1st half vs. 2.34 in the second).  Unfortunately he was injured almost the entire next season and was never as effective as that rookie year. 

Number 4:  Yoshihisa Hirano, 2018

"Yoshi" signed with the Diamondbacks as a 34 year old free agent out of Japan prior to the 2018 season.  Riding a splitter that seemingly dropped off the table, he was extremely effective. His 51% ground ball rate helped him induce a whopping 14 double plays in 55 chances. That 25% DP rate was more than twice as high as the league average and ranked 3rd among qualified NL relievers.  He also allowed just five of 30 inherited runners to score and his 32 holds ranked 3rd in the NL as well. 

Number 3:  Tony Pena, 2007

Pena is one of two right handed setup men from the same season to appear on this list.  The 2007 Diamondbacks were a low scoring team that depended on strong pitching, a lights out bullpen, and timely late inning hits to squeak out 90 victories.  It was a white knuckle season from beginning to end as they went 32-20 in one run games.  

Pena, with a mid 90's fastball and wipeout slider was right in the middle of all it.  The workhorse racked up 85 innings. His 2.7 WPA (Win Percentage Added or "clutch") and 30 holds show how important he was to that season.  

Number 2:  Brandon Lyon 2007

The primary setup man from that 2007 bullpen was even better. With a four seamer and sinker that averaged in the low 90's Brandon Lyon did not overpower hitters. But he used his curve, and cutter liberally to keep hitters off balance and induce weak contact.  This was by far Lyon's most outstanding season, posting career bests in ERA, ERA+, WAR and WPA.  His  35 Holds  led the National League that year and is the highest total in franchise history.

The combination of Lyon and Pena combining for 65 Holds and getting the ball to Jose Valverde were  keys to a most unlikely division title.  Capping off his career year, Lyon tacked on 6 more scoreless innings in five post season appearances in 2007. 

Number 1:  Archie Bradley, 2017

Who other than "Hollywood" could place number one on this list?  Bradley's minuscule 1.73 ERA over 73 innings showed his dominance. His 3.5 WAR is the most by a non closer reliever in D-backs franchise history.  With a fastball averaging 96MPH, topping out around 99, coupled with a sharp curveball he was equally effective against right handed and left handed batters. 

Ironically it was with the bat that Bradley provided fans with one of the most indelible images in franchise history. His electrifying two run triple in the 7th inning of the Wild Card game against the Rockies may be what he's most remembered for. But it was his pitching that helped the team get there in the first place.  

Honorable Mentions

There are two seasons that could have been included here,  Brad Ziegler 2013 and Jose Valverde in 2003. Both pitchers split time, between setup and closer roles.  Both will be highlighted when we get to the closer portion of our reviews however.

Mike Koplove had a very good year in 2002, posting a 3.36 ERA with 1.3 WAR and 1.8 WPA.  While not a classic setup man, Josh Collmenter's 2013 season in which he threw 92 innings in 49 games deserves mention.  He posted a 3.13 ERA and 1.9 WPA that year.