SF Giants bullpen trust rankings - June edition
This time last month, the SF Giants had a bit of a bullpen problem. A few players had been able to reliably contribute from the get-go, but a logjam of troubled starters and wobbling middle relievers contributed to a median bullpen ERA north of 6.00 in the May trust rankings.
Fast forward four weeks, and the Giants' bullpen has become its greatest asset amidst a daring 19-9 run. The back end has settled, and the youth movement that's energized the roster has made significant waves in the relief corps as well. Nine relievers on this list have combined for 10 earned runs over the past month (88.1 IP). 10. I get a little hopped up on stats from time to time, but every primary Giants reliever combining for a 1.02 ERA over the past month is absolutely worth going a little wild for.
As the Giants push to maintain their recent success, we'll give you a rundown of how the bullpen arms stack up, who's for real, and what to expect as we head into the heart of the summer.
High-leverage Weapons:
SF Giants reliever Tyler Rogers delivers a pitch in his signature submarine style.
D. Ross Cameron - USA TODAY Sports
1. Camilo Doval - 1.80 ERA, 30.0 IP, 18/19 saves recorded
Prev. rank - 1
Camilo Doval continues to terrify opposing ballclubs, bringing his ERA down into the 1's while converting all 10 of his save opportunities since we last checked in. Opponents are hitting just .162 against him on the year, and he's striking out nearly a batter and a half per inning. It's no surprise, then, that Doval won Reliever of the Month in May, and he's looked every bit as oppressive in the first half of June. How could anyone hold a candle to him? Well...
2. Tyler Rogers - 1.65 ERA, 32.2 IP, 0.98 WHIP
Prev. rank - 2
...more innings and a lower ERA will do that for you. Rogers, who secured the ninth inning of Wednesday's game against the Cardinals (which the Giants took into extras and won), gets dinged slightly for the fact that he's not the one closing out games. But Rogers, T. has made his home in his opponent's subconscious, worming 84 MPH fastballs past them and even slower sliders. And for all his funkiness, he has 25 strikeouts in 32.2 innings, which means he'll sit you down if you're not paying attention. The fact that he relies so heavily on bad contact means he's got a bit more variance to his game, so it's less likely he ends the year with an ERA that starts with 1, but there's no doubt about it - he is this generation's Sergio Romo. Enjoy it.
3. Taylor Rogers - 3.09 ERA, 27 G, .173 BAA, 11 BB
Prev. rank - 4
Well, that was better. Taylor Rogers has cut his ERA nearly in half in the past calendar month, allowing just one earned run in 11 appearances. He's regularly being featured in mid-to-high leverage outings when the Giants are protecting close leads, and he's made those outings stress free. Part of that is because he's filling up the strike zone again (49 strikes to 21 balls in June), having allowed just two walks since our last article (three if you count the day of). He looks like the guy the Giants signed for three years to be a core part of this bullpen.
4. Ryan Walker - 1.35 ERA, 10 G, 15 K
Prev. rank - unranked
Ryan Walker, welcome to the bigs! The 2018 draft pick got his chance to show the Giants what he could do when he got called up in late May, and so far, he's done nothing but deal. He's using a sinker-slider combination to great effect, allowing just 11 hits and 2 walks in 13.1 innings so far. The Giants seem to want him to rise to the type of high-leverage relief role that major league clubs covet, using him alongside Doval and the Rogerses in tight games as one of their most trusted bullpen arms. Is he a rookie Camilo Doval with command but 5-6 less MPH on his stuff, or is he "just" a talented player who will suffer a slump as the league adjusts to him? Right now, it's still too early to tell.
Mid-leverage Options:
SF Giants relief pitcher Keaton Winn pitches in his Major League debut against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Jeff Curry - USA TODAY Sports
5. John Brebbia - 4.12 ERA, 19.2 IP, 26 K, 1.07 WHIP
Prev. rank - 6
I want to preface this section by saying that the order of the next five guys basically doesn't matter. Nobody in this section has given up more than 2 ER in the past calendar month, and any of these guys would be very attractive as a late-inning option on pretty much every other bullpen. But Brebbia gets the nod here at fifth because his stats look good and his seniority backs it up. Brebbia's 0.69 ERA (nice) since the last rankings is the lowest at his number of innings pitched, and he's only walked two guys in that span. I'd rate him higher if I could, but in terms of guys the Giants (and you!) trust going forward, Brebbia's almost certainly it.
6. Scott Alexander - 3.74 ERA, 21.2 IP, 10 K, 4 BB
Prev. rank - 5
Boy, I don't know. If Brebbia hadn't been a critical part of that 2021 run, Scott Alexander might have overtaken him here. 8 innings, 2 hits, 1 walk, 0 runs, and a save since we last checked in. He'd be the talk of the town if the Giants didn't have seven other dudes who absolutely torched opposing offenses lately. He's also a bit of a win vulture, with a record of 5-0 already this season, which you love to see. Alexander's inning count is right up there with Taylor Rogers', but I don't know if that holds going deeper into the season. Even if it doesn't, Alexander's a huge part of the Giants' sixth-ranked reliever going from a 5.14 ERA in May to a 3.74 ERA in June.
7. Tristan Beck - 5.71 ERA, 17.1 IP, 1.56 WHIP
Prev. rank - 7
14 innings, 2 ER, and a 0.57 WHIP over the last 30 days. Where are the Giants finding these dudes? Beck seems to be settling into the multi-inning reliever role that the Giants can use younger guys for, alternating between giving them a day or two off and sending them back to AAA for a spell while someone else slots in. Beck's been good, though, and he makes you less worried about the early innings when the Giants decide to run bullpen games.
8. Luke Jackson - 1.69 ERA, 5.1 IP, 1 BB, 6 K
Prev. rank - unranked
Jackson is a bit of an enigma, an 8-year vet who missed all of 2022 with injury and has just started getting back into the swing of things. The early returns have been promising, though, with just one run allowed in five appearances, including an outing in Colorado. He gets stuck near the back of the rankings despite clearly being a "one-and-done" primary reliever, mostly because there's not enough evidence to indicate that He's Back. Consider this a hedge. If he's just that good and he keeps it up while some other incredible performances in the bullpen regress, he'll shoot up in the rankings. If not, well, you're not supposed to have a bullpen with nine dudes with Reliever of the Month candidate months, you know.
9. Keaton Winn - 2.25 ERA, 1 G, 4.0 IP, 1 ER
Prev. rank - unranked
Life is good for Keaton Winn. He finally achieved his dream, stepping foot in an MLB stadium for the first time in his life just in time to throw a historic four inning save. By the end of it, he can't feel his legs, and he's being being doused in a condiment shower like he just won a championship. He got optioned back down to AAA after that game to keep the bullpen topped up, but he did his job, and admirably. My guess is that we won't be waiting another month to see him in action again.
Long-relief:
10. Jakob Junis - 4.23 ERA, 38.1 IP, 8 HR, 47 K
Prev. rank - 6
Poor Jakob Junis. He's the biggest faller on the list, but it doesn't really have anything to do with how he's pitched. No, like pretty much everyone else, he's only improved in the past month, cutting his ERA by nearly a full point. And he's arguably been better than most of the Giants' rotation proper, especially when his three-inning stint on Wednesday was leaps and bounds better than DeSclafani's. Without it, the Giants don't have a shot to win that game.
But as of right now, he's the more-established but lower-ceiling of the two long-relief roles that the Giants have carved out spots for. He's always good for innings, and probably doesn't have to worry about being sent down like Keaton Winn or Tristan Beck. Sometimes, like Wednesday, he'll come in and make you wonder why he's not starting when other guys are struggling. Sometimes, like last Friday, he'll give up a bunch of runs and answer that for you. He's almost the exact definition of a replacement-level player, but in a way where there are skills that only five or six hundred people on the planet have, and he has a bunch of them. It's fascinating. I appreciate you, Jakob Junis. Sorry for ranking you tenth.
Honorable Mention: Brandon Crawford
Brandon Crawford is today's Rich Aurilia - a cool, beloved shortstop whose tenure has sparked years of fond memories and joy cheering for the Giants, but also a player whose numerous skills are perhaps underappreciated by the fanbase at large. Presumably this means that Crawford will be an excellent NBC Sports Bay Area postgame host once he retires, but this time, it means he threw a scoreless inning against the Cubs. There's still juice in that arm, and he finally got to show it off. Crawford boasts a maximum exit velocity against of just 91.4 MPH, which is easily the best in the league - even better than Shohei. You just can't keep a good player down.
Less Honorable Mention: Brett Wisely
Wisely also threw an inning (May 29 vs. Pittsburgh), but he gave up a run. Booo!
Not ranked: Sean Hjelle, Cole Waites
