Seattle Mariners 2021 Grades: Part 5 – Relief Pitchers
Joe Swenson
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Now that the Seattle Mariners 2021 season is over, it’s time to evaluate the team. In Part 5, we grade the relief pitchers.
It was a rollercoaster type year as the Seattle Mariners struggled to find the right closer throughout the first couple months of the season, finally settling in on a “closer by committee” by the end of the season. In fact, the Mariners ended up with eight relievers earning at least one save.
In 2021, the Seattle Mariners led the American League in saves (51), Save Opportunities (83), and Blown Saves (33). Only the Dodgers and the Giants (both had 56) ended the season with more saves.
Seattle also led the American League in Holds (100) and allowed the fifth-lowest inherited runners to score at a stingy 30 percent. The M’s finished fourth in the American League with a 3.88 ERA and accumulated an incredible 45-28 record (third-best behind the Rays and the Giants).
Seattle Mariners Bullpen
Relief Appearances: Anthony Misiewicz (66), Drew Steckenrider (62), Paul Sewald (62), Casey Sadler (42), Rafael Montero (40), Will Vest (32), Keynan Middleton (31), Erik Swanson (31), JT Chargois (31), Kendall Graveman (30), Yohan Ramirez (25), Diego Castillo (24), Joe Smith (23), and 18 other pitchers registered a relief appearance.
Featuring: Drew Steckenrider
Relief Pitching: A
Steck led the team in saves (14), posted a 2.00 ERA, and while he was as strikeout dominant as some of the other relievers, he only registered 3 blown saves, and 2 of those were in extra innings.
Control: B+
17 walks in 58 innings, his 1.020 WHIP showed how effective he was in the right areas of the strike zone when he needed to be.
Dominance: A
In Drew Steckenrider’s case, dominance is really defined by his consistency in high leverage situations. He was absolutely dominant after the All-Star break. He posted a 1.87 ERA with 12 of his 14 saves occurring after the mid-season classic, including 7 in the season’s final month.