Seattle Mariners 2021 Grades: Part 5 – Relief Pitchers
Featuring: Anthony Misiewicz
Relief Pitching: C-
Anthony Misiewicz was mostly utilized in a middle relief role but had difficulty bridging the gap from starting pitchers to relievers. In fact, Misiewicz led the team in appearances while recording less than three outs (22); he also led the team in appearances (66). Unfortunately, Misiewicz proved to be very hittable.
Control: D
Anthony’s control was flat-out bad. He finished with a 1.591 WHIP after the All-Star Break. Which was partially him being destroyed by Major League hitting in September/October. He only walked 15 in 54.2 innings, which is similar to Steck’s numbers.
Dominance: F
In the months of May and September, Misiewicz was one of the worst relievers in the league. For all relievers who had at least 50 appearances, he was hit the hardest. Misiewicz rarely went an outing without giving up a hit.
Featuring: Rafael Montero
Relief Pitching: F
When Seattle Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto traded for Rafael Montero last December, he thought the seven-year MLB could hold down the late innings, which was a problem in 2020. Unfortunately, Montero was by far the Mariners’ worst reliever. He was anti-clutch and looked completely lost on the mound.
The Mariners were forced to designate Montero for assignment mid-season. He finished with 7 saves, 7.27 ERA, and1.638 WHIP, the highest among relievers with at least 40 appearances.
Control: F
He walked 15 batters in 43.1 innings, which is pretty stinky, but giving up 56 hits also makes things much worse. Throw in five hit batters, and his performance was abysmal.
Dominance: F-
It’s funny. If Montero had been even remotely close to his 2020 performance in Texas, the Mariners would’ve won a lot more games. As hard as it is to pin not making the playoffs on one player, if you wanted to, Montero is the guy to blame.
#BlueJays Bo Bichette breaks a 3-3 tie with a 3R HR(15) off #Mariners RHP Rafael Montero#Sportsnet 6-3 TOR B6 pic.twitter.com/wez8F0UnvR
— Hazel Mae (@thehazelmae) June 30, 2021