One sad fact ofMLB The Show 22is that starters rarely complete their games. Even starters with perfect 99 stamina scores experience a noticeable decline in their pitching well before the 100 pitch mark in nine-inning games. In three-inning games, they generally need to get pulled after the first.
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Relievers have a heightened usage and, as a result, increased responsibility to help the team hold on to the lead inMLB The Show 22. Teams with great starting rotations can be sub-.500 by the year’s end if the bullpen blows it. These relievers don’t let that happen on their watch.
Updated on July 13th, 2022 by Hodey Johns:This list first came out before the season started. All-Star week marks the halfway point of the season. So, how did the analysts do? Of course, nobody is perfect. Some players that were expected to do poorly ended up putting together a fantastic first half, so they needed to be added to the list. Others that were well-hyped didn’t quite hit the expectations of the experts, so they had to be dropped. A hot or a cold streak could see even the worst-ranked player make this list or the number one ranked player fall out of favor entirely. This is how things have shaken out so far.
11Liam Hendriks - 87 OVR
Going into the season, Liam Hendriks was not only atop this list, he was a full 4 OVR higher than his closest competition. He’s fallen a ways, but he’s still on the top ten and it appears his shakey start was just a rough patch; his ERA is bad down around 2.50, where it ended last season.
The calls for him tochange positionswere a bit premature. His velocity still has that perfect 99 rating and every other one of his attributes is, at the very least, respectable.
10Ryan Helsley - 87 OVR
The Cardinals have built an entire franchise based on doing everything right. Getting the basics and fundamentals down, then letting the ball land where it may. If this sounds boring, it can be, but their closer, Ryan Nelsley, is looking to spice things up.
His perfect 99 velocity gives him a 99 MPH 4-seam fastball. If that seems too predictable, he’ll then switch it up with a 12-6 curve, dropping all the way down to 79 MPH. Predictably, this makes hitters off-balance and gives Helsley an H/9 above 100.
9David Bednar - 88 OVR
The Pirates currently have the lowest team rating inMLB The Show 22. So how is it that they aren’t the worst team in baseball? Probably because they’ve been getting standout ninth innings for many of these games from David Bednar.
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For a team that could use some good news, the Pirates got a heavy dose of optimism with Bednar. opponents just can’t seem to figure him out, as reflected by his triple-digit H/9. Weak contact is the name of his game. Those who are hoping toget called up quickly in Road to the Showshould copy this strategy.
8Clay Holmes - 88 OVR
The Yankees are in the middle of what appears to be one of the best regular seasons of all time. To do that, teams need to be both very lucky and very talented. In Clay Holmes, both factors are heavily in play. Holmes is ridiculously talented and the Yankees are lucky he’s having such a fantastic year.
Despite not being on the radar going into the year, Holmes was been granted perfect ranks in both velocity and break. He makes full use of both with a 4-seam fastball and a nasty curveball. Use him whileplaying against friendsto see some shattered controllers.
7Raisel Iglesias - 88 OVR
New players will need toequip all of the gear they canscrounge up to touch on the abilities of Raisel Iglesias. He’s got a near-perfect velocity rating of 98, but more impressive is that his control and breaking ball are both 85+ as well.
Without a singular weakness, Iglesias can be safely plugged in during any inning when the team needs a boost. Iglesias was already considered a top ten reliever going into the season. His OVR has only increased since.
6Edwin Diaz - 89 OVR
The Mets had the highest-ranked pitching staff in baseball to start the season. Strangely, Edwin Diaz was not considered a factor in that ranking, it was mostly the starting pitching. But as starters got injured, it’s become clear that the Mets have a star closer to carry the load.
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His perfect velocity and three-digit K/9 rating are very typical for an elite close. His fastballs and slider are both in the 90s. Tired opponents at the end of the game have little hope of getting solid contact with one of Diaz’s fireballs.
5Kenley Jansen - 89 OVR
At the end of 2018, Kenley Jansen was considered the best reliever in baseball. After missing the last three years worth of All-Star appearances, he was considered by many to have settled back into more of an average territory. He wasn’t on this list at all at the start of the season.
He’s regained his form in Atlanta, once again putting the league on notice as a premier closer. The amount of break on his slider seems impossible, contributing to his three-digit H/9 attribute.
4Taylor Rogers - 91 OVR
Relievers are a quirky and superstitious bunch by nature. Most of those oddities give way to traditional athleticism once the ball is in their hands, but Taylor Rogers has built an entire career out of a strange skillset. He uses only three pitches: a sinker, a slider, and a sweeping curve.
Mostplayers looking to improvemight add a traditional fastball or a changeup to the mix, but Rogers does what works for him. And it works because each of these three pitches is not close in speed to the rest. Given a perfect score in velocity and breaking balls, he’s certainly great, even if unorthodox.
3Emmanuel Clase - 91 OVR
Many relievers on this list get the perfect 99 velocity rating. These are, after all, closing pitchers we’re talking about, they are known for bringing the heat and making no apologies. If anybody were to earn a score over 99 though, it might be Emmanuel Clase.
His 4-seamer is at 99 MPH and his cutter is at a scorching 97 MPH. Yet both of those pale when talking about that absurd 93 MPH slider. For a pitch already considered the hardest to hit, tossing it at 93 MPH is downright cruel. Clase has helped his case immensely this season, up from his 85 OVR starting position.
2A.J. Minter - 92 OVR
It’s hard to blame analysts for not seeing every breakout middle reliever. Most of them are moved to closers if they excel enough. A.J. Minter is proving to be one of the best, setting his reliever (also on this list) up nicely for a save opportunity.
While no individual attribute will leave any jaws on the floor, Minter’s secret is how much his cutter and circle change look alike. Hitters who guess wrong are going to find themselves grounding out or striking out more often than not.
