Wild October caps ‘Year of Reliever’ in 2016

The bullpen door in the center-field wall at Progressive Field swung open, Andrew Miller emerged and convention was thrown out the window. Indians manager Terry Francona hinted he would be aggressive with his leverage weapon in the postseason, but this was the fifth inning in Cleveland’s first game of the playoffs.

Two days prior to Miller’s trot to the mound against the Red Sox in the American League Division Series opener, the baseball world watched as Orioles manager Buck Showalter waited for a save situation to unleash Zach Britton. The elite closer watched, along with the Rogers Centre crowd, as the Blue Jays ended Baltimore’s season in extra innings in the AL WIld Card Game. Showalter’s decision was a traditional one at the outset of one of the least traditional postseasons in memory.

If 2016 was the Year of the Reliever, as has been suggested, October made sure people took notice.

“Nobody ever said you have to be conventional to win,” Francona said during the playoffs.

When 2017 arrives, baseball’s relievers will have a tough act to follow. In ’16, Britton posted the lowest ERA (0.54) on record for a reliever, was perfect in 47 save chances and posted an insane 80-percent ground-ball rate. Miller became the first pitcher to amass more than 120 strikeouts with fewer than 10 walks, and then was a multi-inning monster in the playoffs. Aroldis Chapman topped 100 mph on 538 pitches, forcing MLB.com to create a “Chapman Filter” on its Statcast™ leaderboard page for the year’s fastest pitches.

The dominance of those three arms — two of which (Miller and Chapman) were involved in blockbuster trades in the middle of the summer — overshadowed incredible seasons from other late-inning arms. Dellin Betances led relievers with 15.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Kenley Jansen paced baseball’s bullpen arms with a 3.2 fWAR. Mark Melancon notched 47 saves (like Britton and Jansen) and turned in a tidy 1.64 ERA.

Those are just the heavyweights.

“They are definitely luxury items,” said Cubs manager Joe Maddon, discussing the elite relief arms around the game during the World Series. “They’re the best sports car, the yacht. They’re the coolest plane in the air. They’re different. They’re that good.”

And they are getting paid in accordance.

Remember when the four-year, $36 million contract that Miller signed with the Yankees in December 2014 seemed massive? Cleveland suddenly looks to have a bargain on its hands, even after parting with four prospects — including Clint Frazier, the newly minted No. 1 Yankees prospect, per MLBPipeline.com — to land the lefty in July.

The Giants gave Melancon a five-year contract worth $62 million this offseason. That was the largest haul for a reliever in history, until Chapman went back to New York. The flamethrower just inked a five-year, $86 million pact with the Yankees, who flipped him to the Cubs in July for a four-prospect package centered around Gleyber Torres. Jansen, meanwhile, has reportedly agreed to a five-year deal worth $80 million to stay with the Dodgers. On the weekend of his wedding, with several of his L.A. …

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