In a league where late-inning dominance can make or break a team, these are the relief pitchers who stood out last week with electric performances that left hitters baffled and fans buzzing. Whether it’s a closer slamming the door shut or a setup man bridging the gap and holding the line, these arms delivered when it mattered. We’re spotlighting the hottest relief pitchers in Major League Baseball over the past seven days — the guys who turned pressure into performance and owned the mound.
Andres Munoz, Seattle Mariners
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 0.33 WHIP, 4 K, 12.00 K9, 3 S/H
Not the first time he’s been featured here, and certainly won’t be the last. He’s got strikeout stuff (his slider and fastball are sick), he locates consistently, and his groundball percentage is 99th percentile. Back-to-back closeouts in Fenway, followed up with shutting the door on the Marlins at T-Mobile.
Camilo Doval, San Francisco Giants
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 0.54 WHIP, 4 K, 9.81 K9, 3 S/H
Ahhhh the Doval rollercoaster. He’s up, and he’s down. Maybe that’s not entirely fair, though, as he’s been really good this season, minus a BS and an L back in early April. The Pitching+ is fantastic, Statcast mostly loves him, and he’s keeping baserunners off the basepaths. The strikeouts are lacking, but I think they’ll be there. At home all week, Doval closed out Milwaukee (3X) and picked up a win against the Rangers. San Francisco clearly trusts him again, so maybe I should as well.
Emilio Pagan, Cincinnati Reds
Week’s Line: 2.25 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, 5 K, 11.25 K9, 3 S/H
You know who else has been really good but has lacked defining consistency? This guy, who’s putting together a nice season so far in Cincinnati. He’s been touched a couple times, yes, but he’s mostly been uber efficient at limiting baserunners (0.50 WHIP). He has been prone to the longball (1.9 HR/9), but in between, he’s done solid work. Solid extension and good command of the zone is backed up by his Pitching+ rating (116 – well above average). He does have swing and miss stuff (elite iVB on the heater), so my guess is – like Doval – those will be there eventually.
David Bednar, Pittsburgh Pirates
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 0.33 WHIP, 5 K, 15.00 K9, 3 S/H
Turns out all you need to get back on track is to be sent back down for a few outings. Because, damn. Bednar has been virtually unhittable since his return on 04/19 (two hits, one walk in four stanzas). He’s already worked his way back to a high-leverage guy, collecting three saves/holds this week. I don’t love the pitch profile, per se, but he didn’t ask (and doesn’t need) my opinion on that when he went into Dodger Stadium and closed it out by inducing two swinging strikeouts (Will Smith, Michael Conforto).
Griffin Jax, Minnesota Twins
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 7 K, 21.00 K9, 2 S/H
One of my favorite relievers in the league, it was good to see him right the ship this past week. He still has an ERA north of 8.00 on the season, and a WHIP of almost 2.00, but it appears he’s turned a corner and all that is behind him. All it takes is three outings against terrible offenses, right? Sigh. Anyway. I do think he’s been a bit unlucky, as revealed by a quick peek under the hood (95th percentile on chase %, whiff %, and K %, with a Pitching+ of… checks notes… can that be right… of 141). He’s been one of the best set-up guys for years, and he’s back on track.
Will Vest, Detroit Tigers
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 0.30 WHIP, 5 K, 13.51 K9, 2 S/H
Up next is household name Will Vest. Ok, maybe you know him and maybe you don’t. Either way, he had himself a damn good week for the Tigers. And based on the flux in the Detroit bullpen, he’s entrenched himself as one of the main high-leverage guys. His ERA and WHIP are both south of 1.00 on the season, he commands the zones well (113 Location+), and the fastball/slider combo cooked this week (8/18 whiffs – 44%). Of particular interest is the slider, which he’s throwing harder (89.3 this season vs. 86.9 in 2024) with spectacular results (61.1% whiffs vs. 29.7%). Truly, the same could be said for the fastball – throwing it harder with improved results.
Ban Casparius, Los Angeles Dodgers
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 0.47 WHIP, 9 K, 12.80 K9, 2 S/H
If you read my Hottest Starting Pitchers article (thank you, btw), you may recall how I doted on Tarik Skubal’s Pitching+ (sitting at 143 for the week – swoooooon.) You know who’s right behind him on that list at 131? This guy. Stuff+ at 120 (actually better than Tarik), and Location+ at 115. His Statcast is glorious, and the movement he induces on his heater and his slider is elite. He’s transitioning from RP to SP (thanks, Tyler Glasnow), so unless that changes, don’t expect to see him here again this season. Though you may see him featured elsewhere if he keeps pitching like this.
Josh Hader, Houston Astros
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 4 K, 18.00 K9, 1 S/H
Another horse that’s been featured here in past weeks, Hader, appears to have put last season’s inconsistency in the rearview. His Stuff+ is very respectable at 118, and I don’t hate the location. Statcast is still blood-red (and atop the percentile leaderboards, I might add), and the induced movement is just ridiculous – 20”iVB on the sinker against the Blue Jays Tuesday (good for 4/7 – 57% whiffs). He’s one of the most fun pitchers to watch, and he routinely looks like he has batters utterly baffled.
Hunter Gaddis, Cleveland Guardians
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 4 K, 18.00 K9, 2 S/H
For the third week in a row, I’m featuring Hunter Gaddis – mainly because he’s just so steady. He’s the unquestioned main set-up guy, and – like Tuesday night against the Yankees (Judge, Bellinger, Chisholm, Volpe) – is often facing the meat of the opponent’s order. The slider is cooking, but I honestly think the changeup is his best pitch – 16”+ of drop and run. He just needs to throw it more. Not that he needs my advice – through 12 appearances, he still hasn’t allowed a single run.
Cole Henry, Washington Nationals
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 7 K, 15.75 K9, 0 S/H
Not all relievers lock down saves or holds, but they still have a job to do. Whether it’s as the bridge, as an innings eater, or to come in and stop the bleeding, these unsung heroes are an integral piece of the bullpen picture. Cole Henry did his job last week, and he did it well. So I’m going to feature him. Case in point – on Thursday against the Orioles, Cole was tasked to come in and hold the line, and did he. 4/10 swings and misses (40% whiffs), a CSW rate of 38%, and four punchouts over two innings – striking out Mullins, Rutschman, and Mountcastle in the eighth before adding Kjerstad to that list in the ninth. If he keeps pitching this way, he could carve out a role similar to Hunter Gaddis.
