Top Ten Indians Bullpens

Due to the success of the Indians bullpen in recent seasons, the subject of the greatest Tribe relief corps of all time has been brought up on multiple occasions. Now, we are making it official with the list of the top ten bullpens in Cleveland Indians history. Because bullpens vary in size, only the top six pitchers from each group are included in the analysis. In addition, because bullpen specialization didn’t occur until after 1950 (before then it was the absolute worst pitchers on the team used as relievers), there are no teams from before 1950 represented. If you were a starter leaving a game with a one run lead, these are the men you would want coming in behind you. For more information about individual pitchers, click their names for their All-Time Indians biographies.

10. 1955: Ray Narleski – Don Mossi – Art Houtteman – Jose Santiago – Bob Feller – Bill Wight

Narleski was the Indians first great closer and 1955 was his second great season saving 19 games in 102.2 innings. Mossi from the left (81.2 IP) and Houttman (53.2) from the right proved a dominant pair posting solid ERAs, winning ten games and saving nine. In addition, the 36 year old Feller in his second to last season posted a 2.45 ERA in 14 appearances. While this early bullpen wouldn’t throw as many innings as those later on, it was as efficient as the best of them.

9. 1964: Don McMahon – Sonny Siebert – Gary Bell – Pedro Ramos – Ted Abernathy – Sam McDowell

Siebert would ultimately become one of the greatest starters in Indians history, but in his rookie year, he was a great boon to the bullpen helping to get to the closers McMahon and Abernathy. Outside of these and McDowell, who made seven appearances and allowed just one run in 12.1 innings between his starts, Ramos was the best reliever, allowing a .208 average and 3.21 ERA in 53.1 innings. All but the two closers were used in the rotation at some point this season and by 1966, Siebert, Bell and McDowell were permanent members.

8. 1984: Ernie Camacho – Tom Waddell – Mike Jeffcoat – Jamie Easterly – George Frazier – Luis Aponte

There weren’t many stand outs in 1984, with only the closer Camacho finishing with an ERA below 3.00, but it was a solid group nonetheless. Camacho and rookie Waddell combined for 197 innings and 29 saves in what would be Waddell’s only good season of his three year career. Jeffcoat and Easterly also held ERAs below 3.40 with at least 63 innings and no pitcher on the staff allowed an average above .265.

7. 2011: Chris Perez – Vinnie Pestano – Joe Smith – Tony Sipp – Rafael Perez – Chad Durbin

Perez may have left town a hated man, but in 2011 he was spectacular, saving 36 of 40 chances. With Pestano and Smith from the right and Sipp and Perez from the left, the Indians could match up against any team and they did so with a combined .205 average allowed when not including Durbin, who terrible through 68 innings. Smith lead the team with a 2.01 ERA while Pestano did with a .184 average against and a 12.19 K/9. The 2012 bullpen would have also been in the top ten, but was excluded for being to similar to this version. While Pestano was better that year, Sipp and Perez were unable to maintain their successes.

6. 2001: Bob Wickman – Danys Baez – Steve Karsay – Ricardo Rincon – Paul Shuey – Jake Westbrook

This was a well rounded bullpen as four pitchers threw at least 50 innings and five threw at least 40. The current closer Wickman and the future closer Baez combined for their only simultaneous good season as Wickman saved 32 of 35 with a 2.39 ERA and Baez held 14 with a 2.50 ERA. The veteran Karsay was also great in limited action with a 1.25 ERA in 31 appearances. Shuey and Westbrook (in his first and final season in the bullpen) had poor years, bringing this AL Central Championship team down in the rankings.

5. 1992: Steve Olin – Ted Power – Derek Lilliquist – Eric Plunk – Kevin Wickander – Rod Nichols

Olin would have been the best relief pitchers in Indians history had his life not been cut short and 1992 was the proof. That year he pitched in 72 games and saved 29 of 36 chances. Lilliquist was the left hander and finished with the top ERA at 1.75 in 61.2 innings. Power and Plunk also had great seasons with the other two pitchers having lesser years.

4. 1995: Jose Mesa – Julian Tavarez – Eric Plunk – Paul Assenmacher – Jim Poole – Alan Embree

This was the single greatest season by an Indians closer as Mesa was used almost exclusively in save situations, completing 46 of 48 opportunities with an incredible 1.13 ERA. Possibly even more impressive was Tavarez, who lead the pen with 85 innings and ten wins, the most often recipient of the Indians come back wins. The 1993 bullpen would have also been in the top ten, but was excluded for being to similar to this version.

3. 2014: Cody Allen – Bryan Shaw – Marc Rzepczynski – Scott Atchison – Carlos Carrasco – John Axford

Behind Corey Kluber’s Cy Young season, the Indians bullpen was as magnificent as ever before. Allen took over the closers role from Axford mid-season and saved 24 of 28 chances with an 11.8 K/9. Shaw set a new record with 80 appearances and deserved almost all of them with a 2.59 ERA and 24 holds. Atchison was the third member of the primary trio with each pitcher throwing at least 69 innings with an ERA below 2.75. Rzepcyznski was the left handed match-up man and was excellent, posting a 2.74 ERA in 73 games while Carrasco made a nice fill in between stints in the starting rotation. Had the Indians offense been able to give a few more leads to the bullpen, this probably would have been a record setting year for saves and holds. The 2013 bullpen would have also been in the top ten, but was excluded for being to similar to this version.

2. 2005: Bob Wickman – Bob Howry – Rafael Betancourt – David Riske – Arthur Rhodes – Fernando Cabrera

Cleveland’s most prolific closer, Wickman, came to the team in 2000, but Tommy John surgery cost him all of 2003 and most of 2004. In 2005, he was back to form, however, and he combined with two pitchers in their final year under contract, Howry and Rhodes, a veteran in Riske, a strong rookie in Cabrera and one of the greatest right handed relievers in Indians history in Betancourt. Howry set a record with 79 appearances (since broken), Wickman came one save short of the Indians record and Rhodes, as the left handed match-up man, held a 2.08 ERA in 43.1 innings. While the team finished just short of the play-offs, it had a lot more to do with the offense and defense than any member of the pitching staff, starting or in relief.

1. 1976: Dave LaRoche – Jim Kern – Stan Thomas – Tim Buskey – Don Hood – Jim Bibby

What happened when two of the top ten closers, one of the best left handed relievers and one of the best right in Indians history got together in the same year? It was the best bullpen in Indians history. Of the group, Buskey was the closer in 1974, LaRoche in ’75-’76 and Kern in ’77 and 1976 was the best combination of the three. Buskey, LaRoche and Thomas each pitched more than 90 innings in relief with Thomas leading the way with a 1.78 ERA. While LaRoche was the primary closer with 21 saves and a 9.7 K/9, each of the six saved at least one game with Kern being the most impressive by saving 15 out of 16 chances.

Borderline: 2007, 1999, 2003, 1989, 1968

The Worst Bullpen Ever  – 1987

While the closer, Doug Jones, had a decent season, posting a 3.16 ERA, no other primary reliever had a run average below 4.10. As a group, the six saved just 19 of 32 opportunities and had a staff ERA of 4.49. Included in the group were Scott Bailes, Rich Yett, Don Gordon, Ed Vende Berg and Sammy Stewart. Yett was the worst of the worst with a 5.86 ERA and a 1-5 record in 43 innings.