Diving Deep Into the Middle (A.L.)

Continuing with what has now become a four-part series on middle relievers, here's a look at the best middle relievers in the American League to date in 4x4 Rotisserie League formats:

Most Valuable MR to Date: American League

#	Player	4x4 $	5x5 $	Sal	Owned?	How?
1	Ramon Ramirez	$22	$17	$1	Y	FA 4/6
2	Jason Frasor	$21	$15		Y	FA 4/13
3	Alfredo Aceves	$21	$16	$1	Y	FA 5/18
4	Michael Wuertz	$21	$17		Y	FA 5/18
5	Matt Guerrier	$21	$13		Y	FA 4/27
6	Darren O'Day	$18	$13		Y	FA 5/25
7	Lance Cormier	$15	$11		N	FA 6/1
8	Matt Thornton	$15	$12	$3	Y	$1
9	Jim Johnson	$15	$10		N	FA 6/1
10	Miguel Batista	$14	$10	$2	N	FA 4/27
	Average	$18	$13	$1

It's a somewhat different vibe in the A.L. than in the N.L. Perhaps it is because the player pool is thinner, maybe it's because the fifth starters in the American League are that bad, or maybe it's because A.L. starters don't get to face their counterparts holding a bat 2-3 times a game. Whatever the reason, strong middle relievers definitely aren't allowed to simply sit in the free agent pool in the A.L. They get picked up off the FAAB wires and thrown in there.

There's also a little more play amongst the expert leagues for these guys. Batista was mostly part of the wacky Seattle guessing game prior to Brandon Morrow being anointed the closer, but the rest of these guys in the hopes that they'd contribute in the non-save categories. Thornton, Aceves, and Ramirez aren't the kind of plays an owner makes thinking that Bobby Jenks, Mariano Rivera, or Jon Papelbon are going to fall down on their asses and be unable to continue.

Based on past performance, this is a fairly sensible conclusion to derive. Let's look at two pitchers from last year: Thornton and Minnesota starter Glen Perkins.

Player	IP	W	SV	K	ERA	WHIP
Glen Perkins '08	151	12	0	74	4.41	1.470
Matt Thornton '08	67 1/3	5	1	77	2.67	0.995

I'd be willing to guess that more fantasy baseball sites recommended Perkins last year as a viable option over Thornton based on his wins and his so-so ERA. Yet Thornton provided just about the same value in strikeouts while blowing Perkins away in ERA and WHIP. It's even more dramatic when reflected in dollar values.

Player	IP	W	SV	K	ERA	WHIP
Glen Perkins '08	151	$6.35	$0.00	$3.41	-$1.01	-$2.70
Matt Thornton '08	67 1/3	$2.59	$0.28	$3.55	$2.61	$3.67

Perkins blew away Thornton in wins last year, but Thornton more than made up for it in ERA/WHIP. The final tally in dollars was Thornton $13 and Perkins $6...and Perkins would have had to have whiffed 219 batters to beat Thornton in 2008!

And that's why teams eventually start gravitating toward these guys once the season starts. If a pitcher is whiffing a batter an inning, that's a good benchmark, whether he's starting or relieving. In 5x5 in particular, these pitchers are going to have serious value, but even in 4x4, good things will happen for these pitchers...assuming that their control is even passable.