A look at the most dominant pitch used by every Mariners reliever

Andres Munoz - Slider

Usage: 48.6%
BA: .230
Whiff Rate: 48.3%
Strikeout Rate: 39.6%
Total Run Value: 3

Intrinsically, Munoz has a filthy slider. Averaging 88.4 mph with 30 inches of drop, it shouldn't be any surprise that opposing hitters whiff almost half the time and strike out almost 40% of the time. It was truly devastating in 2022, when he accumulated a whopping 20 run value over just 65 innings and had a .126 BA.

This year's slider had a batting average almost twice as high, driven by more frequent hard contact. Opposing teams may have spent more time scouting and he may have been affected by being promoted to the team's closer, but with a full offseason of preparation, this pitch should return to its former effectiveness.

Matt Brash - Slider

Usage: 50.5%
BA: .162
Whiff Rate: 48.5%
Strikeout Rate: 44.1%
Total Run Value: 15

Brash went from a somewhat shaky reliever in 2022 to a dominant force in 2023. Reducing his ERA from 4.44 to 3.06 was no easy task but with a new and improved slider, he became an anchor in the bullpen. This pitch averaged 88.8 mph, 31.4 inches of drop, and 11.8 inches of horizontal break.

While his slider is dominant, developing another plus-pitch (perhaps refining his slider?) would take him to a whole-nother level.

Gregory Santos - Slider

Usage: 52.6%
BA: .196
Whiff Rate: 37.5%
Strikeout Rate: 30.8%
Total Run Value: 17

The newest member of the pitching staff arrived from the White Sox in exchange for Prelander Berroa and Zach DeLoach. He was great in his first full major league season in 2023, posting a 3.39 ERA and is looking to be a promising arm. His style follows the theme, largely depending on a devastating slider that averaged 91.4 mph, 31 inches of drop, and 5.7 inches of horizontal break.

He'll be arbitration eligible in 2026 and a free agent in 2029, so assuming he's effective he might be a bullpen staple for the next several years.

Tayler Saucedo - Sinker

Usage: 39.9%
BA: .236
Whiff Rate: 17.5%
Strikeout Rate: 10.1%
Total Run Value: 5

In addition to being a part-time Twitch streamer, Saucedo was one of the few lefty pitchers on the Mariners' pitching staff. More of a pitch-to-contact guy than a strikeout specialist, his ground-ball rate of 58.5% was better than 96% of MLB. What contributed to this pitching style was a standout sinker. The velocity of 92.3 mph was relatively average but 28.5 inches of drop and 2.5 inches of horizontal break, it induced the soft contact needed to stay effective. Sure, the strikeout numbers might be underwhelming but outs are outs!

Gabe Speier - Four Seam Fastball

Usage: 20.7%
BA: .128
Whiff Rate: 35.7%
Strikeout Rate: 45.2%
Total Run Value: 6

Speier is the only other lefty on the Mariners bullpen and chose to do things the old-fashioned way last year. While it was only his third most-used pitch, his four seam fastball had great whiff and strikeout numbers while averaging 95.1 mph. The use of the high fastball along with this sinker and slider helped expand the zone and keep him dangerous and gave him an overall strikeout rate of nearly 30%. Did I mention his chase rate was also the best in MLB last year?

His fastball was so good, Speier felt confident enough to toss meatballs to one of the best hitters in baseball today.

Trent Thornton - Sinker

Usage: 11.8%
BA: .188
Whiff Rate: 17.1%
Strikeout Rate: 11.8%
Total Run Value: 3

Thornton may have been one of the most under-the-radar relievers in 2023. He quietly posted a 2.01 ERA and 1.15 WHIP over 31 ⅓ innings with the Blue Jays and the Mariners. His career started off as a starter in Toronto but as he's moved to the bullpen, he's steadily grown to be more and more effective. With plenty of talent in our rotation already, he's going to stay where he is and continue to be a top-of-the-line bullpen arm with great fly-ball rates.