The 10 Best Strikeout Relievers in Major League Baseball

Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers have the 10th-best bullpen ERA in the National League which, for a contender, isn't so hot. They were rumored to have some interest in closers at the July 31 trade deadline but, in the end, decided to ride with Kenley Jansen.

Frankly, it was hard to understand exactly why L.A. was looking for a new closer. Jansen's fWAR of 1.8 is tied for third among all NL closers, however, his rWAR of 0.9 suggests a less valuable relief pitcher. Again, the differences between the two are the differences in his FIP of 1.97 and his ERA of 3.09.

Of course, FIP measures things that are in a pitcher's control, walks, hits and strikeouts, and ignores anything that happens when a ball is put in play. That's where Jansen's 37.2% K-rate (10th among MLB relievers) really comes in handy in that situation, and his walk rate of 6.6% means he's not allowing a lot of free passes either. He's saved 41 games for the Dodgers and his nERD of 1.08 is actually better than Robertson's, Doolittle's and Giles'.