Ryan Pressly. Bullpen Ace.

 On July 22, 2018, Mike Petriello of MLB.com posted an article headlined "5 best relievers you don't know who may get dealt."  The first reliever he discussed in the article--Ryan Pressly. Petriello noted that Pressly, then of the Twins, had the 7th best spin rate in MLB on fastballs and 2nd best on curveballs. Petriello concluded his write up on Pressly by saying "it's easy to see progressive teams...like the Dodgers or Astros being extremely interested here."

Petriello's guess was right. A progressive team like the Astros was extremely interested in Pressly--the Astros traded for Pressly five days later, in exchange for prospects Jorge Alcala and Gilberto Celestino.  Needless to say, it's been a good trade for the Astros.

In his 4 seasons with the Astros, Pressly has pitched 133.2 innings with a 2.02 ERA, and a 0.90 WHIP. He's struck out 12.0 batters per 9 IP, while allowing only 1.8 BB/9, for a 6.59 ratio. Opposing batters are slashing .191/.240/.290 against our bullpen ace. In short, Ryan Pressly has been fantastic as a Houston Astro.

That was on display in the 4 game sweep against Cleveland. On Thursday, Pressly struck out 2, walked none and did not allow a run  in an inning while closing out the ballgame. On Friday, Pressly struck out 2, walked none, and did not allow a run in an inning while closing out the ballgame. On Saturday, Pressly struck out 2, walked none, and did not allow a run in an inning while closing out the ballgame. 

It was 3 straight nights of impressive pitching by Pressly. And while the pitching line was the same each night, the situation got tighter each of the three nights. On Thursday, a rested Pressly was called upon to get some work in a 5 run game. On Friday, it was a save situation, as the Astros led by 3. On Saturday, the Astros held a 1-run lead when Pressly was called upon for the 3rd straight game--a rarity in modern baseball. Pressly was the linchpin of a great effort by the bullpen in Cleveland that helped the Astros to win a pair of one run games over the weekend. 

Ryan Pressly, Deserving All Star

Then on Sunday, Pressly was one of 4 Astros named to the All-Star team. It's well deserved. This season, Pressly has pitched 35 innings out of the Astros bullpen. He has allowed only 6 earned runs, 24 hits, and 5 walks (1 intentional), while striking out 45. It's an excellent line. Pressly has a 9.00 K/BB ratio and his ERA+ is 283. ERA plus is scaled so that it tells you how much better (or worse) a player's ERA (adjusted for park effects) is than the average player. Pressly has an ERA 183% better than the average MLB player this season.

Statcast data show that Pressly has maintained the high level spin rates that Petriello had identified back in 2018. Pressly is at the 95th percentile in MLB in fastball spin. His curveball spin rate is even better--Pressly is at the 100th percentile in fastball spin. 

The Astros bullpen has had a great deal of problems this seasons. Astros fans can hope that reinforcements are on the way, either through injured players returning from the IL or trade deadline acquisitions. But one thing we can feel confident in about the bullpen--Ryan Pressly is one of the best relievers, and, unlike in July 2018, you know who he is.