2020 Eck Award winner

In some years, relievers play a huge part, saving gobs of games or logging massive innings -- and strikeouts -- coming out of the bullpen. This was not necessarily one of those seasons.

Bullpen management can be tricky - if not bizarre - in DMBL. No one challenged the league record of 50 saves and no reliever is likely to contend for the Ben McDonald Award. Hopatcong's Shane Greene led the league in saves with a solid if not spectacular number, but it was enough to bring home The Eck Award:

		Sv	BSv	W	L	PTS
1	GreeneShane, HPG	31	5	4	6	59
2	BaezP, SF	21	3	7	5	48
3	Yates, ALN	19	2	6	2	46
4	Robles, ARK	23	8	5	5	43
5	Hendriks, TUC	22	5	4	5	42
6	Chapman, PHI-MAR-BR-SCS	26	5	0	6	41
7	Workman, SCS	17	3	5	2	39
8	Osuna, EC	19	6	6	5	39
9	Harris, VAN	14	3	6	4	33
10	Soria, PHI	15	5	4	3	30

The Eckersley Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award is named for Dennis Eckersley, who revolutionized the closer position during his time with Vancouver and Toledo in the 1990s. The Eck is the only award not voted upon by owners but instead uses a formula. Pitchers earn 2 points for each save and each win but get 1 point deducted for each loss and each blown save. Holds are not included in the formula.

Greene's point total is identical to last year's winner, Sean Doolittle, but the rest of the field is among the weakest in recent memory, with no other reliever eclipsing even 50 points. No one would have even cracked the top 10 in the 2016 results. It's the first Eck Award for the Hopatcong franchise. The best finish in recent years by Floating Fish relievers was 2018 when Alex Claudio tied for 3rd behind superstar seasons from Andrew Miller and Chad Green, and Aroldis Chapman finished 4th in 2017. and 7th in 2016.

Speaking of Chapman, he technically spent the season with four teams, though he pitched for only three. Philly shipped him to Marietta for a 2nd rounder in April. Marietta started selling in July and dealt Chapman to Blue Ridge along with Howie Kendrick for 1st and 2nd rounders in 2022. A month later, it was the Bombers who decided to sell and sent Chapman to Sardine City in exchange for a 3rd rounder in 2021.

The deal probably cost Brandon Workman more than a few saves, even possibly the Eck Award. Workman's save opportunities evaporated as he shifted from the Straphanger's closer to a setup man after Chapman came aboard.

Relief pitching is more than just saves though. Hopatcong's Zach Britton and Hillsborough's Julio Urias each went 8-0 out of the pen. On the opposite side was Hoboken closer Alex Colome  -- who finished 2nd in 2017 when he was with Hopatcong -- was winless at 0-8 despite 16 saves against just 2 blown saves. Noe Ramirez of Arkansas was 8-0 before suffering his first loss on Oct. 1; he finished 9-1. Tyler Chatwood outdid them both, going 10-1 in just 32 appearances after signing with Philly as a free agent in August. Urias also was a workhorse in the Hit Men's bullpen, with an impressive 133 strikeouts and 129.7 innings over 105 appearances.

El Paso's duo of Jarlin Garcia and Chad Green led the league with 22 holds each.

The true measure of a reliever may be in his ability to leave men stranded, which can sometimes be a matter of luck. Regardless, Will Harris stranded all 22 batters he inherited over the course of his 53 appearances with Vancouver.

Among the league leaders in inherited runners scored percentage this season:

• Hansel Robles, ARK -- .107 (3/28)
• Jose Leclerc, EP -- .116 (5/43)
• Brandon Workman, SCS -- .118 (4/34)
• Michael Lorenzen, SF -- .139 (5/36)
• Robert Stephenson, POO -- .147 (5/34)