Where Tanner Scott ranks among best relievers in Marlins history

I don't need to use a single stat to vouch for Tanner Scott's greatness. More so than other types of players on a baseball roster, high-leverage relievers distinguish themselves from each other by how they make us feel. What's your confidence level in them when entering the game? Overcoming a leadoff walk? When they're seeking redemption after failing their previous assignment?

Particularly in 2023 and 2024, the sight of Scott on the mound made a Miami Marlins victory feel inevitable. He put himself on a short list of the franchise's best relief pitchers ever. Now, I'll use some numbers to define how short that list really is.

Among pitchers who totaled at least 100 career innings as Marlins, Scott ranks third all-time with a 162 ERA+ (100 represents league average). He trails former Fish ace Kevin Brown (176 ERA+) and Bryan Morris (166 ERA+). Although Morris pitched exclusively in relief like Scott did, he only had one full-length season in Miami (2015) and often handled low-leverage situations. Also, his run prevention was deceiving because it didn't account for Morris' struggles with inherited baserunners—he allowed 38% of them to score, compared to Scott's 22% mark.

Scott ranks third in win probability added among relievers in Marlins history. WPA is a cumulative stat, rewarding both clutch success and volume of work. The only names ahead of Scott (Robb Nen and AJ Ramos) and the two directly behind him (Steve Cishek and Antonio Alfonseca) had 100-plus innings pitched more than him. 

The peak seasons of Bryan Harvey in 1993 and Armando Benítez in 2004 were arguably more valuable than what Scott did in 2023 because they were full-time closers with sub-2.00 ERAs. However, their encore performances were underwhelming, putting up replacement-level stats and missing chunks of those campaigns due to injury. Meanwhile, Scott somehow got even better to position himself as the most sought-after relief arm on the trade market.

The Marlins career leader in WPA and saves (108), Nen also did well during the 1997 postseason to help secure the team's first World Series title. He still has the strongest résumé in the franchise's bullpen GOAT conversation, but I would put Scott's right behind him.

Best of luck to Tanner Scott down the stretch of the 2024 season in San Diego. During his pending free agency this winter, he ought to be richly rewarded for his recent dominance.