The Rolaids Relief Man Award goes to the American League reliever who put forward the strongest season.
This season, that player was Joseph Buban of the Houston Astros, who was above all his peers in 2068.
“I just feel like the ball was doing what I wanted it to this year and I was in command most nights out there,” he said. “Some days you don’t have your best stuff, but I didn’t have too many of those days this year.”
On the season, Buban pitched 100.1 innings, with 99 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.97. He also had 3 saves in 58 relief appearances.
He received 17 first place votes out of a possible 30. Paul Welt of the Houston Astros finished second in voting with 5 first place votes, while Jose Lago of the Baltimore Orioles finished third with 5 first place votes.
Player – Team – First Place – Total Points
Joseph Buban – Houston Astros – 17 – 102
Paul Welt – Houston Astros – 5 – 65
Jose Lago – Baltimore Orioles – 5 – 43
Jeff Zink – Kansas City Royals – 2 – 40
Brian Jones – Texas Rangers – 1 – 16