The San Diego Padres are the best team in baseball with a scorching-hot 19-4 record since returning from the All-Star break. The offense has been on fire thanks in part to clutch hitting by NL Rookie of the Year hopeful Jackson Merrill. And the Padres’ pitching has been exceptional thanks to a quality rotation and a bullpen led by closer Robert Suarez.
After trailing St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley throughout the season, Suarez is now the betting favorite to win the NL Reliever of the Year award. The latest odds on Fanduel have Suarez at +100 to take home the award and Helsley at +120, per oddschecker.com.
While Suarez and Helsley remain in a tight competition for NL Reliever of the Year, it’s essentially just a two-man race as the next closest closer, Raisel Iglesias, is at +1200.
Both Suarez and Helsley are having excellent seasons for the Padres and the Cardinals respectively. And both made the All-Star team in 2024. Suarez, in his third year in the majors, made his first career All-Star game while six-year veteran Helsley made his second.
On the season Helsley is 4-4 with a 2.66 ERA, 1.263 WHIP, an ERA+ of 160 and 57 strikeouts in 50.2 innings. He leads MLB with 37 saves and is up to 1.6 WAR in 50 appearances for the Cardinals this year.
Suarez has been lights out for the Padres in 2024 with a 7-1 record, 1.68 ERA, 0.890 WHIP, an ERA+ of 244 and 47 strikeouts in 48.1 innings. The 33-year-old righty has 27 saves and 2.5 WAR in 48 appearances for San Diego.
Padres' Suarez is favorite for NL Reliever of the Year after dominant stretch
Helsley got off to an incredible start this season, racking up 32 saves before the All-Star break. He had been the betting favorite for the league’s Reliever of the Year award more or less from the start.
However, while the Padres have the best record in the majors since the Midsummer Classic, including a franchise record 16 wins in 18 games, the Cardinals have trailed off. The Cincinnati Reds completed a sweep of St. Louis Wednesday to pull even with the team in the NL Central. The Cardinals have now gone just 10-15 since the break, the fifth-worst record in baseball. And much like the teams they play for, Suarez has been great in that span while Helsley has cooled significantly.
Since returning from the All-Star break, Suarez is 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 1.21 FIP, .195 batting average against, 0.84 BB/9 and 12 strikeouts in 10.2 innings of work for the Padres. Meanwhile, Helsley is 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, 4.33 FIP, .303 batting average against, 5.19 BB/9 and nine strikeouts in 8.2 innings. Both closers have five saves in that span, which is tied for second most in the National League.
This stretch has allowed Suarez to surpass Helsley as the favorite to win the coveted relief pitching award. Still, Helsley’s dominance through most of the season has kept things close in a race that could go down to the wire.
Follow Us
Subscribe