Bullpen Usage Chart

Welcome to our new Bullpen Usage Chart. It’s a visual representation of each MLB team’s bullpen usage. Even better, it’s interactive. Across the top of the chart are some ways you can interact with the data.

Game Date: A filter to adjust the lookback period. Use the dropdown menu to choose the lookback period the data will be pulled from. You can choose any number of days or even the entire season. The default lookback period is 15 days. Data is not included for previous seasons.

IP: Filter to select the minimum and maximum number of innings pitched during the lookback period. If the minimum IP slider is set to 3.0 IP then only pitchers who have thrown 3 innings or more during the lookback period will appear. You can also disable the IP filter entirely by clicking on the little red x to the top right of the IP filter. This will show all relievers who have pitched during your lookback period.

Avg. Run Difference: Color scale to indicate the average lead/deficit a team is facing when that pitcher enters the game. Players with orange coloring typically enter the game when the team is losing, while players in blue are entering when the team has a lead.

Player Name: Hover over a pitcher’s name and you will see their game log for the lookback period you have set. The number to the right of each pitcher’s name is the average inning at which they entered games during the lookback period.

One other thing you’ll notice is that some pitchers are displayed at the extreme top of their team’s chart. This means that those pitchers are used almost exclusively in the ninth inning and beyond.

* The Sergio Romo Exception: The Rays and Sergio Romo broke our data. This table excludes starting pitchers and Romo certainly qualifies as that. He’s also getting saves out of the Rays pen. You will not see him in our bullpen usage chart, but please all you Sergio Romo fans feel free to run out and pick him up!

2018 MLB Bullpen Usage Chart