Guardians Emmanuel Clase's odd 2023 relief stats shock MLB podcaster: "One of the weirdest relief pitching seasons I've ever seen"

Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians has been the best, but also the worst, closer in baseball this season. Unfortunately, his team has been no better off for having the flamethrower in their bullpen.

Despite leading MLB in saves with 44, Clase also leads the league in blown opportunities with 12 of them. Moreover, the 25-year-old Dominican has struggled to keep the ball out of play more than he ever has.

In 75 appearances this season, Emmanuel Clase has an ERA of 3.22. This figure is over twice as high as his ERA last season (1.36), and compounded by the fact that despite having appeared in exactly as many innings, Clase has surrendered 37% more hits, 57% more runs, and has seen his WHIP figures practically double.

Despite the obvious degradation of his pitching stats, Clase has still been a force this year. Clase's 44 saves have accounted for the vast majority of the Guardians' 47 saves, the fifth-highest value in MLB.

"Tuesday night in San Francisco, Emmanuel Clase made Guardians franchise history!" - Bally Sports Cleveland

On Sept. 29, Clase came in to face the Detroit Tigers in what was to be his final appearance of the season. Trying to shield the Guardians' 7-4 lead, Clase gave up a moonshot to Spencer Torkelson, the first batter he faced. In the end, though, Clase and the Guardians rallied and were able to set down the rest of the lineup in order.

In his recap of the game, popular MLB YouTuber Fuzzy eluded to the strange season that we have seen from Emmanuel Clase this season. Fuzzy hit the nail right on the head when summarizing the Cleveland Guardians' closer's unorthodox performance this season, calling it "one of the weirdest relief pitching seasons I've ever seen."

With a final record of 74-88, Emmanuel Clase and the Guardians finished second in their division, fourteen games behind the Minnesota Twins. Although playoff ball will not feature on the shores of Lake Erie this October, Guardians fans are still exciting about their team, who boasts the youngest roster in MLB.

Emmanuel Clase has a long and rewarding relief career ahead of him

More than anyone else, Clase likely regrets his bloated numbers that hitters have against him. However, after gaining two All-Star appearances before his 26th birthday is no small feat. Over the coming months and years, expect Clase to make the adjustments that will allow him to ascends to the elite tier of MLB relievers.