There was a time not too long ago when a suggestion that Ryan Helsley should be used differently by the Cardinals was received quite poorly.
It was deemed by some as both old school (in a negative way) and even unimaginative to ask a high-powered and effective reliever who is capable of pitching multiple innings in an outing to pitch less per appearance so he could hopefully pitch more often.
Kudos to Helsley and the Cardinals for giving old school a shot.
No one seems to be objecting to the results, including the contenders who are hoping the Cardinals’ forward traction stalls so they have a chance to secure the 29-year-old right-hander before the trade deadline.
Along with sophomore sensation shortstop Masyn Winn, Helsley has most often looked like the Cardinals’ best bet to be an All-Star.
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He was first selected for that honor in 2022, when he crafted a wicked 1.25 ERA in 54 appearances, 18 of which went longer than an inning. But I’d rather have what Helsley is doing right now — even if his past couple saves encountered some turbulence. Navigating choppy waters is a must-have skill for great closers. Helsley’s shown mettle lately.
He entered this series in Cincinnati with a 2.25 ERA in 24 appearances. Every single one has lasted exactly one inning. His 22 games finished led the National League. His 17 were tied for most in baseball.
He surrendered seven hits and three runs while striking out just one against the Cubs this past series. And? He secured his 16th and 17th save.
He wasn’t walking guys. He recovered from the damage in time to get the job done. On to the next one; it’s how closers have to roll. Helsley is playing a pass-fail game now, and he’s passing.
As of Saturday, only 10 relievers this season had more than 10 saves. Helsley’s save percentage of 94.4% trailed just one in the group. Padres closer Robert Suarez is perfect so far. Suarez is making $10 million this season. Helsley is at $3.8 million. The Cardinals have, right now, the most effective/affordable closer going.
A deeper dive into the data discovers some pretty interesting things about Helsley’s shift into true closer mode.
He is pounding the strike zone more than ever before. His strike-zone percentage of 55.8% is a career-high, up nearly 6% from last season. He’s getting ahead of hitters on the first pitch a career-best 67% of the time, which is up more than 10% from where he was last season. That’s big, because once he’s ahead 1-0 in a count, Helsley has held hitters to a .192 average, .188 on-base percentage and a .319 slugging percentage.
Helsley’s walk percentage (4.2%) is on pace for a career-low after it swelled to 11.6% last season and sits at 10% for his career. Against Helsley, hitters have no relief. He’s coming after them from the first pitch.
Asked by KMOX about manager Oli Marmol's job security, the Cardinals' longtime president of baseball operations brought up his own.Â
Now let’s look at quality of contact. Yes, Helsley’s strikeout rate of 26% is down from the 35-40% range he wowed with over the past two seasons. But check out some of the context regarding the quality of contact he’s surrendering.
Per StatCast data, his hard-hit percentage (33%) is 7% lower than last season. His groundball percentage of nearly 51% is a career-high, up 10% from last season. His line-drive percentage of 16.4% has dropped nearly 7 points below his career norm.
Helsley has not struck out the side once this season. He’s allowed a couple homers. Again, and?
He’s limited his walks to one, at most, per appearance. In more than 45% of his appearances, he’s limited his batters faced to three. In nearly 67% of his appearances, he’s needed fewer than 15 pitches to get the job done.
Most importantly, Helsley is giving the Cardinals and their manager something only an old-school closer can provide — a sense of confidence that every lead can turn into a win if it’s delivered into his hands. That’s a lot better feeling than uncertainty about Helsley’s availability going into games due to how much he pitched his last time out. No more mysteries now.
The argument to go old school with Helsley was never about him not performing when he pitched. It was always about the team benefits of him pitching more often even if it meant him pitching less per appearance. By embracing the shift he has become one of the most effective and interesting performers on his team. If the Cardinals’ climb continues, Helsley is a pivotal peace of a playoff team. If the Cardinals falter, Helsley could become one of baseball’s most in-demand trade chips. And eventually, whether it’s here or somewhere else, it should help him score a big payday.
That’s the thing about old-school closers. They still get new-school money.