Zach Buchanan

zbuchanan@enquirer.com

Every time he takes the mound, Cincinnati Reds right-hander Raisel Iglesias tells himself he’s the best reliever in baseball. It’s a motivation tactic, but he might not be that far off.

This season, he has an ERA of 1.10 in 16 ⅓ innings, and a WHIP of 0.796. He’s striking out 10.5 batters per nine innings, up a full batter from a year ago. His ERA+, a measure that accounts for differences in league and ballpark, pegs his performance as 298 percent better than the average pitcher.

He might not be the best reliever in the sport – Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Kenley Jansen still exist – but he’s certainly among them. One pro scout for an American League team slotted the 26-year-old among the top 10-15 relievers in the game. A National League scout, when asked for his pecking order to get three outs in the ninth inning of a playoff game, listed him even higher.

“I would put him top five, probably, everybody being rested,” the scout said.

There is a lot about Iglesias to like. Since being put in a relief role midway through last season, he’s had a fastball that touches 98 that he can throw from several arm angles. He's also showcased nasty slider that so far has generated a swing and miss 28 percent of the times he’s thrown it this year. When batters do offer at it, they miss more often than they make contact.

A different NL scout gave both pitches a 70 grade on the 20-to-80 scouting scale.

“He has a chance to be a special closer if he stays healthy,” the scout said. “Normally you don’t see 70s, but his stuff is filthy.”

But there are plenty in baseball who aren’t quite as high on Iglesias. They’re fans, but not ready to place him among the most dominant relief arms out there.

“There’d be a good number of names that would come to mind before I got to him when thinking ‘dominant,’” one NL executive said.

Get the latest Reds news. Download our app on both the Apple App Store and Google Play.

The main critiques come down to track record and health. There’s no way around the former – Iglesias hasn’t been a reliever for a full season yet, and plenty of bullpen guys start scorching hot before regressing over the course of a season. Iglesias may have a career 2.08 ERA and .179 opposing batting average as a reliever, but that’s only in 69 ⅓ career innings.

The latter concern stems from the shoulder issues that forced Iglesias into the bullpen in the first place. The Reds were one of the few teams to scout the righty out of Cuba and see him as a starter, but shoulder issues forced him to miss time in both of his first two big-league seasons.

When the Reds brought him back as a reliever, it was to protect his shoulder. The team followed strict protocols to govern how often Iglesias could pitch, how long his outings were and how much rest he would need in between. According to manager Bryan Price, those restrictions fell away entering the 2017 season.

Some scouts don’t see Iglesias as a guy who has the durability to throw three days in a row, but Price said the righty will cross that bridge at some point this season. It’s more that Iglesias isn’t needed to do so with the team’s bullpen depth and alternating closer model.

“I’m not treating him with the kid gloves anymore,” Price said.

Price loves having Iglesias at the back of his pen, and the front office surely does as well. The price for premium relief arms has skyrocketed in recent seasons. Chapman signed with the New York Yankees for five years and $86 million this offseason, and can opt out to try for an even more lucrative deal two seasons in. Jansen has a deal for five years and $80 million.

But Iglesias is cost-controlled. He’s making just $3.5 million this season, and is due just $14.5 million total over the next three. When his seven-year deal expires after the 2020 season, he’ll still have one more season under team control, and his salary will be determined through arbitration.

If he continues his present performance through then, he’ll look like even more of a steal. He’ll also earn the kind of top reliever label that comes with a longer track record.

“Any time you give too much credit to a player too young, it’s a disservice to those who have actually been really good for a long time,” Price said. “Before I crown any young players as the next Lee Smith or Mariano Rivera, I’ll let them work a little bit longer before giving them that type of credit.

"But I got to tell you, I couldn’t be happier he’s in our bullpen.”