Let’s make something crystal clear right off the bat: By no measure in all of baseball was Bryan Shaw the worst relief pitcher in 2022.
There’s nothing you can do or say to dispute that. In fact, he’s not even the worst reliever in the AL Central this year. Seven other guys had a higher ERA than Shaw’s 5.40, including Austin Davis and his 1.2 innings pitched for the Twins. Same with his 4.88 FIP — seven other guys — and 19 other relievers had a worse strikeout rate than Shaw’s 19.9%. Was that still comfortably below average?