For parts of three seasons, Phil Maton was a solid piece in the middle of the Guardians’ bullpen.
While he didn’t get the same kind of attention as high-leverage arms like Brad Hand, Emmanuel Clase and James Karinchak, he held his own in the middle of the ‘pen (even if he was prone to the occasional blow-up).
And although his time with the Guardians came to a bit of an unceremonious end when he was sent to Houston as a part of the Myles Straw trade, Maton has quietly turned into one of the best middle-relief pitchers in all of baseball.