Getting through the lockout by reminiscing about Dominic Leone

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesThe next player on our 2021 San Francisco Giants season reviews is right-handed reliever Dominic Leone.

2021 review

57 games, 53.2 innings, 1.51 ERA, 3.08 FIP, 1.099 WHIP, 50 strikeouts, 22 walks, 1.8 rWAR, 0.9 fWAR

Poor middle relievers. They get called upon so frequently, but praised so sparingly. Had Leone’s 1.51 ERA occurred while primarily pitching the eighth or ninth inning, he might have been an All-Star; instead, he’s a forgotten reliever even by his many in own fanbase.

The Giants have developed a reputation for identifying underperforming pitchers and helping them turn things around. The publicity for that strategy is almost exclusively on starting…