Reds Breakout Player: Veteran Reliever Quickly Turning into Dominant Star

The Cincinnati Reds are one of the hottest teams in baseball. They've been able to win a lot of games that they shouldn't have any business winning. Their offense isn't one of the best units in the league, but they've managed to pick up the timely hits when they need them. Their starting pitching hasn't been absurd, especially considering they're missing Nick Lodolo and Hunter Greene, but their unit has battled and kept them in games.

But their bullpen has been the best unit in baseball.

Reds Have the Best Bullpen in Baseball

Apr 19, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona (77) watches play against the Minnesota Twins in the seventh inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

The Reds' bullpen has been the best unit in baseball early this season. They lead the league in bullpen ERA with an impressive 2.23 ERA. The Atlanta Braves rank in second place with a 2.61 ERA. The Texas Rangers and San Diego Padres are the only other teams in the league with a bullpen ERA under 3.30.

Cincinnati has 10 saves. It's the only team in the league with double-digit saves. Their unit has only surrendered 58 hits and five home runs to this point of the season. They've struck out 92 batters compared to 54 walks. The 54 walks are admittedly very high.

But this bullpen has kept the Reds in all their close games. The Reds are 10-0 in one-run or two-run games this season, becoming the first team in National League history to reach that feat. A big reason why they've had this kind of success in close games is because of their bullpen's ability to keep games where they're at.

And nobody has been more impressive than Tony Santillan.

Tony Santillan Has Been the Reds' Best Reliever in 2026

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tony Santillan (64) pitches in the eighth inning between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball in Cincinnati on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Santillan has basically scrapped his slider in favor of his slurve, effectively making him a two-pitch pitcher. But it's worked very well. Opposing hitters are hitting .125 against his fastball and .000 against his slurve. They're 3-for-24 against his fastball with three singles and 0-for-6 against his slurve. The xBA against his fastball is .167 while the xBA against his slurve is .141, showing he's not getting incredibly lucky either.

Santillan dropped his arm angle by a considerable amount this year. In 2021, his arm angle was 35 degrees. He dropped it in 2022, sitting between 26 degrees and 28 degrees from 2022 to 2025. But this year, it's dropped all the way to 21 degrees, per Baseball Savant.

This drop in arm angle has helped him post a 0.00 ERA through 10 innings. He's allowed three hits and six walks in that time, good for a WHIP under 1.00. He has seven holds, a save, and a win this season.

Santillan's emergence from a good reliever to a star reliever is a big reason why the Reds have been successful this season. If he continues trending in this direction, the Reds could continue to shock a lot of people.

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