Breaking down All-MLB reliever candidates

It's time for fans and an expert panel to elect players to the All-MLB Team, honoring the best of the regular season at each position. Voting for the 2021 All-MLB Team presented by Cue Health is underway, and you can help decide which players will be honored, with 50% of the vote coming from fans and 50% coming from a panel of experts.

You can vote right here until voting ends today at 5 p.m. ET. The 2021 All-MLB Team will be announced Tuesday on MLB Network. There will be a first team and second team All-MLB, and voters are asked only to consider performance during the regular season when casting their ballots.

The nominees at each position were revealed last Tuesday on MLB Network, and 16 relievers are up for consideration to be part of the 2021 All-MLB Team, though only two can be chosen.

Here’s a breakdown of each of the All-MLB relief pitcher candidates.

Aroldis Chapman, Yankees
2021 stats: 61 appearances, 3.36 ERA, 30 saves, 40% strikeout rate
It wasn't Chapman's finest work, but the left-hander continued to be one of the best relievers in the game with his 100 mph fastball, devastating slider and newly added splitter in 2021. According to Statcast, the expected batting average against Chapman this year was just .175. His hard-hit rate of 40 percent was the highest Statcast has ever recorded for him, and his 15.6 percent walk rate was alarmingly high. But Chapman managed to turn in another strong season as the Yankees' closer despite those issues.

Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland
2021 stats: 71 appearances, 1.29 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 24 saves
The rookie right-hander was tremendous for Cleveland in 2021, deploying a cutter/slider mix that was devastating for opposing hitters. The 23-year-old ranked in the top 5 percent among qualified pitchers in expected ERA (2.18), expected slugging percentage (.267), hard-hit rate (29.6 percent) and barrel rate (1.6 percent).

Giovanny Gallegos, Cardinals
2021 stats: 73 appearances, 3.02 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 31% strikeout rate
Gallegos continued his solid run that began with a breakout 2019 campaign -- over the past three seasons, he's posted a 2.76 ERA and 32 percent strikeout rate for St. Louis. He was made the club's closer over the final month of the regular season in 2021, and is primed to take on that role from the beginning of the '22 campaign.

Josh Hader, Brewers
2021 stats: 60 appearances, 1.23 ERA, 46% strikeout rate, 34 saves
Hader bounced back from an uncharacteristic 2020 season with the finest campaign of his career in '21, which earned him the NL Reliever of the Year Award. The left-hander struck out an incredible 46 percent of batters faced with his triple-digit fastball and devastating slider, finishing with a 2.16 xERA, .153 xBA and .237 xSLG per Statcast.

Liam Hendriks, White Sox
2021 stats: 69 appearances, 2.54 ERA, 42% strikeout rate, 38 saves
Hendriks led the AL in saves in his first season with the White Sox, also posting the highest strikeout rate of his career and winning the AL Reliever of the Year Award. With his fastball/slider/curveball mix, the 32-year-old right-hander's 1.95 xERA was second among qualified pitchers only to Jacob deGrom's 1.54.

Raisel Iglesias, Angels
2021 stats: 65 appearances, 2.57 ERA, 38% strikeout rate, 34 saves
Aside from a hiccup in 2019, Iglesias has been consistently excellent throughout his MLB career to this point. This past season, the 31-year-old right-hander turned in a career-high strikeout rate while lowering his walk rate to 4.4 percent, the best of his career. Now a free agent, he's part of a strong group of relievers on the market, including others on this list -- Hader, Kenley Jansen and Mark Melancon.

Kenley Jansen, Dodgers
2021 stats: 69 appearances, 2.22 ERA, 31% strikeout rate, 38 saves
Jansen's numbers in 2021 were fantastic -- now consider that his ERA in July was 9.39; imagine what it would have been if he had a more characteristic month. The veteran closer's first-half ERA was 1.24 and opposing batters hit just .129 against him prior to the All-Star break. Following the disastrous July, Jansen was almost unhittable, particularly in September, when he posted a 0.66 ERA.

Craig Kimbrel, White Sox
2021 stats: 63 appearances, 2.26 ERA, 43% strikeout rate, 24 saves
While his 24 appearances after being traded from the Cubs to the White Sox last season didn't go the way he'd want -- he had a 5.09 ERA down the stretch -- Kimbrel nevertheless had another great campaign. The 33-year-old right-hander had a miniscule 0.49 ERA with the Cubs before the trade, and according to Statcast, opponents had an xBA of just .157 against him overall in 2021, along with an xSLG of .266.

Andrew Kittredge, Rays
2021 stats: 57 appearances, 1.88 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 27% strikeout rate
The 2021 season was a breakout campaign for Kittredge, who became the latest in a tradition of Tampa Bay relievers who have carried big loads of innings for the club throughout its successful run over the past three years. Relying mostly on a sinker/slider mix, the 31-year-old right-hander had a 41 percent chase rate and a 5.3 percent walk rate, both career bests.

Jonathan Loáisiga, Yankees
2021 stats: 57 appearances, 2.17 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 0.4 HR/9 innings
Loáisiga, who turned 27 earlier this month, had a breakout year of his own in 2021, making more than 15 appearances in a season for the first time and making the most of his opportunity. The right-hander was dominant, finishing tied for fourth among qualified pitchers with a 2.18 xERA. The .253 xSLG against him ranked second behind only deGrom's .249.

Jake McGee, Giants
2021 stats: 62 appearances, 2.72 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 31 saves
With his third club in three years, McGee continued to show why he's one of the game's best relievers since leaving Colorado in 2020. The left-hander was a key component to the Giants' shocking 107-win season and NL West title, throwing his four-seam fastball 90 percent of the time and getting great results -- opposing batters hit just .194 against the pitch.

Mark Melancon, Padres
2021 stats: 64 appearances, 2.23 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 39 saves
In his age-36 season, Melancon again demonstrated that age is just a number for some -- the veteran right-hander led MLB in saves and while San Diego faded in the second half, it wasn't because Melancon was off. Selected as an All-Star for the first time since 2016, there's no reason to believe Melancon won't continue to defy time in '22. The question is, for whom will the free agent be pitching?

Ryan Pressly, Astros
2021 stats: 64 appearances, 2.25 ERA, 32% strikeout rate, 26 saves
While Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and others get the spotlight in Houston, one of the keys to the Astros' run to an AL pennant in 2021 was Pressly, who continued to be as dependable as they come from the bullpen. The 32-year-old right-hander walked a career-low 5.2 percent of batters he faced, and opponents hit just .208 against him.

Jordan Romano, Blue Jays
2021 stats: 62 appearances, 2.14 ERA, 34% strikeout rate, 23 saves
In his first full season, Romano delivered for the Blue Jays, helping Toronto make a postseason push that reached the regular season's final day. The 28-year-old right-hander ranked third among qualified pitchers with a .173 xBA against in 2021, and his 2.64 xERA was tied for 12th. He became the Jays' most dependable reliever, and will figure prominently as Toronto seeks to take the next step in '22.

Garrett Whitlock, Red Sox
2021 stats: 46 appearances, 1.96 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 4.8 strikeout-to-walk ratio
Whitlock had a tremendous rookie campaign for Boston, emerging as one of the best relievers in the Red Sox bullpen. His four-pitch mix (four-seamer, sinker, slider, changeup) produced an outstanding 4.1 percent barrel rate, and he was effective at keeping the ball on the ground with a 49.7% ground ball rate.

Devin Williams, Brewers
2021 stats: 58 appearances, 2.50 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 38% strikeout rate
Williams wasn't quite as good as he was in his 2020 NL Rookie of the Year campaign -- but, then again, there's really nowhere to go but down after a 1,375 ERA+. "Down" for Williams was from otherworldly to merely overpowering. Opponents hit just .186 against the flame-throwing right-hander, who along with Hader formed one of the most formidable 1-2 bullpen punches in baseball for Milwaukee.