In the Shoeless Joe League:
Edgar Cruz wins his 2nd career Reliever of the Year award and has now won one in each league. He won his 1st in 1980 as a member of the expansion Montreal Royals (their first season). Cruz is a power-pitching sidearmer with a devastating fastball-changeup combination. He is an Iron Man and a humble dude. Easy guy to root for.
Runner-up Rich Davis won this award in 1982. He's considered a selfish player. He does have an excellent curveball, good stamina, and combines plus plus stuff and movement. At age 29 (a year younger than Cruz) he remains one of the better closers in the game.
But if you are looking to the future, put your money on 21-year old Chicago closer Bill Johnson. Johnson has a 4-pitch repertoire and plus stamina and may move to the rotation before long, but really only 2 of his pitches are out pitches, so he might stick in the bullpen, where he should dominate. His 2 out pitches are both elite- a changeup and a forkball- and give him plus plus stuff (an understatement perhaps), which he combines with plus and still developing movement, and plus control. He's an extreme groundballer with a decent sinker he throws mid-to-upper 90's. And he's a likeable teammate. The future is bright for this one.
In the Moonlight Graham League:
Michael Tucker is a fan favorite and this is his 3rd Reliever of the Year award. He's a bit of a soft-tosser (89-91 mph) but his sinker is terrific and he has a deceptive fastball. Great stuff, good control, average movement. He also has multi-inning stamina out of the 'pen. And he's still only 25 years old.
Nate Liuzzo's another extreme groundballer with an excellent sinker-curveball combo. He has some of the best stamina among relievers in the game and plus plus movement to go with plus control and above average stuff. He has a prickly disposition but he's not such a bad character as to negate his pitching prowess.
22-year old Steve Hensgens of Phoenix has a good chance to win this award at least a few times in the future, with elite stuff based solely on maybe the best sinker in the game. He is basically a 1-pitch guy, (he has a pretty useless changeup), so that might hold him back. But he did lead all of the WPK in saves this year with 47, so it didn't hold him back much in 1985. He's considered a smart, adaptable kid and has good stamina. He is one of the young arms transforming the reputation of the Speed Devils, in spite of their hitters' haven home park.
And 31-year old veteran Joe Hall is a 2-time Reliever of the Year and potential Hall of Famer. He has a great curveball and a nasty fastball, is durable and has tremendous stamina, and he's one of the smarter guys in the game.