Heath Bell vs. Ryan Thompson — Career Comparison

The numbers give Ryan Thompson a clear advantage over Heath Bell across the core pitching metrics. Ryan Thompson led in walk avoidance (BB%+ 146 vs 124), home run suppression (HR9+ 127 vs 113), and run prevention (ERA+ 109 vs 102). Heath Bell held the edge in strikeout rate (K%+ 107 vs 87). Ryan Thompson was the better reliever — the numbers make that case clearly.