This little bit of research started with an off-hand comment I made in an e-mail to a friend.  I was writing about the 1959 Chicago White Sox, and I said that the White Sox had two of the five best relief pitchers in baseball that season, the 35-year-old Turk Lown and the 38-year-old Gerry Staley.   Then I got to wondering:  Is that really true?  Lown and Staley both had very good seasons, but were they actually two of the five best in baseball? 

            They were, actually, or at least I decided that they really were after researching the issue.  The top 5 relief pitchers of 1959 were:

1.     Roy Face

2.     Bill Henry

3.     Gerry Staley

4.     Turk Lown

5.     Stu Miller

There’s an argument that Lindy McDaniel belongs in there, but let’s move on.   From ranking the top relief pitchers of 1959, I moved on to ranking the top relief pitchers of every season by a combination of Win Shares and Season Score—which was quite easy to do, actually—and from there, I got interested in the question of relievers who repeat at or near the top of the list. 

By my ‘rithmatic, only six pitchers in baseball in baseball history have ever repeated as the #1 reliever in baseball in two consecutive seasons, and only one has made the top spot in three consecutive seasons.  Those pitchers are:

Firpo Marberry, 1925-1926

Johnny Murphy, 1936-1937

Joe Berry, 1944-1945

Dick Radatz, 1962-1963-1964

Eric Gagne, 2002-2003

Mariano Rivera, 2004-2005

My rules for making these lists require a Season Score of at least 100.  It’s a necessary rule, or we would otherwise be giving relievers credit, in a competitive measurement, for seasons in which they pitched 4 games, 5 innings and had a 8.70 ERA, but were nonetheless the second-best reliever in baseball.  A Season Score of 100 is not a high standard.  Lloyd Brown in 1935 was 8-7 with 4 Saves and a 3.61 ERA, and had a Season Score of 105, which marks him as the #1 reliever of 1935.  I don’t really want players with weaker seasons than that on the list.

And then there are rules for deciding who is and is not a "reliever", as opposed to a mixed-use pitcher.  Let’s not get into it.   The first pitcher to qualify for my lists was Carl Mays in 1915:

 

1915				1916				1917
1	Carl Mays	Bos AL		1	Bernie Boland	Det AL		1	Dave Danforth	Chi AL
1919				1920				1921
1	Jean Dubuc	NY NL		1	Bill Sherdel	StL NL		1	Guy Morton	Cle AL
1922				1923				1925
1	Claude Jonnard	NY NL		1	Allan Russell	Was AL		1	Firpo Marberry	Was AL
1926				1927				1928
1	Firpo Marberry	Was AL		1	Garland Branxton	Was AL		1	Syl Johnson	StL NL
2	Joe Pate	Phil AL		2	Watty Clark	Bkn NL
3	Hooks Dauss	Det AL
1929
1	Eddie Rommel	Phil AL

 

There was just one pitcher a year qualifying for the list through most of this era, sometimes none.  The last season when NOBODY in the majors qualified for the relief-pitcher list was 1934. 

Firpo Marberry’s season in 1926 was the standard of excellence for a reliever in that era.   Marberry is regarded by many people as the first true reliever, with much justification.  He was a very fine pitcher, worthy of note.  Some people have tried to portray him as a Hall of Famer, although, in my judgment, his career is not quite near that stature.  He didn’t have enough big seasons; he was not dominant enough; his impact on his teams or on the game was not substantial enough.  His contributions are more on the level of Mark Langston, Bob Welch, Tom Gordon, Jimmie Key, somebody like that, rather than a Hall of Famer.   If the concept of "relief ace" had taken hold through Marberry, that would not make him a Hall of Famer, but it would be a point in his favor.   But that didn’t happen.  The idea of a relief ace did NOT catch on after Marberry’s example.  It didn’t catch on until at least 25 years later, about 1952.  The 1930s:

 

1931				1933				1935
1	Bump Hadley	Was AL		1	Jack Russell	Was AL		1	Lloyd Brown	Cle AL
2	Jack Quinn	Bkn NL		2	Hi Bell	NY NL		2	Don Brennan	Cin NL
				3	Dolf Luque	NY NL
				4	Joe Heving	Chi AL
1936				1937				1938
1	Johnny Murphy	NY AL		1	Johnny Murphy	NY AL		1	Jumbo Brown	NY NL
				2	Clint Brown	Chi AL		2	Mace Brown	Pit NL
				3	Dick Coffman	NY NL		3	Dick Coffman	NY NL
								4	Jack Russell	Chi NL
								5	Johnny Murphy	NY AL
1939
1	Clint Brown	Chi AL
2	Joe Heving	Bos AL
3	Hooks Dauss	Det AL

 

These generalizations are essentially true:

1)     Prior to 1921, there was no such thing as a relief pitcher.  There were just a handful of pitchers, not considered worthy of pitching in significant situations at that time, who worked out of the bullpen.

 

2)     From 1921 to 1935, all pitchers were both starters and relievers.  Every pitcher in baseball, without exception, started games when needed, and pitched in relief when needed.   Lefty Grove, Dizzy Dean, Carl Hubbell.  .they all pitched in relief, and not just once or twice a season, but 15 or 20 times a season, as the need arose.  And the top "relievers" of that era, Marberry and others such as one can find them, all started when they were needed. 

 

3)     In 1936 Joe McCarthy of the Yankees divided his team into starters and relievers.  He stopped using his best starters, Red Ruffing and Lefty Gomez, in relief, and mostly stopped using his best relievers, Johnny Murphy and Jumbo Brown, as spot starters.  This is the real dividing line that marks the emergence of professional relief pitchers. 

 

4)      While relief pitching had a herky-jerky emergence from garbage time to a key role on the team, it does seem to be true that the teams which experimented with relievers in that transitional era derived important benefits from it.  When Firpo Marberry came forward for the Senators in 1924, the Senators won the pennant for the first times ever, 1924-1925.  In 1928 the only National League team that had a pretty good reliever was the Cardinals—and the Cardinals won the National League, although Syl Johnson was also used as a spot starter.  In 1929 the only American League team that had a pretty good reliever was the Philadelphia A’s—and the A’s won the American League pennant, although Eddie Rommel was still used as a spot starter.  In 1933 the only teams that had real relievers of any quality were the Senators and the Giants, and the Senators and the Giants met in the World Series. 

 

In the seven seasons 1929 to 1935, despite having Ruth and Gehrig and Dickey and Lazzeri and Combs and Ruffing and Gomez, the Yankees won the pennant only once in seven years.  One of the things that put them back ahead of the league, helping them to four straight World Series, was McCarthy’s line of demarcation between his starters and his relievers.  It is one of the little-noted breakthroughs in baseball history.   The 1940s:

 

1940				1941				1942
1	Joe Beggs	Was AL		1	Johnny Murphy	NY AL		1	Ace Adams	NY NL
2	Joe Heving	Bos AL		2	Dutch Dietz	Pit NL		2	Hugh Casey	Bkn NL
3	Johnny Murphy	NY AL		3	Joe Heving	Cle AL		3	Joe Haynes	Chi AL
								4	Joe Beggs	Cin AL
								5	George Caster	StL AL
								6	Murry Dickson	StL NL
								7	Harry Feldman	NY NL
								8	Mace Brown	Bos AL
								9	Tom Ferrick	Cle AL
1943				1944				1945
1	Clyde Shoun	Cin AL		1	Joe Berry	Phi AL		1	Joe Berry	Phi AL
2	Ace Adams	NY NL		2	Joe Heving	Cle AL		2	Andy Karl	Phi NL
3	G Maltzberger	Chi AL		3	G Maltzberger	Chi AL		3	Ace Adams	NY NL
4	Johnny Murphy	NY AL		4	Mike Ryba	Bos AL		4	A Carrasquel	Was AL
5	Mace Brown	Bos AL		5	George Caster	StL AL		5	Cy Buker	Bkn NL
6	Joe Beggs	Cin NL						6	Frank Barrett	Bos AL
7	Joe Haynes	Chi AL
8	Mike Ryba	Bos AL
9	George Caster	StL AL
1946				1947				1948
1	Earl Caldwell	Chi AL		1	Joe Page	NY AL		1	Ted Wilks	Stl NL
2	Hugh Casey	Bkn NL		2	Russ Christopher	Phi AL		2	Harry Gumbert	Cin NL
3	Emil Kush	Chi NL		3	Hugh Casey	Bkn NL		3	Kirby Higbe	Pit NL
4	Ted Wilks	StL NL		4	Ed Klieman	Cle AL		4	Bobby Hogue	Bos NL
5	Art Herring	Bkn NL		5	Emil Kush	Chi NL		5	Jess Dobernic	Chi NL
				6	Ken Trinkle	NY NL		6	R Christopher	Cle AL
1949
1	Joe Page	NY AL
2	Ted Wilks	StL NL
3	Jim Konstanty	Phi NL

 

            Firpo Marberry’s season in 1926—64 games, 12-7 Won-Lost Record, 3.00 ERA and 22 Saves—that remained the standard of excellence for a Relief Pitcher until Joe Page in 1947 and 1949, with the Yankees.  I became a baseball fan in 1961, and Joe Page was still a figure, then; he was still something that the sportswriters talked about.  He was a hard thrower.  He was brought into the games not because the starting pitcher was tired and was getting beat up, but because the manager wanted Joe Page on the mound with the game on the line.  He was brought in in preference to the starting pitcher, not as a substitute for the starting pitcher.  You can argue that Joe Page was the first pitcher ever used that way; you can argue that Hugh Casey was used that way in Brooklyn, by Durocher.  Hugh Casey had very good seasons in 1942 and 1946, but Joe Page 1947-1949 was the greatest reliever baseball had ever seen, up to that time.

            But by the end of the 1940s, we’re still at a very primitive point in the evolution of the bullpen. Most relievers at that time are still either unproven pitchers who would later become starters, or older starters hanging on.  Very few teams had a relief pitcher that they wanted in the game.  In 1949 only three teams even had a reliever of any significance. 

            In 1950, of course, Jim Konstanty was the National League MVP.  He was not only the best relief pitcher in baseball; he was the only relief pitcher in baseball of any significance:

 

1950				1951				1952
1	Jim Konstanty	Phi NL		1	Ellis Kinder	Bos AL		1	Joe Black	Bkn NL
				2	Al Brazle	StL NL		2	Hoyt Wilhelm	NY NL
				3	Dutch Leonard	Chi NL		3	Al Brazle	StL NL
				4	Clyde King	Bkn NL		4	Eddie Yuhas	StL NL
				5	Luis Aloma	Chi AL		5	Satchel Paige	StL AL
				6	Ted Wilks	Pit NL		6	Harry Dorish	Chi AL
								7	Frank Smith	Cin NL
								8	Dutch Leonard	Chi NL
								9	S Consuegra	Was AL
1953				1954				1955
1	Ellis Kinder	Bos AL		1	Marv Grissom	NY NL		1	Clem Labine	Bkn NL
2	Harry Dorish	Chi AL		2	Hoyt Wilhelm	NY NL		2	Ray Narleski	Cle AL
3	Clem Labine	Bkn NL		3	Dave Jolly	Mil NL		3	Hersh Freeman	Cin NL
4	Hoyt Wilhelm	NY NL		4	Jim Hughes	Bkin NL		4	J Konstanty	NY AL
5	Hal White	StL NL		5	Don Mossi	Cle AL		5	S Consuegra	Chi AL
6	Marlin Stuart	StL AL		6	Johnny Sain	NY AL		6	Ellis Kinder	Bos AL
				7	Frank Smith	Cin NL		7	Dixie Howell	Chi AL
				8	Harry Dorish	Chi AL		8	Tom Gorman	KC AL
				9	Ray Narleski	Cle AL		9	Don Mossi	Cle AL
				10	Ellis Kinder	Bos AL		10	Bob Miller	Phi AL
1956				1957				1958
1	Hersh Freeman	Cin NL		1	Bob Grim	NY AL		1	Dick Hyde	Was AL
2	Clem Labine	Bkn NL		2	George Zuverink	Bal AL		2	Ryne Duren	NY AL
3	Ike Delock	Bos AL		3	Turk Farrell	Phi NL		3	Roy Face	Pit NL
4	Roy Face	Pit NL		4	Gerry Staley	Chi AL		4	Don Elston	Chi NL
5	Turk Lown	Chi NL		5	Ed Roebuck	Bkn NL		5	Leo Kiely	Bos AL
6	Marv Grissom	NY NL		6	Cal McLish	Cle AL		6	Turk Farrell	Phi NL
7	Don Bessent	Bkn NL		7	Ken Lehman	Bal AL		7	Bill Henry	Chi NL
8	Ellis Kinder	Chi AL		8	Virgil Trucks	KC AL		8	Murray Wall	Bos AL
9	Don Mossi	Cle AL		9	Marv Grissom	NY NL		9	Don McMahon	Mil NL
				10	Ike Delock	Bos AL
1959
1	Roy Face	Pit NL
2	Bill Henry	Chi NL
3	Gerry Staley	Chi AL
4	Turk Lown	Chi AL
5	Stu Miller	SF NL
6	Lindy McDaniel	StL NL
7	Don McMahon	Mil NL
8	Don Elston	Chi NL
9	Ryne Duren	NY AL
10	Bobby Shantz	NY AL

 

            Look, I am aware that the selection of Jim Konstanty as the National League’s MVP is, by modern standards, kind of absurd.  Konstanty had 4.4 WAR; Eddie Stanky had 8.2.  Earl Torgeson had 5.9 WAR, and was not mentioned in NL MVP voting.  The selection of Konstanty as the MVP can be taken as an insult to Robin Roberts, Richie Ashburn and Del Ennis, the players who actually drove the 1950 Phillies to the pennant.

            But what is missing here is that Konstanty was far, far more valuable than any other major league reliever.  Other than Konstanty, the best relief pitcher in baseball in 1950 would have been Luis Aloma, who was 7-2 with four saves and a 3.80 ERA for the White Sox, or Dutch Leonard, who was 5-1 with six saves and a 3.77 ERA for the Cubs. 

            Konstanty’s MVP campaign was, in fact, the best season that any major league relief pitcher had ever had up to 1950.  When the Phillies went into the World Series, they pulled Konstanty, who had not started a game all season, out of the bullpen, and had him start the first game of the World Series.  Konstanty pitched well in that game, but this illustrates the extent to which they still didn’t get it.   They still didn’t really believe in this "relief pitcher" thing.  Konstanty did pitch well in the first game of the 1950 World Series—but then he was not available to pitch in the second game, which the Phillies lost in the 10^th inning, or the third game, in which the Phillies held a 2-1 lead after seven, but lost after they gave up runs in the 8^th and 9^th, because they had no bullpen. 

            The 1950s represented continued progress on the "acceptance of relievers as a valued part of the game" front, particularly 1952.  In 1952 the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, and St. Louis Cardinals all came up with rookie relief pitchers.  Joe Black of the Dodgers went 15-4 with a 2.15 ERA, Hoyt Wilhelm of the Giants was 15-3 with a 2.43 ERA,  and Eddie Yuhas  of the Cardinals was 12-2 with a 2.72 ERA.  Those three teams finished 1-2-3 in the National League. 

            People were beginning to figure it out—and yet, they weren’t.  In 1954 the New York Giants won the World Championship, and baseball remembers that they did that because they had the best player in baseball, Willie Mays, and the Best Pitcher in baseball, Johnny Antonelli, who was 21-7 with a 2.30 ERA.  But if you look at that Giants’ team, you may notice that, by the standards of a championship team, the rest of it is terrible.  The regular catcher hit .187, the regular first baseman hit .251 with 16 homers and 60 RBI, playing almost every game, and the regular second baseman hit .222 with 9 homers, 46 RBI, playing almost every game. 

            They won in part because they had the two best relief pitchers in baseball, Marv Grissom and Hoyt Wilhelm.   Between them, Grissom and Wilhelm pitched almost as many innings as Antonelli, went 22-11, added 24 saves, and had a better ERA than Antonelli did.  The bullpen is the "third reason" that team won, and the reason they had a huge advantage in the bullpen was, most teams still were not really trying to develop a bullpen.

            The point I am trying to sell you is, you had to beat these guys over the head with a tire iron to get them to understand the significance of a good reliever.  It had been 30 years since Firpo Marberry; it had been almost 20 years since Joe McCarthy divided his staff into starters and relievers; it had been seven years since Joe Page emerged, it had been four years since Jim Konstanty was the NL MVP, and they still didn’t get it.   They still thought of relieving as a transitional stage into or out of the starting rotation.  If a pitcher pitched well out of the bullpen, like Ike Delock or Don Mossi or Sandy Consuegra, they would move him into the starting rotation, see if he could handle a "real" job.  Hoyt Wilhelm was moved into the starting rotation in 1959.  Turk Farrell, one of the best relief pitchers in baseball in 1957, 1958 and 1960, moved into the starting rotation for several years.  When he lost effectiveness, he moved back into the bullpen.  Many times they were GOOD starting pitchers.  Hank Aguirre, after good years in the bullpen in 1960-61, moved into the starting rotation in 1962, and led the American League in ERA. 

            And sometimes they weren’t.  Goose Gossage in 1975 was the best relief pitcher in baseball.  In 1976 he moved into the starting rotation, where he was 9-17 with an ERA 10% worse than the league.   Why?  Because he was being managed by a 1950s manager, Paul Richards, and that was the thinking of the 1950s:

1)     Your best arms belong in the starting rotation,

2)     You win or lose based on your starting pitching,

3)     A good pitcher HAS to be able to pitch nine innings in a game, and

4)     The bullpen is for your second-line pitchers. 

In 1977, when I started the Baseball Abstract, the term "7-inning pitcher" was still an insult, still in use.  It meant that the pitcher was good for seven innings, but would lose the game because he couldn’t finish it.  Those ideas were so deeply rooted in the minds of baseball men that it took fifty years and many tire irons to beat them out of there. 

But by the end of the 1950s, we were beginning to get there.  1958 was the last season ever (until 2020) when there were not 10 relievers who had good enough seasons to make up a ten-person list.   The 1960s:

 

1960				1961				1962
1	Lindy McDaniel	StL NL		1	Luis Arroyo	NY AL		1	Dick Radatz	Bos AL
2	Roy Face	Pit NL		2	Stu Miller	SF NL		2	Roy Face	Pit NL
3	Gerry Staley	Chi AL		3	Hoyt Wilhelm	Bal AL		3	Jck Baldschun	Phi NL
4	Mike Fornieles	Bos AL		4	Tom Morgan	Cal AL		4	Hoyt Wilhelm	Bal AL
5	Turk Farrell	Phil NL		5	Jim Brosnan	Cin NL		5	Don McMahon	Hou NL
6	Jim Brosnan	Cin NL		6	Turk Lown	Chi AL		6	Rn Perranoski	LA NL
7	Ed Roebuck	LA NL		7	Terry Fox	Det AL		7	Ed Roebuck	LA NL
8	Larry Sherry	LA NL		8	Frank Funk	Cle AL		8	Dick Hlal	Bal NL
9	Hank Aguirre	Det NL		9	Don McMahon	Mil NL		9	Terry Fox	Det AL
10	Don Elston	Chi NL		10	Bill Henry	Cin NL		10	Mar Bridges	NY AL

 

            Lindy McDaniel in 1960 had the best year that any reliever had ever had, up to that point in time.  I’ve been tracing the evolution of the title "greatest season ever by a reliever."  It starts with Firpo Marberry, 1926, and then passes to Joe Page, 1947-1949, then to Konstanty, 1950, then to Lindy McDaniel, 1960.  McDaniel had a good year as a starter in 1957, failed as a starter in 1958 and was moved out to the bullpen, but was very good out of the bullpen in 1959.  In his first eight appearances of 1960, all out of the bullpen, he pitched 13.2 innings with an ERA of 0.00, also zero un-earned runs.   By the thinking of the time, this meant that he was ready to move back into the rotation, so he did—for two starts.  He was shelled both times, giving up a total of 12 runs, lifting his ERA to 4.21.  

            So he went back to the bullpen, where he was borderline unbelievable.  For the season he pitched 63 times in relief, 104 innings, was 12-2 with a 1.29 ERA, and had 27 Saves, which still were not an official statistic in 1960.  He was probably the best pitcher in baseball, although he finished third in the Cy Young voting, 5^th in the MVP race.

            But he held the title (best season ever by a reliever) for only one year.  In 1961 Luis Arroyo was 15-5 with 29 Saves and a 2.19 ERA.   He was a part of a New York Yankee team that went 109-53, Arroyo often relieving Whitey Ford, who was 25-4.  Bob Feller, who went into the Hall of Fame in 1962, suggested that, since starting pitchers were no longer able to finish their games, perhaps in the future they should go into the Hall of Fame as tandems, like Ford and Arroyo.  Whitey Ford did not appreciate the suggestion. 

            But there was another transaction that season that was also instructive about the way that relief pitchers were regarded.  Don McMahon was one of the best relief pitchers in baseball in 1959, had a bad season in 1960, but was one of the best relief pitchers in baseball again in 1961. 

            In 1962 McMahon started the season slowly, giving up one run in each of his first two outings of the season.  Incredibly enough, the Braves then SOLD him to the Houston Colt .45s, a 1962 expansion team.  McMahon pitched 51 times for Houston, with a 1.53 ERA.   The Braves, who had as talented a roster as any team in baseball, with Henry Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Joe Torre, Del Crandall, Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette, finished 5^th, in part because their bullpen was crap.  Their bullpen was crap for years after that, frankly; their bullpen was crap in ’62, ’63, ’64, and those were all teams that should have been in the fight for the NL title.  But they gave Don McMahon away after two so-so outings, one run in each game.  They just did not respect the importance of the bullpen. 

           

            Well, I am losing focus on my project here.   What I was really trying to do here was to address this question:  How often is a pitcher who among the best relievers in baseball still among the best relievers in baseball the next season?  That was really what I was trying to get to; I’ll get to it tomorrow. Let’s move it along at a quicker pace.  Dick Radatz was the best relief pitcher in baseball in 1962-1963-1964:

 

 

1962				1963				1962
1	Dick Radatz	Bos AL		1	Dick Radatz	Bos AL		1	Dick Radatz	Bos AL
2	Roy Face	Pit NL		2	Ron Perranoski	LA NL		2	Hoyr Wilhelm	Chi AL
3	Jck Baldschun	Phi NL		3	Bill Dailey	Min AL		3	Bob Lee	Cal AL
4	Hoyt Wilhelm	Bal AL		4	Al McBean	Pit NL		4	Al McBean	Pit NL
5	Don McMahon	Hou NL		5	Jack Baldschun	Phi NL		5	Sammy Ellis	Cin NL
6	Rn Perranoski	LA NL		6	Lindy McDaniel	Chi NL		6	Dick Hlal	Bal AL
7	Ed Roebuck	LA NL		7	Hal Woodeschick	Hou NL		7	Wes Stock	KC AL
8	Dick Hlal	Bal NL		8	Stu Miller	Bal AL		8	Ron Kline	Was AL
9	Terry Fox	Det AL		9	Hoyt Wilhelm	Chi AL		9	Don McMahon	Cle AL
10	Mar Bridges	NY AL		10	Ron Taylor	Stl NL		10	John Wyatt	KC AL

 

            Dick Radatz in 1963 beat Arroyo in 1961 for the most high-impact relief season in history, and then Radatz in 1964 beat Radatz in 1963.   And, as mentioned, Radatz was and still is the only pitcher ever to be the #1 reliever in baseball for three straight seasons.     

            Trying to move this along now; these are the Top 10 relievers for each year 1965 to 2019.   There are no Top 10 relievers for 2020, since no one had an impressive enough season in 2020 to qualify for the list.

 

Rank	First	Last	Team	Lg	Year
1	Eddie	Fisher	Chi	AL	1965
2	Stu	Miller	Bal	AL	1965
3	Bob	Lee	Angels	AL	1965
4	Hoyt	Wilhelm	Chi	AL	1965
5	Frank	Linzy	SF	NL	1965
6	Billy	O'Dell	Mil	NL	1965
7	Ted	Abernathy	Chi	NL	1965
8	Ron	Kline	Wash	AL	1965
9	Al	Worthington	Min	AL	1965
10	Al	McBean	Pitt	NL	1965
1	Phil	Regan	LA	NL	1966
2	Jack	Aker	KC	AL	1966
3	Stu	Miller	Bal	AL	1966
4	Joe	Hoerner	StL	NL	1966
5	Al	Worthington	Min	AL	1966
6	Billy	McCool	Cin	NL	1966
7	Clay	Carroll	Atl	NL	1966
8	Ron	Kline	Wash	AL	1966
9	Eddie	Fisher	Chi-Bal	AL	1966
10	Lindy	McDaniel	SF	NL	1966
1	Ted	Abernathy	Cin	NL	1967
2	Minnie	Rojas	Angels	AL	1967
3	Bob	Locker	Chi	AL	1967
4	Frank	Linzy	SF	NL	1967
5	Hoyt	Wilhelm	Chi	AL	1967
6	Turk	Farrell	Hou-Phil	NL	1967
7	John	Wyatt	Bos	AL	1967
8	Moe	Drabowsky	Bal	AL	1967
9	Ron	Perranoski	LA	NL	1967
10	Don	McMahon	Bos-Chi	AL	1967
1	Phil	Regan	LA-Chi	NL	1968
2	Wilbur	Wood	Chi	AL	1968
3	Ron	Kline	Pitt	NL	1968
4	Ted	Abernathy	Cin	NL	1968
5	Joe	Hoerner	StL	NL	1968
6	Clay	Carroll	Atl-Cin	NL	1968
7	Hoyt	Wilhelm	Chi	AL	1968
8	Jim	Brewer	LA	NL	1968
9	Frank	Linzy	SF	NL	1968
10	Vicente	Romo	LA-Cle	B	1968
1	Ron	Perranoski	Min	AL	1969
2	Ken	Tatum	Angels	AL	1969
3	Wayne	Granger	Cin	NL	1969
4	Sparky	Lyle	Bos	AL	1969
5	Darold	Knowles	Wash	AL	1969
6	Cecil	Upshaw	Atl	NL	1969
7	Tug	McGraw	NY	NL	1969
8	Diego	Segui	Sea	AL	1969
9	Eddie	Watt	Bal	AL	1969
10	Phil	Regan	Chi	NL	1969

 

 

            Radatz was a big guy who mostly pumped fast balls.  But after him, there wasn’t another hard thrower who ranked as the #1 reliever in baseball until Goose Gossage in 1975.  Eddie Fisher was a knuckle-ball pitcher, Phil Regan an aging starter, Ted Abernathy threw underhand, Perranoski lived on a big curveball, Sanders and Grant were older starters, Lyle and Hiller were crafty lefties. 

 

1	Mudcat	Grant	Oak-Pit	AL	1970
2	Lindy	McDaniel	NY	AL	1970
3	Stan	Williams	Min	AL	1970
4	Dick	Selma	Phil	NL	1970
5	Dave	Giusti	Pitt	NL	1970
6	Ron	Perranoski	Min	AL	1970
7	Wayne	Granger	Cin	NL	1970
8	Ken	Sanders	Mil	AL	1970
9	Don	McMahon	SF	NL	1970
10	Clay	Carroll	Cin	NL	1970
1	Ken	Sanders	Mil	AL	1971
2	Tug	McGraw	NY	NL	1971
3	Fred	Scherman	Det	AL	1971
4	Clay	Carroll	Cin	NL	1971
5	Jim	Brewer	LA	NL	1971
6	Bob 4	Miller	3 tms	NL	1971
7	Tom	Burgmeier	KC	AL	1971
8	Danny	Frisella	NY	NL	1971
9	Jerry	Johnson	SF	NL	1971
10	Jim	Ray	Hou	NL	1971
1	Sparky	Lyle	NY	AL	1972
2	Mike	Marshall	Mon	NL	1972
3	Tug	McGraw	NY	NL	1972
4	Clay	Carroll	Cin	NL	1972
5	Rollie	Fingers	Oak	AL	1972
6	Terry	Forster	Chi	AL	1972
7	Jim	Brewer	LA	NL	1972
8	Dave	Giusti	Pitt	NL	1972
9	Tom	Hall	Cin	NL	1972
10	Ramon	Hernandez	Pitt	NL	1972
1	John	Hiller	Det	AL	1973
2	Mike	Marshall	Mon	NL	1973
3	Dave	Giusti	Pitt	NL	1973
4	Pedro	Borbon	Cin	NL	1973
5	Rollie	Fingers	Oak	AL	1973
6	Lindy	McDaniel	NY	AL	1973
7	Cy	Acosta	Chi	AL	1973
8	Grant	Jackson	Bal	AL	1973
9	Bob	Locker	Chi	NL	1973
10	Elias	Sosa	SF	NL	1973

 

 

1	Mike	Marshall	LA	NL	1974
2	Sparky	Lyle	NY	AL	1974
3	Tom	Murphy	Mil	AL	1974
4	John	Hiller	Det	AL	1974
5	Rollie	Fingers	Oak	AL	1974
6	Bill	Campbell	Min	AL	1974
7	Steve	Foucault	Tex	AL	1974
8	Clay	Carroll	Cin	NL	1974
9	Tom	House	Atl	NL	1974
10	Chuck	Taylor	Mon	NL	1974
1	Goose	Gossage	Chi	AL	1975
2	Al	Hrabosky	StL	NL	1975
3	Rollie	Fingers	Oak	AL	1975
4	Jim	Todd	Oak	AL	1975
5	Rawly	Eastwick	Cin	NL	1975
6	Paul	Lindblad	Oak	AL	1975
7	Dave	LaRoche	Cle	AL	1975
8	Will	McEnaney	Cin	NL	1975
9	Bob	Apodaca	NY	NL	1975
10	Tug	McGraw	Phil	NL	1975
1	Bill	Campbell	Min	AL	1976
2	Rawly	Eastwick	Cin	NL	1976
3	Rollie	Fingers	Oak	AL	1976
4	Charlie	Hough	LA	NL	1976
5	Butch	Metzger	SD	NL	1976
6	John	Hiller	Det	AL	1976
7	Mark	Littell	KC	AL	1976
8	Sparky	Lyle	NY	AL	1976
9	Skip	Lockwood	NY	NL	1976
10	Jim	Kern	Cle	AL	1976
1	Goose	Gossage	Pitt	NL	1977
2	Sparky	Lyle	NY	AL	1977
3	Bruce	Sutter	Chi	NL	1977
4	Bill	Campbell	Bos	AL	1977
5	Tom	Johnson	Min	AL	1977
6	Rollie	Fingers	SD	NL	1977
7	Gary	Lavelle	SF	NL	1977
8	Lerrin	LaGrow	Chi	AL	1977
9	Gene	Garber	Phil	NL	1977
10	Pedro	Borbon	Cin	NL	1977

 

1	Kent	Tekulve	Pitt	NL	1978
2	Goose	Gossage	NY	AL	1978
3	Bob	Stanley	Bos	AL	1978
4	Doug	Bair	Cin	NL	1978
5	Gene	Garber	Phil-Atl	NL	1978
6	John	Hiller	Det	AL	1978
7	Rollie	Fingers	SD	NL	1978
8	Elias	Sosa	Oak	AL	1978
9	Mike	Marshall	Min	AL	1978
10	Dave	LaRoche	Angels	AL	1978
1	Jim	Kern	Tex	AL	1979
2	Aurelio	Lopez	Det	AL	1979
3	Kent	Tekulve	Pitt	NL	1979
4	Mike	Marshall	Min	AL	1979
5	Bruce	Sutter	Chi	NL	1979
6	Sid	Monge	Cle	AL	1979
7	Joe	Sambito	Hou	NL	1979
8	Elias	Sosa	Mon	NL	1979
9	Ron	Davis	NY	AL	1979
10	Mark	Littell	StL	NL	1979
1	Doug	Corbett	Min	AL	1980
2	Goose	Gossage	NY	AL	1980
3	Dan	Quisenberry	KC	AL	1980
4	Tug	McGraw	Phil	NL	1980
5	Tom	Hume	Cin	NL	1980
6	Rick	Camp	Atl	NL	1980
7	Danny	Darwin	Tex	AL	1980
8	Aurelio	Lopez	Det	AL	1980
9	Rollie	Fingers	SD	NL	1980
10	Joe	Sambito	Hou	NL	1980
1	Rollie	Fingers	Mil	AL	1981
2	Rick	Camp	Atl	NL	1981
3	Goose	Gossage	NY	AL	1981
4	Gary	Lucas	SD	NL	1981
5	Bruce	Sutter	StL	NL	1981
6	Al	Holland	SF	NL	1981
7	Jeff	Reardon	NY	NL	1981
8	Greg	Minton	SF	NL	1981
9	LaMarr	Hoyt	Chi	AL	1981
10	Steve	Comer	Tex	AL	1981

 

1	Greg	Minton	SF	NL	1982
2	Dan	Quisenberry	KC	AL	1982
3	Bill	Caudill	Sea	AL	1982
4	Jeff	Reardon	Mon	NL	1982
5	Dan	Spillner	Cle	AL	1982
6	Kent	Tekulve	Pitt	NL	1982
7	Luis	DeLeon	SD	NL	1982
8	Gene	Garber	Atl	NL	1982
9	Bob	Stanley	Bos	AL	1982
10	Bruce	Sutter	StL	NL	1982
1	Dan	Quisenberry	KC	AL	1983
2	Jesse	Orosco	NY	NL	1983
3	Goose	Gossage	NY	AL	1983
4	Tippy	Martinez	Bal	AL	1983
5	Al	Holland	Phil	NL	1983
6	Kent	Tekulve	Pitt	NL	1983
7	Lee	Smith	Chi	NL	1983
8	Bob	Stanley	Bos	AL	1983
9	Tom	Niedenfuer	LA	NL	1983
10	Dave	Stewart	LA-Tex	NL	1983
1	Willie	Hernandez	Det	AL	1984
2	Bruce	Sutter	StL	NL	1984
3	Dan	Quisenberry	KC	AL	1984
4	Bill	Caudill	Oak	AL	1984
5	Jesse	Orosco	NY	NL	1984
6	Aurelio	Lopez	Det	AL	1984
7	Goose	Gossage	SD	NL	1984
8	Dave	Righetti	NY	AL	1984
9	Bill	Dawley	Hou	NL	1984
10	Lee	Smith	Chi	NL	1984
1	Dan	Quisenberry	KC	AL	1985
2	Bob	James	Chi	AL	1985
3	Dave	Righetti	NY	AL	1985
4	Donnie	Moore	Angels	AL	1985
5	John	Franco	Cin	NL	1985
6	Lee	Smith	Chi	NL	1985
7	Jay	Howell	Oak	AL	1985
8	Willie	Hernandez	Det	AL	1985
9	Dave	Smith	Hou	NL	1985
10	Tim	Burke	Mon	NL	1985

 

1	Mark	Eichhorn	Tor	AL	1986
2	Dave	Righetti	NY	AL	1986
3	Todd	Worrell	StL	NL	1986
4	Roger	McDowell	NY	NL	1986
5	Greg A.	Harris	Tex	AL	1986
6	Lee	Smith	Chi	NL	1986
7	Ron	Robinson	Cin	NL	1986
8	Tom	Henke	Tor	AL	1986
9	Charlie	Kerfeld	Hou	NL	1986
10	Jesse	Orosco	NY	NL	1986
1	Tim	Burke	Mon	NL	1987
2	Todd	Worrell	StL	NL	1987
3	John	Franco	Cin	NL	1987
4	Steve	Bedrosian	Phil	NL	1987
5	Tom	Henke	Tor	AL	1987
6	Don	Robinson	Pit-SF	NL	1987
7	Andy	McGaffigan	Mon	NL	1987
8	Scott	Garrelts	SF	NL	1987
9	Dave 2	Smith	Hou	NL	1987
10	Mike	Henneman	Det	AL	1987
1	John	Franco	Cin	NL	1988
2	Dennis	Eckersley	Oak	AL	1988
3	Mike	Henneman	Det	AL	1988
4	Randy	Myers	NY	NL	1988
5	Mark	Davis	SD	NL	1988
6	Jeff	Reardon	Min	AL	1988
7	Doug	Jones	Cle	AL	1988
8	Jeff D.	Robinson	Pitt	NL	1988
9	Jeff	Parrett	Mon	NL	1988
10	Juan	Agosto	Hou	NL	1988
1	Mark	Davis	SD	NL	1989
2	Tom	Henke	Tor	AL	1989
3	Jeff	Russell	Tex	AL	1989
4	Gregg	Olson	Bal	AL	1989
5	Jeff	Montgomery	KC	AL	1989
6	Dennis	Eckersley	Oak	AL	1989
7	Tim	Burke	Mon	NL	1989
8	Jay	Howell	LA	NL	1989
9	Danny	Darwin	Hou	NL	1989
10	Randy	Myers	NY	NL	1989

 

1	Dennis	Eckersley	Oak	AL	1990
2	Bobby	Thigpen	Chi	AL	1990
3	Doug	Jones	Cle	AL	1990
4	Gregg	Olson	Bal	AL	1990
5	Lee	Smith	Bos-StL	AL	1990
6	Rob	Dibble	Cin	NL	1990
7	Randy	Myers	Cin	NL	1990
8	Steve	Farr	KC	AL	1990
9	Tom	Henke	Tor	AL	1990
10	Jeff	Montgomery	KC	AL	1990
1	Mitch	Williams	Phil	NL	1991
2	Lee	Smith	StL	NL	1991
3	Bryan	Harvey	Angels	AL	1991
4	Dennis	Eckersley	Oak	AL	1991
5	Rick	Aguilera	Min	AL	1991
6	Mike	Henneman	Det	AL	1991
7	Duane	Ward	Tor	AL	1991
8	Alejandro	Pena	NY-Atl	NL	1991
9	Jeff	Montgomery	KC	AL	1991
10	Steve	Farr	NY	AL	1991
1	Dennis	Eckersley	Oak	AL	1992
2	Doug	Jones	Hou	NL	1992
3	Steve	Olin	Cle	AL	1992
4	Mel	Rojas	Mon	NL	1992
5	Jeff	Russell	TX-Oak	AL	1992
6	Xavier	Hernandez	Hou	NL	1992
7	John	Wetteland	Mon	NL	1992
8	Jeff	Montgomery	KC	AL	1992
9	Duane	Ward	Tor	AL	1992
10	Rod	Beck	SF	NL	1992
1	John	Wetteland	Mon	NL	1993
2	Rod	Beck	SF	NL	1993
3	Jeff	Montgomery	KC	AL	1993
4	Duane	Ward	Tor	AL	1993
5	Bryan	Harvey	Fla	NL	1993
6	Roberto	Hernandez	Chi	AL	1993
7	Randy	Myers	Chi	NL	1993
8	Tom	Henke	Tex	AL	1993
9	Rick	Aguilera	Min	AL	1993
10	Greg	McMichael	Atl	NL	1993

 

1	Doug	Jones	Phil	NL	1994
2	Trevor	Hoffman	SD	NL	1994
3	John	Wetteland	Mon	NL	1994
4	Jeff	Brantley	Cin	NL	1994
5	Rod	Beck	SF	NL	1994
6	Steve	Howe	NY	AL	1994
7	Eric	Plunk	Cle	AL	1994
8	Bobby	Ayala	Sea	AL	1994
9	Mel	Rojas	Mon	NL	1994
10	Todd	Jones	Hou	NL	1994
1	Jose	Mesa	Cle	AL	1995
2	Todd	Worrell	LA	NL	1995
3	Mark	Wohlers	Atl	NL	1995
4	Tom	Henke	StL	NL	1995
5	Rick	Aguilera	Min-Bos	AL	1995
6	Jeff	Brantley	Cin	NL	1995
7	John	Franco	NY	NL	1995
8	Heathcliff	Slocumb	Phil	NL	1995
9	Stan	Belinda	Bos	AL	1995
10	Todd	Jones	Hou	NL	1995
1	Trevor	Hoffman	SD	NL	1996
2	Robb	Nen	Fla	NL	1996
3	Roberto	Hernandez	Chi	AL	1996
4	Jeff	Brantley	Cin	NL	1996
5	Mel	Rojas	Mon	NL	1996
6	Troy	Percival	Angels	AL	1996
7	Mariano	Rivera	NY	AL	1996
8	John	Wetteland	NY	AL	1996
9	John	Franco	NY	NL	1996
10	Mark	Wohlers	Atl	NL	1996
1	Roberto	Hernandez	Chi-SF	AL	1997
2	Jeff	Shaw	Cin	NL	1997
3	Doug	Jones	Mil	AL	1997
3	John	Wetteland	Tex	AL	1997
4	Robb	Nen	Fla	NL	1997
4	John	Franco	NY	NL	1997
5	Mariano	Rivera	NY	AL	1997
5	Trevor	Hoffman	SD	NL	1997
9	Randy	Myers	Bal	AL	1997
10	Rod	Beck	SF	NL	1997

 

1	Robb	Nen	SF	NL	1998
2	Michael	Jackson	Cle	AL	1998
6	Ugueth	Urbina	Mon	NL	1998
6	Kerry	Ligtenberg	Atl	NL	1998
7	John	Wetteland	Tex	AL	1998
7	Tom	Gordon	Bos	AL	1998
8	Jeff	Shaw	Cin-LA	NL	1998
8	Rod	Beck	Chi	NL	1998
9	Trevor	Hoffman	SD	NL	1998
10	Mariano	Rivera	NY	AL	1998
1	Billy	Wagner	Hou	NL	1999
2	Mariano	Rivera	NY	AL	1999
3	Scott	Williamson	Cin	NL	1999
4	John	Rocker	Atl	NL	1999
5	Armando	Benitez	NY	NL	1999
6	Trevor	Hoffman	SD	NL	1999
7	Danny	Graves	Cin	NL	1999
8	Roberto	Hernandez	TB	AL	1999
9	Derek	Lowe	Bos	AL	1999
10	Matt	Mantei	Fla-Az	NL	1999
1	Robb	Nen	SF	NL	2000
2	Derek	Lowe	Bos	AL	2000
3	Billy	Koch	Tor	AL	2000
4	Danny	Graves	Cin	NL	2000
5	Armando	Benitez	NY	NL	2000
6	Mariano	Rivera	NY	AL	2000
7	Keith	Foulke	Chi	AL	2000
8	Gabe	White	Cin-Col	NL	2000
9	Curtis	Leskanic	Mil	NL	2000
10	Trevor	Hoffman	SD	NL	2000
1	Mariano	Rivera	NY	AL	2001
2	Bob	Wickman	Cle	AL	2001
3	Keith	Foulke	Chi	AL	2001
4	Robb	Nen	SF	NL	2001
5	Jose	Mesa	Phil	NL	2001
6	Troy	Percival	Angels	AL	2001
7	Jeff	Zimmerman	Tex	AL	2001
8	Jason	Isringhausen	Oak	AL	2001
9	Armando	Benitez	NY	NL	2001
10	Billy	Wagner	Hou	NL	2001

 

1	Eric	Gagne	LA	NL	2002
2	Byung-Hyun	Kim	Ariz	NL	2002
3	Robb	Nen	SF	NL	2002
4	Billy	Koch	Oak	AL	2002
5	Troy	Percival	Angels	AL	2002
6	Billy	Wagner	Hou	NL	2002
7	John	Smoltz	Atl	NL	2002
8	Danny	Graves	Cin	NL	2002
9	Jose	Mesa	Phil	NL	2002
10	Armando	Benitez	NY	NL	2002
1	Eric	Gagne	LA	NL	2003
2	Keith	Foulke	Oak	AL	2003
3	Mariano	Rivera	NY	AL	2003
4	Billy	Wagner	Hou	NL	2003
5	John	Smoltz	Atl	NL	2003
6	Eddie	Guardado	Min	AL	2003
7	Joe	Borowski	Chi	NL	2003
8	Rheal	Cormier	Phil	NL	2003
9	Tim	Worrell	SF	NL	2003
10	Ugueth	Urbina	Fla-Tex	NL	2003
1	Mariano	Rivera	NY	AL	2004
2	Armando	Benitez	Fla	NL	2004
3	Eric	Gagne	LA	NL	2004
4	Joe	Nathan	Min	AL	2004
5	Brad	Lidge	Hou	NL	2004
6	Francisco	Cordero	Tex	AL	2004
7	Keith	Foulke	Bos	AL	2004
8	Jason	Isringhausen	StL	NL	2004
9	John	Smoltz	Atl	NL	2004
10	Trevor	Hoffman	SD	NL	2004
1	Mariano	Rivera	NY	AL	2005
2	Derrick	Turnbow	Mil	NL	2005
3	Billy	Wagner	Phil	NL	2005
4	Joe	Nathan	Min	AL	2005
5	Brad	Lidge	Hou	NL	2005
6	Chad	Cordero	Wash	NL	2005
7	Huston	Street	Oak	AL	2005
8	Todd	Jones	Fla	NL	2005
9	Danys	Baez	TB	AL	2005
10	Francisco	Rodriguez	Angels	AL	2005

 

1	Joe	Nathan	Min	AL	2006
2	Jonathan	Papelbon	Bos	AL	2006
3	B.J.	Ryan	Tor	AL	2006
4	Francisco	Rodriguez	Angels	AL	2006
5	J.J.	Putz	Sea	AL	2006
6	Mariano	Rivera	NY	AL	2006
7	Takashi	Saito	LA	NL	2006
8	Billy	Wagner	NY	NL	2006
9	Trevor	Hoffman	SD	NL	2006
10	Chad	Cordero	Wash	NL	2006
1	J.J.	Putz	Sea	AL	2007
2	Takashi	Saito	LA	NL	2007
3	Joe	Nathan	Min	AL	2007
4	Francisco	Rodriguez	Angels	AL	2007
5	Jonathan	Papelbon	Bos	AL	2007
6	Jason	Isringhausen	StL	NL	2007
7	Bobby	Jenks	Chi	AL	2007
8	Jose	Valverde	Ariz	NL	2007
9	Jeremy	Accardo	Tor	AL	2007
10	Billy	Wagner	NY	NL	2007
1	Mariano	Rivera	NY	AL	2008
2	Francisco	Rodriguez	Angels	AL	2008
3	Brad	Lidge	Phil	NL	2008
4	Joakim	Soria	KC	AL	2008
5	Joe	Nathan	Min	AL	2008
6	Jonathan	Papelbon	Bos	AL	2008
7	Jose	Valverde	Hou	NL	2008
8	Bobby	Jenks	Chi	AL	2008
9	Kerry	Wood	Chi	NL	2008
10	Francisco	Cordero	Cin	NL	2008
1	Joe	Nathan	Min	AL	2009
2	Mariano	Rivera	NY	AL	2009
3	Andrew	Bailey	Oak	AL	2009
4	Jonathan	Broxton	LA	NL	2009
5	Jonathan	Papelbon	Bos	AL	2009
6	Heath	Bell	SD	NL	2009
7	Ryan	Franklin	StL	NL	2009
8	Trevor	Hoffman	Mil	NL	2009
9	Brian	Wilson	SF	NL	2009
10	Francisco	Cordero	Cin	NL	2009

 

1	Billy	Wagner	Atl	NL	2010
2	Heath	Bell	SD	NL	2010
3	Brian	Wilson	SF	NL	2010
4	Rafael	Soriano	TB	AL	2010
5	Joakim	Soria	KC	AL	2010
6	Matt	Capps	Min	AL	2010
7	Carlos	Marmol	Chi	NL	2010
8	Neftali	Feliz	TX	AL	2010
9	Mariano	Rivera	NY	AL	2010
10	John	Axford	Mil	NL	2010
1	Craig	Kimbrel	Atl	NL	2011
2	John	Axford	Mil	NL	2011
3	Jose	Valverde	Det	AL	2011
4	Mariano	Rivera	NY	AL	2011
5	Drew	Storen	Wash	NL	2011
6	Francisco	Cordero	Cin	NL	2011
7	J.J.	Putz	Ariz	NL	2011
8	Joel	Hanrahan	Pitt	NL	2011
9	Kyle	Farnsworth	TB	AL	2011
10	Ryan	Madson	Phil	NL	2011
1	Fernando	Rodney	TB	AL	2012
2	Craig	Kimbrel	Atl	NL	2012
3	Aroldis	Chapman	Cin	NL	2012
4	Jim	Johnson	Bal	AL	2012
5	Rafael	Soriano	NY	AL	2012
6	Jonathan	Papelbon	Phil	NL	2012
7	Jason	Motte	StL	NL	2012
8	Joel	Hanrahan	Pitt	NL	2012
9	Ernesto	Frieri	Angels	AL	2012
10	Tom	Wilhelmsen	Sea	AL	2012
1	Craig	Kimbrel	Atl	NL	2013
2	Joe	Nathan	TX	AL	2013
3	Greg	Holland	KC	AL	2013
4	Mariano	Rivera	NY	AL	2013
5	Koji	Uehara	Bos	AL	2013
6	Kenley	Jansen	LA	NL	2013
7	Glen	Perkins	Min	AL	2013
8	Aroldis	Chapman	Cin	NL	2013
9	Steve	Cishek	Fla	NL	2013
10	Joaquin	Benoit	Det	AL	2013

 

1	Greg	Holland	KC	AL	2014
2	Huston	Street	Angels	AL	2014
3	Zach	Britton	Bal	AL	2014
4	Craig	Kimbrel	Atl	NL	2014
5	Jonathan	Papelbon	Phil	NL	2014
6	Francisco	Rodriguez	Mil	NL	2014
7	Mark	Melancon	Pitt	NL	2014
8	Kenley	Jansen	LA	NL	2014
9	Cody	Allen	Cle	AL	2014
10	Koji	Uehara	Bos	AL	2014
1	Jeurys	Familia	NY	NL	2015
2	Mark	Melancon	Pitt	NL	2015
3	Zach	Britton	Bal	AL	2015
4	Trevor	Rosenthal	StL	NL	2015
5	Aroldis	Chapman	Cin	NL	2015
6	Wade	Davis	KC	AL	2015
7	Hector	Rondon	Chi	NL	2015
8	Andrew	Miller	NY	AL	2015
9	Craig	Kimbrel	SD	NL	2015
10	Shawn	Tolleson	TX	AL	2015
1	Zach	Britton	Bal	AL	2016
2	Kenley	Jansen	LA	NL	2016
3	Mark	Melancon	Wash	NL	2016
4	Aroldis	Chapman	Chi	NL	2016
5	Jeurys	Familia	NY	NL	2016
6	Andrew	Miller	Cle	AL	2016
7	Roberto	Osuna	Tor	AL	2016
8	Sam	Dyson	TX	AL	2016
9	Alex	Colome	TB	AL	2016
10	Seung Hwan	Oh	StL	NL	2016
1	Kenley	Jansen	LA	NL	2017
2	Craig	Kimbrel	Bos	AL	2017
3	Corey	Knebel	Mil	NL	2017
4	David	Robertson	NY	AL	2017
5	Wade	Davis	Chi	NL	2017
6	Felipe	Rivero	Pitt	NL	2017
7	Raisel	Iglesias	Cin	NL	2017
8	Ken	Giles	Hou	AL	2017
9	Brad	Hand	SD	NL	2017
10	Alex	Colome	TB	AL	2017

 

 

1	Blake	Treinen	Oak	AL	2018
2	Edwin	Diaz	Sea	AL	2018
3	Craig	Kimbrel	Bos	AL	2018
4	Jeremy	Jeffress	Mil	NL	2018
5	Felipe	Vazquez	Pitt	NL	2018
6	Aroldis	Chapman	NY	AL	2018
7	Raisel	Iglesias	Cin	NL	2018
8	Sean	Doolittle	Wash	NL	2018
9	Josh	Hader	Mil	NL	2018
10	Kenley	Jansen	LA	NL	2018
1	Felipe	Vazquez	Pitt	NL	2019
2	Will	Smith	SF	NL	2019
3	Brandon	Workman	Bos	AL	2019
4	Liam	Hendriks	Oak	AL	2019
5	Kirby	Yates	SD	NL	2019
6	Roberto	Osuna	Hou	AL	2019
7	Hansel	Robles	Angels	AL	2019
8	Aroldis	Chapman	NY	AL	2019
9	Josh	Hader	Mil	NL	2019
10	Brad	Hand	Cle	AL	2019

 

John Hiller in 1973 pitched 65 games, 125 innings with 38 Saves, a 10-5 Won-Lost record, and a 1.44 ERA.   He gave up only 89 hits, and only one un-earned run.   By my math, it is the greatest season ever by a reliever. 

When I say that, I am always beset by people who want to tell me about pitcher X, who had a 0.41 WHIP, or pitcher Y, who had 58 saves, or pitcher Z, who had 142 strikeouts in 12 innings and 51 saves and a 0.32 WHIP.   But the reality is, none of those pitchers even comes close to matching Hiller’s value to his team.  There are pitchers who do, but all of those are pre-1980 relievers.  The post-1980 relievers are not even close, not even the ones who won the MVP Award. 

The history of the relief ace in four quick steps:

1)     Relievers started out as extra pitchers, assigned very little value,

2)     1926-1952, teams gradually accepted that an effective relief pitcher could help them win,

3)     1952-late 1970s, the workload assigned to a key reliever increased constantly, both in terms of volume (innings) and in terms of how important those innings were,

4)     1980 to present, relief aces limited to "save" situations or specified support roles as teams realized that the previous usage patterns were unsustainable. 

 

I have written this many times, but the trigger point for relievers was at the end of the 1978 season.  Bruce Sutter was a phenomenally effective pitcher in the first half of the 1977 and 1978 seasons, but was of little value both seasons in the second half.   His manager, Herman Franks, realized that he was working Sutter too hard, and announced that, in the future, Sutter would be used ONLY for save situations, when possible. Within three years, this approach entirely took over the field, and became the way that all relievers were used. 

After relief aces were limited to fewer innings—which became fewer and fewer—but after that happened, it became essentially impossible for a reliever to match the value of Radatz, Hiller, Goose Sausage and other top relievers in that era, even if the reliever had a 0.00 ERA. 

Think about it.   A relief pitcher’s value is derived from his ability to prevent runs from scoring in game-critical situations.  Is that not true? 

Now work the math.  A league ERA is typically 4.10, 4.20, somewhere in there.   Let’s assume that a replacement-level pitcher, who would be somewhat worse than average, would have an ERA of 4.50.  

John Hiller, with an ERA of 1.44, would be saving 3.06 runs per 9 innings. 

A "perfect" relief pitcher, 0.00 ERA, would be saving 4.50 runs per 9 innings.

Hiller pitched 125 innings.   A typical relief ace now pitches 70 innings.  So then you have:

 

Hiller                          3.06 * 125 = 382

Perfect Pitcher             4.50 * 70   = 315

 

It’s not even close.   There is no possible way that a reliever pitching 70 innings could save as many runs as Hiller did.  But let’s suppose that the replacement level for a relief ace is not 4.50, but 3.50.  Then the math would be:

 

Hiller                          2.06 * 125 = 257

Perfect Pitcher             3.50 * 70   = 245

 

Suppose that the closer pitches not 70 innings, but 80 innings:

 

Hiller                          2.06 * 125 = 257

Perfect Pitcher             3.50 * 80    = 280

 

OK, so then it is theoretically possible; you have to pitch 74 innings.   But nobody has pitched 74 innings with a zero ERA as of yet.  Also, Hiller’s 125 innings wasn’t an especially high number in that era; Dick Radatz in ’64 pitched 159 innings. 

But, the modern fan will say, the modern reliever is pitching in higher-leverage situations, therefore has more value despite preventing fewer runs.  The problem is, there is no evidence that this is true, and no reason to believe that it is true. 

The relievers of the Radatz-Gossage-Hiller-Kern-Mike Marshall era DID pitch almost exclusively in high-leverage situations, and, in fact, it seems very reasonable to believe that their leverage index was actually higher than that of modern relievers. 

Managers 40 years ago stood back from Herman the Whale’s flash of insight, slapped their foreheads and said "Of course!  Eureka!  That’s the way to do it!"  But was it really?

I’m not sure that it was.  Franks’ insight, combined with the parameters of the "Save" rule, left ace relievers pitching 15 to 40% of their innings with a three-run lead.   That’s not a high-leverage situation; that’s a low-leverage situation.  Assuming that the three highest-leverage situations are +1, tied, and -1, the modern relief ace doesn’t pitch in two of the three.  Dick Radatz and John Hiller took on all three. 

I am sure there are others who have studied leverage index more thoroughly than I have, and could do a better job than I can of comparing the leverage index of Dick Radatz, Goose Gossage, John Hiller and Hoyt Wilhelm to those of modern relievers, so I will abandon that discussion to their insights, but with one last point.  To out-rank John Hiller, a 65-inning pitcher has to have a leverage index not only higher than Hiller’s, but essentially TWICE as high as Hiller’s.  To me, that’s not credible.  I believe that the highest-valued seasons ever for a relief ace were all in the 1952 to 1980 era, when relievers carried a heavier workload than they have since 1980. 

Trying to finish up a couple of themes I was following through here. The best season ever by a reliever was Firpo Marberry in 1926, until Joe Page in 1947/49, then Jim Konstanty in 1950, then Lindy McDaniel in 1960, then Arroyo in 1961, then Radatz in 1963/64, then the title was passed only one more time:  to John Hiller in 1973. 

After that, we switch to the question, who had the best year as a reliever SINCE then?

The highest-scoring reliever since John Hiller, by my math, was Jim Kern in 1979.  Kern pitched 71 games, 143 innings with a 1.57 ERA, 29 saves. 

And the highest-scoring season since Jim Kern:  Blake Treinen in 2018.  68 games, 80 innings, 9-2 won-lost record, 38 Saves and a 0.78 ERA. 

This completes Part I of what started out, in my head, as a two-hour research project and, as they often do, outgrew itself.  I’ll publish Part II tomorrow.