Top 10 Greatest Single Seasons by a Closer in the Last 30 Years

Turner Givens
May 19, 2020
4 min read

Updated: May 20, 2020

Closers are intimidating. Closers are iconic for throwing gas, breaking off nasty secondary pitches, or in some special cases, doing both. Closers are lights out.

If I asked you to think of the best closer in MLB history, he wore pinstripes and threw the nastiest cutter on the planet, right? Mariano Rivera is the greatest closer of all time. He did it by being consistently great nearly every season of his career. But what would you think if I said he doesn’t have a single season in his career that cracks the top 10 of this list?

The variety of closers below is incredible. Legends, should-be Hall of Famers, future Hall of Famers, and one and dones. Regardless of their labels, there’s one word to describe each of their special years: dominant.

#10: Trevor Hoffman (1998)

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While Trevor Hoffman wasn’t your typical "blow it by you with a heater" kind of guy, he did have a changeup from hell. He didn’t need a mid to high 90s fastball. He dotted up and changed speeds. In his 7th year of big league ball, he posted a 1.48 ERA in 73 IP with 53 saves out of 54 chances. His clutch factor (only 1 blown save), and his ability to limit base hits, especially the long ball, squeezes him into the top 10.

#9: Blake Treinen (2018)

Image Credit: Ben Ross/NBC Bay Area

Blake Treinen busted into the spotlight with an incredible 2018 campaign. Pairing a downhill, 100 MPH sinker with a sharp, 90 MPH slider helped Treinen put up an impressive 0.78 ERA and 100 Ks in 80.1 innings of work. Any hitter who thought they could rattle this man had to overcome triple digits with movement. Good luck.

#8: Zack Britton (2016)

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Nothing this man threw stayed straight. His minuscule 0.54 ERA, 1 HR allowed, and a perfect 47/47 in saves proved Britton was completely dominant in 2016. That just leaves one giant question. Why the hell did the Orioles leave this guy waiting in the bullpen during a crucial AL Wild Card Game? They lost in the 11th inning on a walk off home run. Zack, you deserved better.

#7: Edwin Diaz (2018)

Image Credit: Ken Lambert/Seattle Times

A young, flamethrowing right-hander, Edwin Diaz, made easy work of his opponents with 124 Ks in 73.1 IP. He faced 280 batters that year which gives him a ridiculous 44% Strikeout Rate. He almost struck out half the guys he faced in 2018. Just ignore the 1.96 ERA. Not to mention he had a whopping 57 saves to go along with his crazy strikeout rate. It's just unfortunate he had to pitch for a team that hasn't sniffed the playoffs since 2001.

#6: Fernando Rodney (2012)

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If you’re looking for big strikeout guys, this isn’t one of them. Fernando Rodney sure did play with the flare of a big strikeout guy though. That swagger and sideways hat led him to an incredible 0.60 ERA, .777 WHIP, and 48 saves out of 50 chances. He limited the traffic around the bases and very rarely gave up a big fly. Oh, and he shoots an invisible arrow into the sky after every save to pay tribute to a village near his hometown. The real People's Champ.

#5: Billy Wagner (1999)

Image Credit: Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Billy “The Kid” had several seasons to choose from, but the 14.9 K/9 was hard to pass up. Pumping over 100 MPH with a low 90s slider is probably tough to hit. At least the .122 BAA says so. There were 5 guys that year that closed their eyes, swung, and were lucky enough to sneak one over the wall. Other than that, there wasn’t much else happening against Wagner. He was also the first closer to use Enter Sandman by Metallica as his walkout.

#4: Dennis Eckersley (1990)

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Eck is the OG of all closers. He’s the one who formed this role into what it is today. In 1990, he showed everyone what being a closer was all about. Eck wasn’t scared to challenge as he walked a microscopic number of batters (4) in 73.1 IP. Filling up the zone with his nasty arsenal propelled him to a 0.61 ERA and 48 saves on the year. The stache, the flow, the dirty mids. Dennis Eckersley had it all.

#3: Koji Uehara (2013)

Image Credit: Matt Slocum/The Associated Press

A completely forgotten name that should get the credit he deserves. Even though the Red Sox split save opportunities between multiple guys, Koji was the most dominant by far (21/24 in save opportunities). He was able to finish the year with a crazy low WHIP of .565. He did it all. A .124 BAA, 1.1 BB/9, and 38% strikeout rate. That explains the 1.09 ERA. The Red Sox finally came to their senses and let Koji close out games in the 2013 playoffs. As you can see in the picture above, it paid off nicely.

The Top 2:

The decision between #1 and #2 on this list was a tough one. Each guy did something better than the other and honestly, they both deserve #1. But, I can’t let this end in a tie.

I made my decision, like it or not. Here are the top 2:

#2: Eric Gagne (2003)

Image Credit: Cary Osborne/Dodger Insider

Being a perfect 55/55 in save opportunities with 82.1 IP under your belt is unheard of. 137 Ks, 4 H/9, and only 2 HR allowed the entire season. There’s no surprise why he won the Cy Young that year. The only reason he dropped to #2 was the 3 losses he collected on the year. Plus, the next guy was nearly unhittable.

#1: Craig Kimbrel (2012)

Image Credit: Charles LeClaire/US Presswire

Let’s start off with Kimbrel’s worst stat from 2012. He had 3 blown saves (which is not bad by any means) and only one of those ended in a loss for his team. After that, you’ll see the flamethrower had a 1.01 ERA, .126 BAA, and struck out just over 50% of the batters he faced while averaging nearly 2 Ks per inning. To add on top of that, Kimbrel only gave up 4 extra-base hits in his 62.2 innings of work. His intimidating pose and dominant stuff notches him the greatest single season by a closer in the last 30 years.

Let's give him the spotlight with a highlight video of his 2012 campaign: