best ever season for a reliever (i am bored)

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like the title says. i'm bored.

was a chore narrowing the list down to just 20, as I tried to include anything that someone might want to look for when evaluating a reliever.

Poll Results

OptionVotes
2012, Craig Kimbrel, 3.2 WAR, 1.01 ERA, 399 ERA+, 0.78 FIP, 0.654 WHIP, 42 saves, 3-1 W/L, 116 Ks, 62.2 IP, WAR/9 .463 2
2016, Zack Britton, 4.1 WAR, 0.54 ERA, 803 ERA+, 1.94 FIP, 0.836 WHIP, 47 saves, 2-1 W/L, 74 Ks, 67 IP, WAR/9 .551 2
1998, Trevor Hoffman, 4.1 WAR, 1.48 ERA, 265 ERA+, 2.04 FIP, 0.849 WHIP, 53 saves, 4-2 W/L, 86 Ks, 73 IP, WAR/9 .506 2
1975, Rich Gossage, 8.2 WAR, 1.84 ERA, 212 ERA+, 2.62 FIP, 1.193 WHIP, 26 saves, 9-8 W/L, 130 Ks 141.2, WAR/9 .521 1
1977, Bruce Sutter 6.5 WAR, 1.34 ERA, 328 ERA+, 1.61 FIP, 0.857 WHIP, 31 saves, 7-3 W/L, 129 Ks, 107.1 IP, WAR/9 .554 1
1986, Mark Eichhorn, 7.3 WAR, 1.72 ERA, 246 ERA+, 2.31 FIP, 0.955 WHIP, 10 saves, 14-6 W/L, 166 Ks, 157 IP, WAR/9 .419 1
2003, Eric Gagné, 3.7 WAR, 1.20 ERA, 337 ERA+, 0.86 FIP, 0.692 WHIP, 55 saves, 2-3 W/L, 137 Ks, 82.1 IP, WAR/9 .405 1
1967, Ted Abernathy, 6.2 WAR, 1.27 ERA, 299 ERA+, 2.30 FIP, 0.978 WHIP, 28 saves, 6-3 W/L, 88 Ks, 106.1 IP, WAR/9 .525 0
2013, Koji Uehara, 3.5 WAR, 1.09 ERA, 379 ERA+, 1.61 FIP, 0.565 WHIP, 21 saves, 4-1 W/L, 101 Ks, 74.1 IP, WAR/9 .424 0
2015, Wade Davis, 3.5 WAR, 0.94 ERA, 448 ERA+, 2.29 FIP, 0.787 WHIP, 17 saves, 8-1 W/L, 78 Ks, 67.1 IP, WAR/9 .469 0
2018, Blake Treinen, 4.4 WAR, 0.78 ERA, 531 ERA+, 1.82 FIP, 0.834 WHIP, 38 saves, 9-2 W/L, 100 Ks, 80.1 IP, WAR/9 .494 0
2012, Fernando Rodney, 3.7 WAR, 0.60 ERA, 641 ERA+, 2.13 FIP, 0.777 WHIP, 48 saves, 2-2 W/L, 76 Ks, 74.2 IP, WAR/9 .446 0
2008, Mariano Rivera, 4.3 WAR, 1.40 ERA, 316 ERA+, 2.03 FIP, 0.665 WHIP, 39 saves, 6-8 W/L, 77 Ks, 70.2 IP, WAR/9 .548 0
2008, Francisco Rodríguez, 2.5 WAR, 2.24 ERA, 199 ERA+, 3.22 FIP, 1.288 WHIP, 62 saves, 2-3 W/L, 77 Ks, 68.1 IP, WAR/9 0
2006, Jonathan Papelbon, 5.0 WAR, 0.92 ERA, 517 ERA+, 2.14 FIP, 0.776 WHIP, 35 saves, 4-2 W/L, 75 Ks, 68.1 IP, WAR/9 .6 0
1995, José Mesa, 3.9 WAR, 1.13 ERA, 418 ERA+, 2.70 FIP, 1.031 WHIP, 46 saves, 3-0 W/L, 58 Ks, 64 IP, WAR/9 .549 0
1993, John Wetteland, 4.2 WAR, 1.37 ERA, 305 ERA+, 1.85 FIP, 1.008 WHIP, 42 saves, 9-3 W/L, 113 Ks, 85.1 IP, WAR/9 .442 0
1990, Dennis Eckersley, 3.3 WAR, 0.61 ERA, 603 ERA+, 1.34 FIP, 0.614 WHIP, 48 saves, 4-2 W/L, 73 Ks, 73.1 IP, WAR/9 .4060
1973, John Hiller, 7.9 WAR, 1.44 ERA, 283 ERA+, 2.25 FIP, 1.021 WHIP, 38 saves, 10-5 W/L, 124 Ks, 125.1 IP, WAR/9 .568 0
2024, Emmanuel Clase, 4.4 WAR, 0.61 ERA, 667 ERA+, 2.22 FIP, 0.659 WHIP, 47 saves, 4-2 W/L, 66 Ks, 74.1 IP, WAR/9 .533 0


FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 18 November 2025 20:20 (three months ago)

post your emmanuel clase jokes here

FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 18 November 2025 20:20 (three months ago)

that Gagne season led to him getting signed by the Brewers and posting up an ERA of like 60 so, not that one

frogbs, Tuesday, 18 November 2025 20:28 (three months ago)

Great idea! I might have included Willie Hernandez's famous '84 season--Cy/MVP, sub-2.00 ERA, 4.8 WAR, didn't blow a save till his last game of the year--but I know you could go on forever about this or that candidate. Since the nature of relief pitching has changed so much over the years, very hard to figure out how to weigh ERA/saves/WAR.

clemenza, Tuesday, 18 November 2025 20:35 (three months ago)

Having an ERA+ of over 800 is very cool, though.

clemenza, Tuesday, 18 November 2025 20:36 (three months ago)

I wasn’t sure how many options I could have and Willie was one of the 13 or so cuts I made to get it to a safe number

FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 18 November 2025 21:15 (three months ago)

800 ERA+ what the everloving fuck

Its big ball chunky time (Jimmy The Mod Awaits The Return Of His Beloved), Tuesday, 18 November 2025 21:19 (three months ago)

I know it makes everyone queasy, but Chapman must have been on your list of cuts (maybe even for 2025)...Kensley Jensen and Josh Hader too?

clemenza, Tuesday, 18 November 2025 21:37 (three months ago)

an earlier convo around chapman here was what inspired this! his 2025 and 2012 both got the chop tho. Jansen and Hader weren't even on the longer list!

full list of guys i left out: 1979 Jim Kern, 1982 Dan Quisenberry, 1984 Willie Hernández, 1990 Bobby Thigpen, 1990 Rob Dibble, 1996 Mariano Rivera, 2002 Octavio Dotel, 2004 Brad Lidge, 2011 David Robertson, 2012 Aroldis Chapman, 2014 Dellin Betances, 2014 Wade Davis, 2018 Edwin Díaz, 2019 Kirby Yates, 2022 Edwin Diaz & 2025 Chapman

FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 18 November 2025 21:53 (three months ago)

800 ERA+ what the everloving fuck

ya, there's a few outrageous stats in there. the 800 ERA+ and also Clase's ERA & ERA+, Hiller's 7.9 WAR, Gossage's 8.2 WAR, Gagne's 137 strikeouts, Rodríguez's 62 saves, Uehara's 0.565 WHIP, Kimbrel's 0.78 FIP, Papelbon's 5 WAR in 68 IP...

FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 18 November 2025 22:00 (three months ago)

A real simplification, and I don't know the exact beginning of each phase, but for me, the history of relievers is basically three eras: 1) the early bulk guys, Gossage and Marshall and McGraw and the rest: modest number of saves, a lot of innings and WAR, a lot of wins and losses; 2) the move to judging a reliever by saves, with the record forever moving up and up, all the way to K-Rod's 60+ in 2008; 3) the Chapman/Kimbrel/Jensen/Hader kind of reliever, with ungodly H/9 and K/9 rates.

clemenza, Tuesday, 18 November 2025 22:18 (three months ago)

accidentally clipped two lines...
Papelbon's 2006 WAR/9 was an epic 0.659 and F-Rod's 2008 WAR/9 was a measly 0.33

FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Wednesday, 19 November 2025 00:07 (three months ago)

the best and the worst WAR/9 of the bunch

FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Wednesday, 19 November 2025 00:08 (three months ago)

bulk guys

yeah it's not up there statistically but mike marshall's 1974 was amazing -- he appeared in 106 games and threw 208.1 innings!

mookieproof, Wednesday, 19 November 2025 00:19 (three months ago)

oh i missed some names that were on my shortlist before the cull: 1964 & '74 Dick Radatz, '74 Mike Marshall and '77 Rich Gossage.

FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Wednesday, 19 November 2025 00:22 (three months ago)

Marshall's full line from that season:
3.1 WAR, 2.42 ERA, 141 ERA+, 2.59 FIP, 1.186 WHIP, 21 saves, 15-12 W/L, 143 Ks 208.1 IP, WAR/9 of .134

it was a good season, but the only real phenomenal thing was his innings. i guess i should have left an "other" option in the poll tho

FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Wednesday, 19 November 2025 00:26 (three months ago)

Marshall's best season was either '72 (with the Expos) or '79. One of the heroes of Ball Four, too--the anti-Joe Schultz.

clemenza, Wednesday, 19 November 2025 00:42 (three months ago)

Ball Four:

With Hovley gone, Mike Marshall is probably the most articulate guy on the club, so I asked him if he had as much trouble communicating as I've had and he said, "Of course. The minute I approach a coach or a manager I can see the terror in his eyes. Lights go on, bells start clanging. What's it going to be? What's this guy want from me? Why can't he be like everybody else and not bother me? It's almost impossible to carry on a conversation or get a direct answer to a direct question."

clemenza, Wednesday, 19 November 2025 01:13 (three months ago)

ha ha, yes. i remember that. he also has a supporting role in The Arm. great book.

FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Wednesday, 19 November 2025 01:19 (three months ago)

It's so hard to compare the 70's and 80"s relievers who threw 100+ innings to the relievers of today. Besides the volume of work, they had completely different roles than the one inning closers we have now.

But it's interesting that if you judge them by WAR/9IP, the value of the best relievers hasn't changed all that much in 50 years. 0.5-0.6 was elite in the 70's and is still elite now.

Eric Gagne's 2003 CY-winning season turns out to be one of the lesser seasons on the list according to WAR/9IP! I guess that's due to park effects?

NoTimeBeforeTime, Wednesday, 19 November 2025 06:29 (three months ago)

i honestly can't figure out why WAR didn't like Gagne more that year. his FIP was actually lower (0.86) than his very low era (1.20) along with one of the lowest WHIPs on the list. with well over 80 IP, you'd expect him to out-do Papelbon's 2006. park factor is the only explanation - but it seems to have dinged him to the tune of at lest a win and a half, which is wild.

FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Wednesday, 19 November 2025 15:02 (three months ago)

three weeks pass...

i am still looking at this list finding myself incapable of choosing one

FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Friday, 12 December 2025 00:01 (two months ago)

Too much thinking involved...tempted to just default to Rivera, but without a compelling argument I'll go with Hoffman in '98. (That sentence is a wish-fantasy for a Jays fan...) His ERA, WHIP, and everything else was stellar, he managed to do it at probably the apex of the PED era, the Padres were surprise division winners, and he saved 53/54.

clemenza, Friday, 12 December 2025 00:17 (two months ago)

i had my shortlist down to: Hiller, Papelbon and Britton

FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Friday, 12 December 2025 00:30 (two months ago)

one month passes...

David Robertson just announced his retirement. His 2011 season was insanely good and was a tough one to cut from the final list.

FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Saturday, 31 January 2026 02:38 (one month ago)

one month passes...

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

System, Saturday, 28 February 2026 00:01 (one week ago)

Too much there to process. I voted Hoffman for doing what he did in 1998.

clemenza, Saturday, 28 February 2026 01:14 (one week ago)

kimbrel 116ks in 62.2 innings is nasty

johnny crunch, Saturday, 28 February 2026 01:31 (one week ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

System, Sunday, 1 March 2026 00:01 (one week ago)

I think I managed to (not intentionally) sneak in two votes, so consider Kimbrel and Britton the winners.

clemenza, Sunday, 1 March 2026 00:25 (one week ago)

Just looked up Hoyt Wilhem to see if he ever had a season that might have been worth of this group, and--not sure if I knew this or not--his greatest season was actually as a starter in 1959: 2.19 ERA, 226 IP, 7.6 WAR. People always wonder how a great closer would fare as a starter...with Wilhem being a knuckballer, though, doesn't really tell you a whole lot.

clemenza, Sunday, 1 March 2026 01:00 (one week ago)

I knew right away the Eichhorn vote was you!
Surprised how spread out the votes were

FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Sunday, 1 March 2026 02:16 (one week ago)

It wasn't though--I voted for Hoffman (twice).

clemenza, Sunday, 1 March 2026 02:25 (one week ago)

oh! misunderstood. i guess that leaves No Time as the culprit! I feel like you had to have grown up in Toronto at the time to have respected what a wild season Eichhorn had.

FRAUDULENT STEAKS (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Monday, 2 March 2026 18:53 (one week ago)


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