Top 10 closers for 2018

While debates regarding the value of saves and the role of the closer are nothing new, the difference-making impact of having an elite one is unmistakable. The ability to get the job done and close the door is still highly valued and handsomely rewarded. Over the last two winters, Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen, Mark Melancon and Wade Davis have raised the bar for how closers are compensated, netting a combined $280 million for their talents at turning the lights off late in affairs. Whether saves are correctly valued or not, they most certainly pay very well.

With Trevor Hoffman headed to Cooperstown this summer and Mariano Rivera joining him next year, the generation following in their footsteps is proving to be an especially dominant one. Jansen and Craig Kimbrel have inverted the priority of how a game is directed, often upstaging the starting pitching ahead of them. The presence of Sean Doolittle, emergence of Corey Knebel and return to form of Greg Holland completely changed the potential of their respective teams last summer as well.

So it seems that the value and prestige of the closer go much longer than what one debatable stat can measure. To that extent, here’s a look at the top 10 closers in the game today.

10. Raisel Iglesias, Reds. While he does not get the opportunities in bulk of some of his contemporaries, Iglesias makes the most of his chances. Over the past two years, he has been good for nearly five win shares, a significant impact for a Reds team that won only 68 games in each of the last two seasons. In his first year as a full-time closer, Iglesias converted 93 percent of save opportunities, along with an impressive 2.70 Fielding Independent Pitching mark, down from 3.38 in 2016.

9. Sean Doolittle, Nationals. Before Doolittle came over from the A’s in mid-July, the Nationals failed to convert more than 66 percent of their save opportunities in any month. The talented lefty proved to be the exact catalyst their tragic bullpen situation needed, pulling the Nats no lower than third in converting saves in the NL from July through September. Much of Doolittle’s effectiveness came from producing his highest strikeout rate since 2014, along with his always excellent command remaining elite (10 walks in 51.1 innings).

8. Brad Hand, Padres. Although Hand was expected to be dealt away to an ambitious contender at the trade deadline, not only did the Padres hold on to their talented southpaw, but they also inked him to a three-year extension headed into the 2018 season. This was due to Hand’s continued evolution into one of the game’s most versatile and reliable workhorses. He worked 168.2 innings over the past two years with a 1.026 WHIP, 2.56 ERA, 22 saves and 37 holds over that time.

7. Cody Allen, Indians. While his bullpen mate Andrew Miller is the ace reliever in the fold, often setting the table for Allen’s work, the Cleveland closer has been darn good in his own right. His last three seasons have been the picture of consistency, with Allen saving between 30 and 34 games, while averaging 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings, a 2.81 ERA, and finishing 55 or more contests in each year.

6. Aroldis Chapman, Yankees. Chapman’s return to the Bronx got off to an uneven start, as a rotator cuff injury caused him to miss just over a month of action in the first half of 2017. While he was more hittable than he has ever been throughout the middle part of the year, his fastball retained its legendary velocity, and by year’s end he had again become the dominant back-end option he has always been. In September, he went 6-for-6 in save opportunities, while striking out 16 in eight postseason innings.