Thread: Relievers in the HOF

Today Mariano Rivera earned his 602nd save for the Yankees putting him 1 ahead of Trevor Hoffman who got his 601st last year.

Rivera got his 602 saves (not counting 42 post-season saves) in 674 chances. He's never had more than 7 blown saves in a season and his save percentage is 89%. His career WHIP of .9992 is second only to Addie Joss who last pitched in 1910. He has nearly 300 more saves than the next closest active player and the only active player that might catch him is Jonathan Papelbon who would need to average 35 saves/yr for the next 11 years to do so.

The full time reliever is relatively new to baseball and the specialist "closer" is really a phenomena of the last 20 years.

Rivera is without a doubt the best at what he does. The best there has ever been. Still, though, I find myself questioning whether such a specialist really belongs in the HOF. They're an integral part of the team but their role is so specialized that you almost need a whole new set of statistics to really rate them. The closer comes into the game only when it's an all or nothing situation. It's certainly a high pressure job. I mean, getting the call to hold the game when there are 2 on and nobody out in the 9th with a 1 run lead and the meat of the opposition's order coming up is not something for the faint of heart. But I have to ask myself, is it really any more noteworthy than the game of the starter who just went 8 innings while giving up 4 hits and 1 run to keep it a game?

Originally Posted by lutherf

Today Mariano Rivera earned his 602nd save for the Yankees putting him 1 ahead of Trevor Hoffman who got his 601st last year.

Rivera got his 602 saves (not counting 42 post-season saves) in 674 chances. He's never had more than 7 blown saves in a season and his save percentage is 89%. His career WHIP of .9992 is second only to Addie Joss who last pitched in 1910. He has nearly 300 more saves than the next closest active player and the only active player that might catch him is Jonathan Papelbon who would need to average 35 saves/yr for the next 11 years to do so.

The full time reliever is relatively new to baseball and the specialist "closer" is really a phenomena of the last 20 years.

Rivera is without a doubt the best at what he does. The best there has ever been. Still, though, I find myself questioning whether such a specialist really belongs in the HOF. They're an integral part of the team but their role is so specialized that you almost need a whole new set of statistics to really rate them. The closer comes into the game only when it's an all or nothing situation. It's certainly a high pressure job. I mean, getting the call to hold the game when there are 2 on and nobody out in the 9th with a 1 run lead and the meat of the opposition's order coming up is not something for the faint of heart. But I have to ask myself, is it really any more noteworthy than the game of the starter who just went 8 innings while giving up 4 hits and 1 run to keep it a game?

Mariano is deserving of the hall of fame. The best ever in season and post season, a big game and big stage player. A reliever is no more noteworthy then a great starter and everybody wants a great closer.

I can't recall a player being more dominant at what they do for such an extended period of time. Bonds had a nice dominant run for a few years, Pedro had a nice run starting for a few years, and if you like leadoff hitters Ichiro was pretty damn good.

Rivera has been exceptional for so long ... take from a Red Sox fan with no love for the Yanks.

Maybe his HOF credentials can be measured by his contribution to his team. How many of those 7 (and counting?) championships do the Yankees win without Rivera? His teammates think not many.