Mariano Rivera is the only player to be elected unanimously to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He is widely acclaimed as the greatest relief pitcher in the game’s history.
It therefore comes as no surprise that Rivera dominates today’s rankings of the best right-handed relievers in the Modern Era, the period between 1961 and 2022. (The 2023 season isn’t quite over, so its stats haven’t been included here.)
Rivera spent his entire 19-year career with the New York Yankees. He made 10 starts in his rookie season of 1995, then shifted exclusively to the bullpen. He finished a total of 952 games and accumulated 652 saves. Both are big-league records.
Today’s rankings encompass all 370 right-handed pitchers who made at least 324 relief appearances during the Modern Era. If a given reliever’s career began prior to the era, his pre-1961 stats have been excluded from consideration.
I used a 10-part formula to assess the statistical performances and overall longevity of every pitcher. (Click here to learn more about the process.) The complete record for each reliever was analyzed, including any starts he might have made (such as the 10 by Rivera).
The formula rated the right-handers from top to bottom, assigning a score of 1,000 points to Rivera and zero points to the tailender, who shall remain nameless. The scores for all other pitchers were determined by their relative showings in the 10 categories.
Rivera enjoys a wide lead over the field, sitting 131 points ahead of his closest competitor. He is the only reliever in the Modern Era — righty or lefty — to finish his career with an earned run average (ERA) below 2.25, an opponents’ batting average (BA) lower than .220, a ratio of bases per out (BPO) under .475, and a strikeout rate higher than 8.0 per nine innings.
In second place among righty relievers is Craig Kimbrel, who is still active with the Philadelphia Phillies. He has pitched for seven clubs since 2010, spending the greatest amount of time with the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox.
Rounding out the top five are Kenley Jansen, Trevor Hoffman, and Francisco Rodriguez. Jansen, who currently pitches for the Red Sox, achieved fame during a 12-year run with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hoffman’s 18-season career was highlighted by a stretch of nearly 16 years with the San Diego Padres. Rodriguez worked for five clubs between 2002 and 2017, notably the Los Angeles Angels and Milwaukee Brewers.
This is the 13th and final installment in my three-month series about the very best players in the Modern Era. You can reach the previous stories through these links to my 1961-2022 rankings of catchers, first basemen, second basemen, shortstops, third basemen, left fielders, center fielders, right fielders, designated hitters, left-handed starting pitchers, right-handed starters, and left-handed relief pitchers.
Statistical breakdowns for the era’s top five righty relievers can be found below, followed by a list of the next 15.
Subscribe — free — to Baseball’s Best (and Worst)
A new installment will arrive in your email each weekday morning
1. Mariano Rivera (1995-2013)
Score: 1,000 points
WAR: 56.3 total, 2.6 per 60 IP
Averages: 2.21 ERA, .211 BA, .293 SLG, .473 BPO
Strikeouts: 1,173 total, 8.2 per 9 IP
Totals: 1,105 GR, 652 SV
Notes: Rivera notched at least 30 saves in 15 different seasons, peaking in 2004 with a total of 53. He never won a Cy Young Award, though he came close on four occasions. He finished second in 2005 and third in 1996, 1999, and 2004. His excellence extended to the postseason, where he piled up an additional 42 saves.
2. Craig Kimbrel (2010-2022)
Score: 869 points
WAR: 21.7 total, 1.9 per 60 IP
Averages: 2.31 ERA, .165 BA, .269 SLG, .494 BPO
Strikeouts: 1,098 total, 14.4 per 9 IP
Totals: 709 GR, 394 SV
Notes: Kimbrel burst onto the scene in his first full season, 2011. He saved 46 games for the Braves and won the National League’s Rookie of the Year Award. It was the first of four straight years in which he led the league in saves, registering a total of 185 between 2011 and 2014. He has topped 30 saves in eight seasons in all.
3. Kenley Jansen (2010-2022)
Score: 791 points
WAR: 19.6 total, 1.5 per 60 IP
Averages: 2.46 ERA, .179 BA, .296 SLG, .513 BPO
Strikeouts: 1,107 total, 13.0 per 9 IP
Totals: 766 GR, 391 SV
Notes: Jansen’s best season was 2017, when he fashioned a 5-0 record with 41 saves for the Dodgers. He racked up a microscopic ERA of 1.32, which propelled him to fifth place in the balloting for the National League’s Cy Young Award. His save total peaked at 47 in 2016 and has exceeded 30 in eight years.
4. Trevor Hoffman (1993-2010)
Score: 769 points
WAR: 28.1 total, 1.6 per 60 IP
Averages: 2.87 ERA, .211 BA, .342 SLG, .545 BPO
Strikeouts: 1,133 total, 9.4 per 9 IP
Totals: 1,035 GR, 601 SV
Notes: Only two relievers have posted career totals of more than 500 saves, and the same goes for 600. There’s Rivera, of course, and he’s joined by Hoffman at 601. The latter finished second in the NL’s Cy Young voting on two occasions (1998 and 2006). He led the league in saves both times, with 53 in ’98 and 46 eight years later.
5. Francisco Rodriguez (2002-2017)
Score: 707 points
WAR: 24.2 total, 1.5 per 60 IP
Averages: 2.86 ERA, .207 BA, .341 SLG, .598 BPO
Strikeouts: 1,142 total, 10.5 per 9 IP
Totals: 948 GR, 437 SV
Notes: Rodriguez still holds the single-season record with an amazing total of 62 saves for the Angels in 2008. It was the third time that he topped the American League in that category, following 2005 (with 45 saves) and 2006 (47). He tallied 40 or more saves in six different seasons.
Next 15
6. Dennis Eckersley (1975-1998)
7. Jonathan Papelbon (2005-2016)
8. Rich Gossage (1972-1994)
9. Joe Nathan (1999-2016)
10. Lee Smith (1980-1997)
11. Tom Henke (1982-1995)
12. Hoyt Wilhelm (1961-1972)
13. Dellin Betances (2011-2021)
14. David Robertson (2008-2022)
15. Troy Percival (1995-2009)
16. Rollie Fingers (1968-1985)
17. Armando Benitez (1994-2008)
18. Edwin Diaz (2016-2022)
19. Joakim Soria (2007-2021)
20. John Wetteland (1989-2000