Very few relievers have made it to Cooperstown.
Only eight of the 74 pitchers enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame took the mound more often as a reliever than as a starter. And that includes Dennis Eckersley, a hybrid who didn’t leave the starting rotation for the bullpen until he turned 32 years old.
Mariano Rivera is unquestionably the standout among the Hall’s eight relief pitchers. Not only was Rivera inducted in his first year of eligibility — something no other reliever but Eckersley can say — but he was elected unanimously. Nobody else in the Hall — not even celestial greats such as Henry Aaron, Ty Cobb, or Babe Ruth — was named on every ballot.
So it should come as no surprise that Rivera is No. 1 in my rankings of the best relief pitchers of the 21st century (so far). And he’s an easy winner, finishing 75 points ahead of runner-up Craig Kimbrel and 97 points in front of third-place finisher Aroldis Chapman on my 1,000-point scale.
The rankings encompass all 262 pitchers who made at least 324 relief appearances between 2000 and 2020. I analyzed them in 10 statistical categories, ranging from rates that reflect quality (earned run average, batting average against, slugging average against, bases allowed per out, strikeouts per nine innings, and wins above replacement per 60 innings) to totals that reward longevity (games in relief, saves, strikeouts, and total wins above replacement).
I looked only at statistics since the turn of the century, thereby ignoring the first five years of Rivera’s career (and lopping off 129 saves in the process). Yet the Yankees superstar still posted the best numbers in five of the 10 categories, including the lowest ERA (2.05), the most saves (523), the smallest BPO (.454), and the best WAR in total form (41.1) and per 60 innings (2.7).
That means he joins the other honorees on my list of the 21st century’s best players, which has been rolling out in biweekly installments since October:
Below are my profiles of the 10 highest-rated relief pitchers, followed by the subsequent 65 finishers, running through 75th place. I didn’t see any reason to run the entire list of 262 relievers, which would have been extremely unwieldy. Each of the top-10 profiles features a player’s score, his cumulative stats for the century, and a few relevant (and hopefully interesting) notes.
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1. Mariano Rivera (2000-2013)
Score: 1,000 points
WAR: 41.1 total, 2.7 per 60 IP
Averages: 2.05 ERA, .210 BA, .288 SLG, .454 BPO
Strikeouts: 836 total, 8.3 per 9 IP
Totals: 849 GR, 523 SV
Notes: Rivera is the undisputed superstar among this century’s relievers. His dominance is evident both in rates (a BPO that’s 22 points lower than anybody else’s) and counting stats (86 more saves than his closest competitor). He notched another 42 saves in the playoffs, made 13 All-Star teams, and finished in the top five in Cy Young Award balloting five times.
2. Craig Kimbrel (2010-2020)
Score: 925 points
WAR: 19.4 total, 2.0 per 60 IP
Averages: 2.17 ERA, .159 BA, .260 SLG, .476 BPO
Strikeouts: 926 total, 14.7 per 9 IP
Totals: 583 GR, 348 SV
Notes: Kimbrel ranks second only to Rivera in three of the 10 statistics that determined these standings, yet he actually outperformed the ace in a couple of ways. Kimbrel won a Rookie of the Year Award, a distinction that eluded Rivera. And batters hit just .159 against Kimbrel, the lowest BA versus any 21st century reliever. Rivera’s average is 51 points higher at .210.
3. Aroldis Chapman (2010-2020)
Score: 903 points
WAR: 17.8 total, 2.0 per 60 IP
Averages: 2.25 ERA, .161 BA, .239 SLG, .482 BPO
Strikeouts: 905 total, 14.9 per 9 IP
Totals: 563 GR, 276 SV
Notes: Chapman is the century’s preeminent bullpen fireballer. His career rate of 14.9 strikeouts per nine innings is the best among relievers since 2000. Only two others (Kimbrel and Dellin Betances) have done better than 13.2. Chapman also boasts the group’s lowest slugging percentage, 21 points lower than the runner-up, Kimbrel.
4. Francisco Rodriguez (2002-2017)
Score: 813 points
WAR: 24.1 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’s longevity was his greatest strength. He made 948 relief appearances, topped since 2000 only by Fernando Rodney’s 951. He racked up 437 saves, surpassing everybody but Rivera. And his career WAR (24.1) is third-best among the century’s relief pitchers, exceeded only by Rivera and Joe Nathan.
5. Kenley Jansen (2010-2020)
Score: 809 points
WAR: 16.1 total, 1.5 per 60 IP
Averages: 2.39 ERA, .181 BA, .297 SLG, .503 BPO
Strikeouts: 936 total, 13.2 per 9 IP
Totals: 632 GR, 312 SV
Notes: Jansen ranks fourth in three separate categories: BPO, batting average, and strikeouts per nine innings. He was underappreciated during his first six years in the pen, but was finally named to his first All-Star squad in 2016 — he subsequently made two more — and paced the National League with 41 saves in 2017.
6. Billy Wagner (2000-2010)
Score: 799 points
WAR: 20.1 total, 1.9 per 60 IP
Averages: 2.30 ERA, .190 BA, .303 SLG, .503 BPO
Strikeouts: 802 total, 11.1 per 9 IP
Totals: 629 GR, 321 SV
Notes: These stats ignore the first five years of Wagner’s career, when he racked up 101 saves and finished fourth in 1999’s Cy Young voting. His lifetime total of 422 saves is sixth in big-league history. Many experts consider him to be Hall of Fame material, and he received 46% support on this year’s ballot.
7. Joe Nathan (2000-2016)
Score: 795 points
WAR: 25.1 total, 1.8 per 60 IP
Averages: 2.72 ERA, .201 BA, .318 SLG, .555 BPO
Strikeouts: 922 total, 10.0 per 9 IP
Totals: 753 GR, 376 SV
Notes: Rivera is the only reliever to top Nathan’s 25.1 wins above replacement since 2000, and Rivera and Rodriguez are the only bullpen specialists to exceed his 376 saves this century. Nathan was at his best in Minnesota, saving at least 36 games for the Twins for six consecutive seasons (2004 to 2009).
8. Jonathan Papelbon (2005-2016)
Score: 771 points
WAR: 23.3 total, 1.9 per 60 IP
Averages: 2.44 ERA, .213 BA, .321 SLG, .538 BPO
Strikeouts: 808 total, 10.0 per 9 IP
Totals: 686 GR, 368 SV
Notes: Papelbon exploded on the scene, spinning a 0.92 ERA with 35 saves for the Red Sox in his first full season, 2006, finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting. He ranks fourth among the century’s relief pitchers in both total WAR and WAR per 60 innings, and he’s fifth in saves.
9. Dellin Betances (2011-2020)
Score: 677 points
WAR: 11.2 total, 1.7 per 60 IP
Averages: 2.52 ERA, .173 BA, .261 SLG, .556 BPO
Strikeouts: 632 total, 14.5 per 9 IP
Totals: 372 GR, 36 SV
Notes: Betances is a rarity for a star reliever, hardly ever being called upon to finish games. He generally pitches in the seventh or eighth inning, accumulating only 36 saves over his career. Every other reliever in the top 10 piled up at least 37 in a single season. Betances’s strength is his killer instinct. He ranks third in strikeouts per nine innings.
10. Joakim Soria (2007-2020)
Score: 662 points
WAR: 18.6 total, 1.5 per 60 IP
Averages: 3.01 ERA, .220 BA, .332 SLG, .545 BPO
Strikeouts: 791 total, 9.8 per 9 IP
Totals: 731 GR, 223 SV
Notes: Soria seemed destined for bullpen stardom, racking up 160 saves for the Royals in his first five seasons. But he somehow never fulfilled his early promise, wandering among seven clubs in subsequent years, exceeding 10 saves only three times. Yet he still ranks seventh in relief WAR, thanks to his strong beginning and his durability.
Everybody else in the top 75
11. David Robertson (2008-2019): 658 points
12. Greg Holland (2010-2020): 628 points
13. Huston Street (2005-2017): 607 points
14. Darren O'Day (2008-2020): 606 points
15. Tyler Clippard (2007-2020): 597 points
16. Koji Uehara (2009-2017): 590 points
17. Rafael Soriano (2002-2015): 581 points
18. Takashi Saito (2006-2012): 575 points
19. Francisco Cordero (2000-2012): 571 points
20. Sergio Romo (2008-2020): 570 points
21. Jose Valverde (2003-2014): 567 points
22. Steve Cishek (2010-2020): 565 points
23. Trevor Hoffman (2000-2010): 563 points
24. Mark Melancon (2009-2020): 552 points
25. Octavio Dotel (2000-2013): 550 points
26. J.J. Putz (2003-2014): 545 points
27. Fernando Rodney (2002-2019): 539 points
28. Joe Smith (2007-2019): 534 points
29. Jason Isringhausen (2000-2012): 532 points
29. Carlos Marmol (2006-2014): 532 points
31. Keith Foulke (2000-2008): 526 points
32. Ken Giles (2014-2020): 524 points
33. B.J. Ryan (2000-2009): 523 points
33. Pedro Strop (2009-2020): 523 points
35. Sean Doolittle (2012-2020): 520 points
36. Joaquin Benoit (2001-2017): 515 points
37. Arthur Rhodes (2000-2011): 514 points
38. Rafael Betancourt (2003-2015): 509 points
39. LaTroy Hawkins (2000-2015): 507 points
39. Armando Benitez (2000-2008): 507 points
41. Brad Lidge (2002-2012): 506 points
42. Mike Adams (2004-2014): 504 points
43. Jonathan Broxton (2005-2017): 495 points
44. Zack Britton (2011-2020): 493 points
45. Brad Ziegler (2008-2018): 488 points
46. Pat Neshek (2006-2019): 487 points
47. Tony Watson (2011-2020): 484 points
47. Cody Allen (2012-2019): 484 points
49. Matt Thornton (2004-2016): 481 points
50. Trevor Rosenthal (2012-2020): 479 points
51. Tom Gordon (2001-2009): 477 points
51. Brian Fuentes (2001-2012): 477 points
53. Grant Balfour (2001-2015): 476 points
54. A.J. Ramos (2012-2020): 474 points
55. Damaso Marte (2001-2010): 468 points
56. Luke Gregerson (2009-2019): 462 points
57. Will Harris (2012-2020): 461 points
58. Scot Shields (2001-2010): 455 points
59. Eric Gagne (2000-2008): 452 points
60. Ryan Madson (2003-2018): 450 points
61. Jeurys Familia (2012-2020): 445 points
62. Santiago Casilla (2004-2018): 438 points
63. Justin Wilson (2012-2020): 433 points
64. Troy Percival (2000-2009): 432 points
65. Heath Bell (2004-2014): 431 points
66. Mike Gonzalez (2003-2013): 427 points
67. Jesse Crain (2004-2013): 425 points
68. Kelvin Herrera (2011-2020): 422 points
69. Andrew Miller (2006-2020): 420 points
70. Blake Treinen (2014-2020): 415 points
70. Neftali Feliz (2009-2017): 415 points
72. Jeff Nelson (2000-2006): 414 points
73. Jason Frasor (2004-2015): 412 points
74. Adam Ottavino (2010-2020): 411 points
75. Brian Wilson (2006-2014): 410 points