The best closers in MLB history: 6. Craig Kimbrel
- 394 total saves
- 2.31 ERA
- 89 save percentage
Of the 30 best closers of all time, Craig Kimbrel ranks as the highest-rated active member of this list. The 13-year MLB veteran and current Chicago Cub has been feared by baseball’s best hitters since his debut in 2010. Kimbrel already owns 348 career saves and at just 34 years old has the opportunity to climb higher on this list.
It’s unfair to talk about Kimbrel without explaining part of his intimidating mystique. If this list ranked the most unique or unusual pitching stances in league history, Kimbrel takes home the top spot. As pictured above, there’s a lot of theories about this unusual stance, but with the pitching talent of Kimbrel, it just makes him that much more intimidating. Sports Illustrated colorfully nicknamed his stance a “predatory, pterodactylian pose – bent at the waist, right arm held askance like an open wing.”
But, let’s get back into the stats. Taking out his past two seasons of struggles in Chicago, Kimbrel owned an incredible 1.91 ERA during his first nine seasons in the MLB. He led the NL in saves four different times, racking up 333 saves, 449 games finished, and seven All-Star appearances. Throughout Kimbrel’s entire career, he’s recorded at least 40 saves five separate times.
In total, Kimbrel owns 394 saves, a 2.31 ERA, 2.34 FIP, and an 89 save percentage. Simply, brilliant.