MLB History: 30 best closers of all time

The best closers in MLB history: 4. Francisco Rodriguez

• 437 total saves 
• 85.2 save percentage 
• 28.5 strikeout percentage 
• 2.86 ERA 

While he may have been overshadowed slightly by some counterparts from his recent era (two names found later on this list), it’s impossible to ignore how elite Francisco Rodriguez was. He’s easily one of the best closers in recent memory and his stats, when juxtaposed against the all-time best at his position, back it up.

Fans may recognize him better by his colorful nickname: “K-Rod.” Not that it needs any explanation, but we’ll clarify. K-Rod struck out a ton of batters during his 16-year career. With one of those fastballs that just looks and feels faster than the radar gun indicates, Rodriguez baffled hitters early in his career. He also had the pleasure of throwing before and learning under another great Angel on this list, Troy Percival. This included a 2004 All-Star appearance where Rodriguez pitched to a 1.82 ERA.

Angels management knew they had their next star closer with K-Rod taking over full-time closer duties the following year. He didn’t let this opportunity slip away and went on to lead the AL with 45 saves in 2005. A few years later, in 2008, K-Rod led all of baseball with 62 saves. This mark remains the league record for most saves in a single season.

These league-leading campaigns were part of a seven-year stretch in which Rodriguez saved at least 23 games. During that same stretch, he eclipsed 40 saves in four different seasons. During the late 2000s decade, Rodriguez seemed to lose some life on his fastball. He reinvented himself though, featuring a repertoire highlighted by his curveball and changeup combo, and saved 126 games in three of his final four years in the league.

Rodriguez saved a total of 437 games throughout his career, a number that ranks fourth on the all-time list. He converted better than 85 percent of his opportunities while striking out 28.5 percent of batters he faced.