The yearlong farewell tour of Mariano Rivera has concluded and the consensus is that this is the end of the greatest Reliever in Baseball history. Virtually every statistic shows this, from the traditional to the obscure, and a handful of World Series rings cement it. Theory would dictate that the best player of a sporting position would be a Hall of Fame lock, though there is a distinct example where this isn’t the case.
Edgar Martinez spent the majority of his career as the Designated Hitter for the Seattle Mariners and is acknowledged as the top DH ever. The Baseball Hall of Fame voters have not responded with an affirmative to induction. Four decades after the Designate Hitter was instituted in the American League, there is a still hatred of the position, and not just by Baseball purists. The belief that is a part time role isn’t exactly wrong, though it is when applied to that of the Relief Pitcher.
Pitchers have become a specialized art. Bullpens are larger than they were thirty years ago, and the idea of a hurler receiving a standing ovation for allowing two runs and six hits over five and a third innings would have been laughable in the previous generation. The reality is that Relief Pitching is not going anywhere, and in regards to Cooperstown, there is evidence to support it. Lee Smith retired as the active saves leader and his Hall of Fame support has not changed much since he became eligible. There have been many blogs over the past month that have challenged what should be Rivera’s inevitable induction, and those that have, have challenged the spots of closers in the Hall.
The Reliever is not the Designated Hitter, in that they have broken through to Upstate New York. Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers, Bruce Sutter, Dennis Eckersley and Goose Gossage have all been enshrined. Rivera may have been more of a specialist than the five just mentioned, but he unarguable has done that better than anybody.
Rivera will retire as the all-time Saves leader. The Save is in itself a controversial statistic, as far too often it is awarded in situations that hardly merit a whole number. Like the Win, it is not an accurate measure of a Pitcher’s ability but, again, like the Win, a huge number cannot be ignored. A career number of over 650 Saves stands out, though that is not necessarily the statistic that impresses us the most.
Prior to his retirement, the Panamanian had the lowest active Earned Run Average and 13th overall in the career number (minimum 1,000 Innings Pitched). Every Pitcher with a lower ERA came from an era where there career ended decades before Rivera was born. Mariano’s career WHIP of 1.000 gives him a third place all-time rank which again has no equal among his peers. Ten times, Rivera posted a sub 1.000 WHIP and is the career leader in ERA+. He never won the Cy Young, but was voted in the top five on five occasions. He is number three all-time in WPA (Win Probability Added) and fourth in Strikeouts to Walks Ratio; and he did it all with one pitch, a cut Fastball that everybody knows is coming and can’t seem to do anything about.
What the naysayers of Rivera fail to point out is his unparalleled post season accomplishments. This is not about accumulation, like Andy Pettitte, another Yankee who is retiring. Pettitte’s post season stats match his regular season accomplishments, but Rivera took his dominance to an even greater level when the lights were brighter
Over his 141 Innings Pitched in October, his Earned Run Average dropped to 0.70, a full run and a half under what his spectacular regular season average was. His WHIP decreased from 1.000 to 0.759 and he posted 42 Saves. This isn’t just dominance, this is almost mythological! Let’s also remember in the post-season you are only competing against the elite!
Mariano Rivera is not just a Hall of Fame Pitcher but should be a first ballot inductee. We thank Rivera for his nineteen years of class and service in Major League Baseball and wonder when we will see his like again.
Comments powered by CComment