The career of Jose Bautista is a fascinating one. After years of obscurity, a switch in his batting stance took him from journeyman to All-Star and someone who we deemed worthy of discussing.
John Axford had his best years early in his career with the Milwaukee Brewers. In 2011, he won the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year while leading the National League with 46 Saves. Axford finished ninth in Cy Young voting that season. He had three other years where he had at least 24 Saves, two of them as a Brewer.
Jim Johnson played the first half of his career with the Baltimore Orioles, and in 2012 and 2013, he would lead the American League in Saves. An All-Star in 2012, Johnson finished seventh in Cy Young voting and was also the Rolaids Relief Award winner. Johnson finished first in Win Probability Added that season.
An innings eater throughout his career, James Shields used his fastball and changeup to be a solid starting pitcher over a long Major League career.