2024 End Of Season Closer Report
After a 2023 blip where some trends started reverse, everything Saves-wise is back to normal in 2024. This past season is close to the results of 2021 and 2022 with no noticeable changes. The only item of note in all the tables is that only four closers were able to keep their jobs (with the same team) through the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Might as well start going through the boring tables. First, here is how each team’s initial closer performed.
Team | Eventual First Top Closer | Going into season | NFBC ME ADP | Last Until | Reason if Replaced | Saves | Team Saves | % of Team Saves |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Angels | Carlos Estévez | One Guy | 167 | 7/23/2024 | Traded Away | 20 | 35 | 57% |
Astros | Josh Hader | One Guy | 44 | EOS | None | 34 | 43 | 79% |
Athletics | Mason Miller | One Guy | 171 | 7/25/2024 | Injury | 28 | 35 | 80% |
Blue Jays | Chad Green | Closer Hurt | 443 | 4/17/2024 | Injury | 17 | 36 | 47% |
Braves | Raisel Iglesias | One Guy | 61 | EOS | None | 34 | 40 | 85% |
Brewers | Abner Uribe | Closer Hurt | 353 | 4/16/2024 | Poor performance | 3 | 53 | 6% |
Cardinals | Ryan Helsley | One Guy | 85 | EOS | None | 49 | 55 | 89% |
Cubs | Adbert Alzolay | One Guy | 120 | 4/21/2024 | Poor performance | 4 | 38 | 11% |
Diamondbacks | Kevin Ginkel | Closer Hurt | 362 | 5/7/2024 | Incumbent returned | 5 | 38 | 13% |
Dodgers | Evan Phillips | One Guy | 65 | 5/5/2024 | Injury | 18 | 50 | 36% |
Giants | Camilo Doval | One Guy | 56 | 8/9/2024 | Poor performance | 23 | 36 | 64% |
Guardians | Emmanuel Clase | One Guy | 54 | EOS | None | 47 | 53 | 89% |
Mariners | Andrés Muñoz | One Guy | 64 | EOS | None | 22 | 34 | 65% |
Marlins | Tanner Scott | One Guy | 102 | 7/30/2024 | Traded Away | 18 | 33 | 55% |
Mets | Edwin Díaz | One Guy | 35 | 5/29/2024 | Injury | 20 | 39 | 51% |
Nationals | Kyle Finnegan | One Guy | 206 | EOS | None | 38 | 40 | 95% |
Orioles | Craig Kimbrel | One Guy | 88 | 7/25/2024 | Poor performance | 23 | 46 | 50% |
Padres | Robert Suarez | One Guy | 129 | EOS | None | 36 | 44 | 82% |
Phillies | José Alvarado | Committee | 144 | 7/23/2024 | Traded for Closer | 13 | 37 | 35% |
Pirates | David Bednar | One Guy | 74 | 6/22/2024 | Injury | 23 | 43 | 53% |
Rangers | José Leclerc | One Guy | 148 | 4/12/2024 | Poor performance | 1 | 38 | 3% |
Rays | Pete Fairbanks | One Guy | 76 | 4/22/2024 | Injury | 23 | 51 | 45% |
Red Sox | Kenley Jansen | One Guy | 123 | 9/22/2024 | Injury | 27 | 40 | 68% |
Reds | Alexis Díaz | One Guy | 75 | EOS | None | 28 | 36 | 78% |
Rockies | Justin Lawrence | Committee | 361 | 5/27/2024 | Injury | 2 | 37 | 5% |
Royals | Will Smith | Committee | 253 | 4/6/2024 | Poor performance | 1 | 41 | 2% |
Tigers | Jason Foley | Committee | 445 | EOS | None | 28 | 45 | 62% |
Twins | Griffin Jax | Closer Hurt | 294 | 4/30/2024 | Incumbent returned | 10 | 43 | 23% |
White Sox | Michael Kopech | One Guy | 300 | 7/29/2024 | Traded Away | 9 | 21 | 43% |
Yankees | Clay Holmes | One Guy | 82 | 9/4/2024 | Poor performance | 30 | 45 | 67% |
There was a quick hook on six guys who all lost their job by May 7th. Besides them (and Michael Kopech), all were able to get to double-digit Saves.
And here are how those incumbents performed as a group.
Year | Saves by Initial Closer | Team Saves | % Saves by Initial Closer | Total EOS | EOS % | Same Incumbent as the previous year | Same Incumbent % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | 927 | 1266 | 73% | 15 | 50% | ||
2014 | 746 | 1264 | 59% | 11 | 37% | 16 | 53% |
2015 | 737 | 1292 | 57% | 11 | 37% | 14 | 47% |
2016 | 797 | 1276 | 63% | 11 | 37% | 16 | 53% |
2017 | 668 | 1179 | 57% | 10 | 33% | 13 | 43% |
2018 | 759 | 1244 | 61% | 5 | 17% | 12 | 40% |
2019 | 573 | 1180 | 49% | 7 | 23% | 9 | 30% |
2020 | 202 | 422 | 48% | 11 | 37% | 8 | 27% |
2021 | 592 | 1200 | 49% | 9 | 30% | 6 | 20% |
2022 | 599 | 1232 | 49% | 9 | 30% | 6 | 20% |
2023 | 716 | 1241 | 58% | 12 | 40% | 6 | 20% |
2024 | 634 | 1225 | 52% | 9 | 30% | 4 | 13% |
Again, the numbers are similar to 2021 and 2022 with about half of the total Saves going to initial closers. There were just four closers able to keep their jobs through two seasons.
Finally, here is how the Saves got distributed.
Year | Players Getting Saves | Players Getting > 4 Saves | Players Getting > 9 Saves | Non Incumbent > 9 Saves |
---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | 130 | 42 | 37 | 10 |
2014 | 134 | 49 | 39 | 15 |
2015 | 145 | 47 | 37 | 15 |
2016 | 148 | 53 | 42 | 15 |
2017 | 162 | 52 | 40 | 15 |
2018 | 165 | 59 | 43 | 14 |
2019 | 199 | 64 | 38 | 16 |
2020 | 131 | – | – | – |
2021 | 198 | 70 | 41 | 18 |
2022 | 222 | 64 | 35 | 12 |
2023 | 214 | 64 | 38 | 11 |
2024 | 223 | 53 | 39 | 16 |
Again, no surprises.
Every season, I’ll run the these numbers to understand the overall trends, but no changes this season. Oh well.
Jeff, one of the authors of the fantasy baseball guide,The Process, writes for RotoGraphs, The Hardball Times, Rotowire, Baseball America, and BaseballHQ. He has been nominated for two SABR Analytics Research Award for Contemporary Analysis and won it in 2013 in tandem with Bill Petti. He has won four FSWA Awards including on for his Mining the News series. He's won Tout Wars three times, LABR twice, and got his first NFBC Main Event win in 2021. Follow him on Twitter @jeffwzimmerman.
I think you could almost throw out the numbers for Kopech and the White Sox. Due to the infrequency of late inning leads, they really didn’t have a “closer.” He made 43 appearances for the Sox and was 9 for 14 in save opportunities.