Ranking MLB’s 2023 Closers, Part III

 Ranking MLB’s Closers, Part III

We are now down to the top 5 closers in the NL. Ready to crown the best one? Let’s do it.

The five closers left are Evan Phillips, Camilo Doval, Josh Hader, Devin Williams, and Alexis Diaz. 

5: Camilo Doval

Though Doval throws over 100 and reaches 104, there is really one reason I have decided to cut him. Though he is tied in the NL in saves (all stats as of August 31st) with 35, and opponents are batting just .204 against him in his career, he is bound to get injured. If you look at his motion, it is very violent. No sidearmer with so violent a motion really should be throwing 104, and so I think he’s going to get injured. Thus, I have decided to cut him at number 5.

Check out his motion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-qwLWajkko

Though this video is his highlights for May, pay attention to the violent sidearm motion, and you will know what I’m talking about.

4: Evan Phillips

Evan Phillips had a breakout in 2022, posting a 1.14 ERA in 63 innings. He has been significantly worse this season, posting 21 saves and a 2.34 ERA, cutting his career ERA to 3.54 in 180 innings. However, because of his recent consistency, there is reason to believe that he will be very good in the near future. 

3: Josh Hader

Hader has one stat going for him that is better than any other reliever I’ve talked about so far. That stat is his strikeout rate. In his career, which has been longer than anybody who will be talked about in this post, Hader has posted an insane 15.1 Ks per 9! That gives him a career 42.7% strikeout rate. Although the strikeouts are insanely good, the southpaw has one problem; consistency. Look at these stats from 2019-2023:

2019: 37 SV, 2.62 ERA

2020: 13 SV, 3.79 ERA

2021: 34 SV, 1.23 ERA

2022: 36 SV, 5.22 ERA

2023: 28 SV, 1.16 ERA

So you see, the thing that stops Hader from quite possibly being number one is his lack of consistency. If he has a 2022 season, it is laughable, whereas if he has a 2021 or (so far) a 2023 season, he is the best closer in baseball.

1: In the act of saying the number 1 before the second place closer for suspense, the number 1 closer in the NL is…

Devin Williams.

Williams’s rookie year was in 2020, when he won the Rookie of the Year while posting an 0.33 ERA. He has a career ERA of 1.89. Though this season is his first as a closer (because the Brewers had Josh Hader until the deadline of the 2022 season), Williams has set a reputation for himself as an intimidating closer, and has been perfect for the role. He has 31 saves, a 1.46 ERA, a 13.5 SO/9, and a .135 BAA to go with his career BAA of .162. Another good quality about Williams is the fact that he’s a ground ball pitcher. He has a lifetime 47.7% ground ball rate, with a ground ball rate of 46.4% this season. He also has a home run percentage of 1.6%, less than half the MLB average, and a 39.1% K-rate, 16% higher than the average. His Achilles Heel is his 11.6% career walk rate. Nevertheless, this guy is insane, and the best closer in the NL.

Runner up: Alexis Diaz

Alexis Diaz debuted in the 2022 season, and had 10 saves and a 1.84 ERA in 63.2 IP. So far in this season he has an ERA of 2.18 with 35 saves, tied for the most in the NL with Camilo Doval.  His home run rate is also very low at 1.8 this season, and opposing batters are hitting just .168 against him in 2023 and .149 in his career. It is safe to say that Diaz is a dominant closer. However, his walk rate is high at 4.4 BB/9 this season and 4.5 in his career (a 12.5% walk rate). A good second choice, but ultimately Devin Williams trumps him.

So, that about wraps it up. In order, the NL closers are:

1: Devin Williams

2: Alexis Diaz

3: Josh Hader

4: Evan Phillips

5: Camilo Doval

6: Raisel Iglesias

7: Ryan Helsley

8: David Bednar

9: Craig Kimbrel

10: Paul Sewald

11: David Robertson

12: Adbert Alzolay

13: Kyle Finnegan

14: Justin Lawrence

Tell me what you think of my rankings in the comments, and after a little bit of a break, I will get to parts IV, V, and VI; the AL.