Always Be Closing: The Edwin Diaz Post

 

I can say without a doubt that, statistically, Edwin Diaz is the strangest closer in baseball right now.

If you were to be following proper statistical terminology, then you'd see that Edwin Diaz has only had one truly down season, and that was 2019, his first year after landing in Queens. Around that, he had his tremendous 2018, where he led the league in saves with 57 and chased the record set by Francisco Rodriguez, a closer he's been compared to numerous times, and an impressive pandemic season in 2020 where, despite not having many save opportunities, he still managed a 1.75 ERA the whole year.

But...Edwin Diaz has illuminated something about the modern closers- some of the most perennial 'great closers' aren't usually the ones who get the most saves. 

I think the age of someone like Rod Beck, Mariano Rivera or Eric Gagne getting 50 saves for consecutive years are over. K-Rod got to the 60 mountain and then only got as high as the 40s afterwards. The people who do go for those league-leading numbers, like Shane Greene, Greg Holland and Jim Johnson, can never sustain it. The great closers are the one that don't rely on saving the most games, but being the most efficient at the games they do save. The most likely Hall of Fame candidates from this current batch of closers are guys like Craig Kimbrel, Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen, who are good at saving games for numerous consecutive years. 

But...I look at the season Edwin Diaz is having this year, and I think this year Edwin is getting a lot of 'best closer in baseball' talk. Josh Hader was for a bit and then he crapped out, I dunno, someone online joked that his timeline of blowing saves matches up with the timeline of when the FBI went down to Florida, but I'm not gonna do that kind of math. And...it's turned into the point where every time Diaz comes in for a save, it's a show. He has the most chill-inducing walk-up music, which is just a trumpet anthem, and he just stands there, intimidates you, and leaves. That alone gets people talking. 

No other closer in baseball has that power right now. 

Now, Diaz only has 28 saves. 'Only'. His highest non-2018 season has been 34 saves, and that was 2017. But as of now, Diaz is in the midst of a tie for 2nd on the saves leaderboard. He is tied with Liam Hendriks, who is also having a great season. And he is behind Taylor Rogers and Josh Hader, who are struggling, Kenley Jansen, who is losing innings to Raisel Iglesias, and Emmanuel Clase, who all have 29. 

There is, therefore, still a chance Diaz could lead the league in saves, and he could do so while putting in a solid, mid-30s number of saves and being respectable about it. Because I honestly think he's at the point in his career where he doesn't need to crack 50 saves to prove himself anymore. He's been solid since 2020, and is finally a dominant closer again. And now he's beloved to the point where even his fanfare is famous.

I hope he keeps it up. He has the presence down, and all he needs is the longevity.

Coming Tonight: A guy who was traded out of Houston and still, somehow, got to start for a first place team.