Quote:
Originally Posted by TheKenoshaKid
I don't know if you mentioned this already, but if you did then I must have missed it...
What's the all-time career save leaderboard look like at this point? Has anybody gotten close to Hoffman and Rivera?
Tom's only what, 30? 31? If he keeps going like this, he could have a legitimate shot at the all-time record, right?
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I haven't posted the career leaderboard for saves yet. I'll do that right now, in fact.
Here it is:
Code:
RK PITCHER SV CAREER
1 Trevor Hoffman 598 1993-2010
2 Mariano Rivera 595 1995-2012
3 Lee Smith 478 1980-1997
4 Billy Wagner 431 1995-2012
5 John Franco 424 1984-2005
6 Jose Escamilla 405 2011-2023
7 Dennis Eckersley 390 1975-1998
8 Joe Nathan 382 1999-2019
9 Francisco Rodriguez 372 2000-2017
10 Jonathan Papelbon 370 2005-2021
11 Jeff Reardon 367 1979-1994
12 Brian Fuentes 360 2001-2017
13 Troy Percival 358 1995-2009
14 Chad Smith 349 2011-2023
15 Randy Myers 347 1985-1998
16 Joakim Soria 342 2007-2020
17 Rollie Fingers 341 1968-1985
18 John Wetteland 330 1989-2000
19 Jonathan Broxton 327 2005-2023
20 Roberto Hernandez 326 1991-2007
21 Jose Mesa 321 1987-2007
22 Todd Jones 319 1993-2008
23 Rick Aguilera 318 1985-2000
24 Tom Haley 315 2014-2023
Active players are
highlighted in red.
Hoffman, Rivera, Smith, Wagner, Franco, Eckersley, and Fingers are members of the Hall of Fame. So are Bruce Sutter and Hoyt Wilhelm, neither of whom rank among the top 25 in career saves any longer.
Tom was born on December 7, 1991, so he'll turn 32 during the offseason. Since he became the Braves' closer, Tom has averaged just over 39 saves a year. If he keeps going at that rate, he'll pass Hoffman at some point during the 2031 season, when he's 39.
If he has a big year in 2024 and saves 40 games or so, Tom will pass a bunch of guys and end up in the top 15.
Jose Escamilla has a chance to capture the lead first, however. He's almost 100 saves ahead of Tom, and amazingly,
they are exactly the same age! However, Escamilla signed a one-year contract with the Rangers before the 2023 season, and they didn't use him as their closer. Jose only saved 3 games all year. He's a free agent this year, so we'll see if he signs with a club that gives him a chance to close.
Neither Smith nor Broxton are their team's closer any more, either, and I wouldn't be surprised if Broxton retires at the end of the season.
The stories of Escamilla and Smith are good evidence of a trend I've been noticing. The AI seems to prefer young closers, and will replace a veteran with a young gun even while the vet still retains his skills. I hope this doesn't happen to Tom, and I've promised myself I won't play Great Baseball Deity, take over the Braves, and keep Tom in the closer role until his arm falls off.