One of the best things an MLB team can have is a great closer.
An elite closer allows a team to feel comfortable if they have a one or two-run lead in the ninth inning. Managers can have confidence that their closer will shut the opposing team down and maintain the lead to win the game.
Emmanuel Clase led the MLB with 42 saves last season. Clase had a terrific 1.36 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, recorded 77 strikeouts in 72.2 innings pitched, and opposing batters had a .167 batting average against Clase.
Clase was just one of two closers to record over 40 saves last year.
Since closers can only record saves when leading in close games, the top teams in the league generally give their closers more opportunities to record a save.
In this article, we will analyze the top 10 closing pitchers entering the 2023 MLB season.
The Top 10 Closing Pitchers Entering The 2023 MLB Season
The MLB has some tremendous shutdown closers.
That means some tough decisions had to be made and some good closers had to be left off the top 10 list.
Ryan Helsley and Paul Sewaid did not make our top 10 list despite proving to be trustworthy options in the ninth inning.
Unfortunately, Liam Hendriks has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and he is also not on the top 10 list. He is a fantastic closing pitcher and would have easily made the top-five list had it not been for the diagnosis.
We take a deep dive into the top 10 closing pitchers entering the 2023 MLB season below.
10. Camilo Doval
After July 1 last season, all but one of Camilo Doval’s appearances came in the ninth and/or to finish out the game.
He had 30 save opportunities and he recorded 27 saves last season, which both ranked 11th in the league.
Doval had a respectable 2.54 ERA but a 1.24 WHIP, which needs improvement.
He recorded 80 punchouts in 67.2 innings pitched last year.
Opposing batters had a batting average of .218 against Doval last season.
Doval had a 2.04 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 35.1 innings pitched at home but a 3.06 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 32.1 innings pitched on the road last year.
He allowed zero earned runs in 12 of his last 14 games last season.
Doval will start the year as the San Francisco Giants closer and he will have over 30 save opportunities. He will be a top-10 closer this season.
9. Kenley Jansen
Kenley Jansen was on the Atlanta Braves last season but he will be the closer for the Boston Red Sox for the 2023 MLB season.
This will be a dropoff in save opportunities for Jansen as the Braves are a better team and will win more games than the Red Sox.
Jansen recorded 41 saves and had 48 save opportunities with Atlanta last year. He ranked second in saves and first in saves opportunities last season.
He was one of just two pitchers to record over 40 saves last year.
Jansen has had an ERA of over 3.00 in four of the last five seasons.
The Red Sox win total is set at 76.5, which is significantly lower than Atlanta’s.
Jansen, based on his storied career will be Boston’s closer this year and he will be a top 10 closer.
However, Jansen’s days are done with being considered the best closer in the league or even a top 3-5 closer.
8. Raisel Iglesias
With Kenley Jansen’s departure from the Atlanta Braves, Raisel Iglesias will start the season as Atlanta’s closer.
In 28 appearances down the stretch of the season last year, Iglesias recorded a 0.34 ERA.
Despite Jansen recording 41 saves for Atlanta last season, Iglesias recorded 17 saves, which ranked 22nd in the league.
Iglesias went 17/21 in saves. He had a 2.47 ERA and 0.97 WHIP.
Atlanta won over 100 games last season and they will put Iglesias in many opportunities to record a save in the 2023 MLB season.
He struck out 78 batters in 62 innings pitched and he only walked 14 batters last season.
Last year, Atlanta gave Jansen the most save opportunities in the MLB and he finished with the second most saves in the league.
Iglesias will have a ton of save opportunities this season and he will have a top-10 season for a closer in the 2023 MLB season.
7. Ryan Pressly
Ryan Pressly gets to be the closer for the defending World Series Champions, Houston Astros.
Closing for the Astros means he will have numerous save opportunities.
He had 33 saves and 37 save opportunities last season, which both ranked seventh in the league.
Pressley had a 2.98 ERA but a 0.89 WHIP. Opposing batters had a batting average of .181 against Pressley.
He recorded 65 strikeouts in 48.1 innings pitched last season.
However, he has a troublesome right knee, which could put him on the IL for a time or two this season.
If Pressley can avoid the IL, he may lead the league in saves and save opportunities.
Pressley will be a top 10 closer and if he can stay healthy, he will be a top 3-5 closer in the 2023 MLB season.
6. Jordan Romano
Jordan Romano will once again close for the Toronto Blue Jays, which will give him plenty of opportunities to record a save.
Last year, Romano ranked tied for fourth in saves (36) and third in save opportunities (42).
He had a 2.11 ERA and 1.02 WHIP last season.
Romano allowed zero earned runs in 20 of his last 21 games pitched last year.
He was much better pitching at home than on the road last year.
Romano had a 1.10 ERA and 0.80 WHIP in 32.2 innings pitched at home but he had a 3.16 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 31.1 innings pitched on the road last season.
He is a proven commodity and will be the closer from start to finish once again this season.
Romano will rank top five in saves and save opportunities once again this season and he is one of the most consistently good closers in the league.
The Top 5 Closing Pitchers Entering The 2023 MLB Season
Now, we get to the elite closers in the MLB.
Felix Bautista kicks off the top-five list of closing pitchers entering the 2023 MLB season.
5. Felix Bautista
In his rookie season, Felix Bautista was a gem the Orioles used as a closer after the trade deadline.
He had a 2.19 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, opposing batters had a batting average of .167 against Bautista, and he recorded 88 strikeouts in 65.2 innings pitched.
Bautista recorded 15 saves in 17 save opportunities.
He will start the season as Baltimore’s closer.
The Orioles are a much-improved team and they will give Bautista a lot of opportunities to record a save.
From August 5 till the end of the season, Bautista recorded 12 of his 15 saves.
He appeared in 65 games last season and allowed zero earned runs in 55 out of 65 games he appeared in.
In 11.2 innings pitched in May, he had a 1.54 ERA, in 10.0 innings pitched in June, Bautista had a 0.00 ERA, in 13.1 innings pitched in July, he had a 2.03 ERA, and in 14.2 innings pitched in August, Bautista had a 1.23 ERA.
Bautista will be even better in his second season and he will be a top-five closer in the MLB for the 2023 season.
4. Devin Williams
It took a bit after Josh Hader was traded by the Milwaukee Brewers for Devin Williams to officially nail down the closing role for the Brewers.
Williams has been excellent in his four-year career.
He has a 2.03 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 250 strikeouts in 155.1 innings pitched in his short but impressive career.
Williams was superb last season. He had a 1.93 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 96 strikeouts in 60.2 innings pitched, and opposing batters have a batting average of .151 against Williams.
It is great for the Brewers they can go from Hader to Williams and there will not be a significant drop-off as Hader is an excellent closer.
Hader recorded 29 saves with the Brewers last year and Williams recorded 15 saves.
Williams will easily approach or surpass 40 saves this season.
There is no reason to doubt Williams this season or his role.
Williams will be a top-five closer for the 2023 MLB season.
3. Emmanuel Clase
Emmanuel Clase was tremendous last season.
Clase led the MLB with 42 saves last season.
He had a terrific 1.36 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, recorded 77 strikeouts in 72.2 innings pitched, and opposing batters had a .167 batting average against Clase.
Clase was just one of two closers to record over 40 saves last year.
He’s a bit unconventional in that he gets it done by sawing off hitters rather than striking batters out.
However, Clase still brings the heat with a cutter that peaks at 102.
He followed up a 1.29 ERA in 2021 with a 1.36 ERA in the 2022 season.
In 77 games Clase appeared in, he allowed zero earned runs in 69 games. He did not allow more than two earned runs in any game.
BetOnline gives the Guardians the best odds (+130) to win the AL Central and they are projected to win 87 games.
Cleveland will give Clase numerous opportunities to record saves once again.
Clase will be a top-three closer in the 2023 MLB season.
2. Edwin Diaz
Edwin Diaz was excellent for the Mets last season.
He had a 1.31 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, opposing batters had a batting average of .160 against him, and Diaz recorded 118 strikeouts in 62.0 innings pitched.
Diaz ranked eighth in saves (32) and ninth in save opportunities (35) last season.
He had a K/9 rate (17.1) that lapped the field.
New York will once again win a lot of games and put Diaz in a ton of save opportunities.
They have a projected win total of 96.5 wins.
Between June to September, Diaz appeared in 37 games and he allowed one earned run or less in each month.
In a total of 61 games Diaz appeared in last year, he allowed zero earned runs in 53 games.
He allowed one earned run or less in 60 out of 61 games and he did not allow more than two earned runs in any of the 61 games he appeared in.
Diaz will once again have an outstanding season and he will be one of the best closers in the MLB for the 2023 season.
1. Josh Hader
Despite a down season last year, Josh Hader remains the best closer in the MLB.
His bizarre midseason meltdown damaged his ERA beyond repair, but he was back to mowing down hitters by the end of the season and into the playoffs.
In his final 14.2 innings between the two, he allowed no earned runs while striking out 23 batters.
Between his time with the Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres, Hader recorded 36 saves in 40 save opportunities.
He ranked tied for fourth in saves and sixth in save opportunities.
The Padres will be one of the best teams in the league this season and give Hader ample opportunities to record a save.
In 2021, Hader recorded a 1.23 ERA in 60 games.
That is more the Hader than last year.
He struck out 81 batters in 50 innings pitched last season.
Closing for the Padres, Hader will reclaim the throne as the best closer in the MLB in the 2023 season.
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