Mason Miller stomped the competition for the inaugural National League Reliever of the Year award, taking every single one of the 30 first-place votes in a complete landslide. The San Diego Padres closer set an absurd benchmark for this brand new honor from the Baseball Writers Association of America.
Mason Miller’s Unstoppable Season
When you look at Miller’s numbers, the landslide win makes total sense. His 1.67 ERA was the absolute best among all National League pitchers who threw at least 50 innings. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Miller also led the NL in xERA (1.70), FIP (1.17), xFIP (1.54), and an eye-popping 47.4 percent strikeout rate. His strikeout-minus-walk rate was also a league-best 37.9 percent. For those who love the old school stats, he slammed the door shut 38 times in 41 save attempts, another top mark.
Even rival relievers couldn’t help but be impressed. “It’s got to be Mason Miller,” said Dodgers left-hander Alex Vesia. “He has been unbelievable to watch. His stuff is , you know, when he was in Oakland, right, it’s like how could someone get any better? And he’s still getting better.” Fellow southpaw Jack Dreyer echoed the sentiment, asking, “how can you not say Mason Miller?” when talking about NL closers.
Beyond Miller: NL’s Other Bullpen Beasts
While Miller dominated the top spot, the National League wasn’t short on other elite relief pitching. Johan Duran of the Philadelphia Phillies had a lights-out year himself, collecting 33 saves in 35 tries. Duran finished second to Miller among NL relievers in a bunch of key categories, showing just how dominant Miller was: ERA (1.82), xERA (2.04), FIP (1.41), xFIP (1.74), and strikeout-minus-walk rate (31.4 percent).
Dodgers right-hander Evan Phillips gave a shout-out to another Padres arm, Adrián Morejón, highlighting his “workload” and how much San Diego “relied on him.” Morejón, a former starting pitcher, was incredibly effective out of the bullpen, logging 86 innings across 76 games with a 2.83 ERA, 2.33 xERA, 2.37 FIP, and 2.64 xFIP. And let’s not forget Aaron Ashby’s incredible run for the Milwaukee Brewers in October, putting up one of the greatest postseason performances ever by a reliever with 18 scoreless innings, 20 strikeouts, and only three walks, including a three-inning save against the Dodgers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.
The Baseball Writers Association of America rolled out a new award this season, and Mason Miller immediately set the bar ridiculously high. It makes you wonder what kind of insane numbers we’ll see next year to even get into the conversation. For now, we appreciate the absolute dominance Miller brought to the NL bullpen.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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