The 15 Best Relief Pitchers in the Last 15 MLB Seasons

1. Mariano Rivera

WAR: 24.6

RA9-WAR: 34.1; RAR: 242.2

FDP-Wins: 9.6; BIP-Wins: 4.5; LOB-Wins: 5.1

In each of 19 seasons in the bigs, the Panama-born hurler with the best rising fastball ever was the most dominant closer in the game. Of his 1,115 games pitched, he saved 652 of them with a FIP of 2.76. He left 80.5% of baserunners stranded while striking out just 8.22 batters per 9. But, with Rivera's cutter, it was his 52.4% ground-ball rate that did the trick. It prevented home runs (0.50 allowed per 9) while holding opponents to a .209 average.

The Yankee great ended his career at the age of 43, having tallied a major league record 652 career saves with 13 All-Star appearances and five reliever of the year honors. He also played a key role in five World Series wins, and was named MVP in New York's 1999 World Series victory.

No one can ever measure up to The Sandman.