Red Sox 2017 Review: Top 10 moments of the year
By Sean Penney
Reliever of the Year
Kimbrel earned the 2017 Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year award for his dominance as the league’s best closer.
The fire-breathing closer delivered one of the best seasons of his career, which is saying something for one of the rare relievers to be on a Hall of Fame path. Kimbrel converted 35 of 39 save opportunities while posting a 1.43 ERA. The minuscule ERA was no fluke as it nearly matched his 1.42 FIP, his best since his peak in 2012.
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Kimbrel struck out nearly half the batters he faced, posting a major league-leading 49.6 K%. That strikeout percentage trails only the MLB record 50.2 K% that Kimbrel posted in 2012.
His 0.96 WHIP was also best in the majors among pitchers with a minimum of 60 innings this season. His 16.43 K/9 led all major league pitchers and he was fourth with a 9.0 K/BB ratio.
Boston’s bullpen ranked second in the AL in ERA and third in batting average against. While there are a number of quality arms in the Red Sox stable of relievers, those rankings are heavily influenced by Kimbrel’s brilliance.
A number of players have the ability to generate a buzz at Fenway Park but few give the crowd an adrenaline rush like the one that comes with the signal that it’s Kimbrel time.