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.