New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz is having the best season of his career, and that’s saying a lot.
The dynamic right-hander is striking out an incredible, almost unprecedented 17.87 hitters per each nine innings.
His ERA is at a minuscule 1.33 in 47.1 frames, in which he has struck out 94 (!) hitters against just 14 walks.
Most of his improvements, however, have come in the control and command department.
At 7.8 percent, his walk rate is his best since 2018.
His extraordinary performance has allowed him to get 27 saves so far in 2022.
He is on an incredible pace in that category.
“Edwin Diaz is the 3rd youngest pitcher in MLB history to reach 200 career saves,” Fox Sports MLB tweeted.
Edwin Diaz is the 3rd youngest pitcher in MLB history to reach 200 career saves 🔥 pic.twitter.com/4lDLpO320y
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 14, 2022
Accumulating Saves
Right now, the Mets’ ninth-inning guy is 53rd on the all-time saves list.
Next up is Bobby Thigpen, who has 201.
Realistically, he could jump all the way to 49th on the list, as he can very well reach Rafael Soriano‘s 207 saves.
As a reminder, the all-time leader in saves is New York Yankees legend Mariano Rivera, with 652.
Diaz is still a long, long way from that total, but he is still 28: theoretically, he should have many dominating years left.
Realistically speaking, he would need to average at least 35 saves for a long time to get close to Rivera’s territory, not to mention the longevity needed to remain in the role for many more years.
After his ugly 2019, in which he had an ERA over 5.50, Diaz has managed to get his career back on track.
He is now the most feared closer in baseball, with video-game stuff and unreal strikeout ability.
The Mets know that any close games will be secure thanks to Diaz’s right arm.
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