Closer Encounters: 2025 First Impressions

Looking back to 2024, a save was recorded in 50.4 percent of MLB wins. Through April 14, that percentage stands at exactly 50 percent — 122 saves out of 244 wins — which is in line with expectations.

28 out of 30 teams have recorded at least one save, while the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins are still seeking their first with three weeks of the season already in the books. On the flip side, the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers currently lead MLB with eight saves apiece. Five clubs are tied with six saves apiece and seven teams have five saves.

58 pitchers have combined for the 122 saves that have been recorded thus far. Of those 58 pitchers, 26 have racked up multiple saves. Here's a quick look at the saves leaderboard through Apr. 14:

For the most part, this leaderboard is comprised of familiar faces, but the two most surprising names near the top of the saves leaderboard are Luke Jackson and Emilio Pagan. Jackson has been Bruce Bochy's go-to reliever in the ninth inning in Texas, while Pagan has been Terry Francona's most trusted option to close out games in the early going of 2025. With Alexis Diaz (hamstring) expected to return this week for Cincinnati, it will be interesting to see whether Pagan retains closing duties, or cedes them back to Diaz, who was the Reds' full-time closer for the past two seasons.

Some notable relievers who have yet to record a save thus far include: Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Mike Clevinger, Jesus Tinoco, Beau Brieske, Tyler Holton, Jason Adam, Orion Kerkering and Edwin Uceta. Duran is the most surprising of this group, as he's recorded 23-plus saves in each of the past two seasons. It's been a small sample of 6.1 innings, but the hard-throwing righty isn't producing whiffs or strikeouts in line with expectations.

Another stat I like to look at early in the season is Game Leverage Index (gmLI), which can help identify potential closer-in-waiting candidates based on how often they're being deployed in high-leverage scenarios. The gmLI statistics in the table below are through Apr. 13, using data from FanGraphs' 2025 pitching leaderboard. I filtered by "RPs" and pulled gmLI statistics from the Win Probability tab. Just keep in mind the season is still young, and many relievers are still working under very small samples.

Among these gmLI leaders, Ryan Johnson, Nick Sandlin and Jordan Leasure stand out amongst a group that mostly consists of the closers that you'd expect to see listed. Johnson was fast-tracked to the majors after the Angels selected him with the 74th overall pick of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, becoming the first player since Garrett Crochet in 2020 to bypass the minor leagues entirely. Now it appears he'll be a fixture in high-leverage for the Angels in 2025.

As a Guardians fan, I'm very familiar with Sandlin, who now pitches for the Blue Jays. He's certainly had moments of brilliance and dominance, but he tends to mix in some duds due to a perennially high walk rate. He's also prone to the long-ball, permitting 12 home runs in each of the past two seasons. I don't think Sandlin is a threat to overtake Jeff Hoffman or even Yimi Garcia in the pecking order for saves in Toronto, but he's worth monitoring due to his above-average K-rate and knack for producing whiffs, particularly on his slider (50 percent whiff rate) and splitter (41.2 percent). If Hoffman or Garcia were to get hurt, Sandlin might be next in line for saves in Toronto.

Leasure's rookie campaign in 2024 was marred by a shoulder injury, but he established himself as a clear high-leverage option for the White Sox, tallying two saves and nine holds across his 33 appearances. If the 26-year-old righty can keep limit the number of free passes he allows, he might be the favorite to lead Chicago in saves in 2025. Leasure is throwing more sliders this year with promising results, as his 56.5 percent whiff rate on the pitch ranks second in the league for that pitch type.

2025 First Impressions

Let's start at the top of 2025 closer ADP, where at least one of our 'security blankets' has raised some eyebrows early in the season.

Devin Williams, Yankees - Williams has struggled through his first six appearances in pinstripes, permitting at least one run in three of those contests while walking six over five innings. His ratios are inflated in his small sample and he's only recorded two saves thus far, but all indicators suggest his numbers will rebound as the season progresses and the weather warms up.

Emmanuel Clase, Guardians - Clase is sitting on only one save through his first seven appearances of 2025, though he does have two wins. The Guardians' closer set two franchise records during the 2024 regular season but struggled during last year's playoffs, and those struggles have carried over into 2025. Clase's highly elevated .481 BABIP might be the culprit of his inflated ratios, but he's permitted at least one earned run in four of his seven outings thus far. He's given up six earned runs through seven innings, which is already more than he allowed during the entire 2024 regular season (74 innings). Clase's experience and history of dominating opposing hitters with his cutter and slider lend confidence that he'll eventually figure things out, but this hasn't been an ideal for last season's American League saves leader.

Trevor Megill, Brewers - One of my biggest closer fades in 2025 drafts, Megill looked dominant through his first five outings, pitching 4.1 scoreless frames with one save and an 8:1 K:BB ratio. The 31-year-old imploded during his sixth appearance, permitting five consecutive batters to reach safely before blowing his first save of the year against Arizona. Megill subsequently had imaging done on his knee, which initially came back clean but is being evaluated again this week for a second opinion. If Megill were to miss any time, Abner Uribe and Nick Mears stand out as potential options to close for the Brewers. Mears leads Milwaukee relievers with a 1.44 gmLI, while Uribe (1.32) ranks second per that statistic. However, Uribe has closing experience and the electric arm, averaging 98.5 miles per hour on his sinker (98th percentile per Statcast). The Brewers could also summon 25-year-old righty Craig Yoho from Triple-A Nashville, where he's pitched 7.1 scoreless innings with an 8:3 K:BB and one save.

Tanner Scott, Dodgers - Three Dodgers relief pitchers have recorded saves thus far, but Tanner Scott appears poised for his first 30-plus save campaign. The southpaw signed a hefty four-year contract with Los Angeles this offseason and is yet to walk a batter through nine innings thus far. Others like Blake Treinen, Kirby Yates and Alex Vesia will get the occasional save chance, but Scott looks to have a firm hold on closing duties, even if his strikeout and opposing hard-hit rates currently suggest otherwise. 

Justin Martinez, Diamondbacks - Could Arizona have two 20-save relievers by the end of the 2025 ? A.J. Puk (three saves) and Justin Martinez (two) figure to split closing duties based on the opposing team's lineup pockets in the eighth and ninth innings. Both are outstanding relievers, but Martinez could emerge with the favorable share of save opportunities if his improved command sticks. The 23-year-old flamethrower has yet to walk a batter across 5.2 scoreless innings while striking out nine. Martinez inked a five-year, team-friendly extension with the Diamondbacks last month, which bought out his arbitration years. There are no financial reasons for Arizona to limit his save chances moving forward.

Jose Alvarado, Phillies - After agreeing to a one-year, $8.5 million deal with Philadelphia during the off-season, Jordan Romano has struggled with his velocity and results. The 31-year-old was recently relegated to low-leverage work after permitting seven earned runs over his first six innings with the Phillies. Romano averaged just 93.5 miles per hour with his four-seamer during Sunday's outing against the Dodgers, which is down nearly three full miles per hour from last season. Phillies manager Rob Thomson indicated that Romano has been checked out by the team's trainers and "there's no red flags" physically, but the skipper admitted that "it concerns me a little bit that the velocity's down."

Instead, Jose Alvarado has handled closing duties in dominant fashion, racking up three saves and two wins across seven appearances with a 13:2 K:BB over 7.1 innings. The southpaw figures to handle the primary save share for Philadelphia until he loses his command, or until Thomson decides to play the mix-and-match game like he's done in recent years. Matt Strahm has been just as dominant as Alvarado, pitching to a 0.82 WHIP and 12:2 K:BB over 7.1 innings.

Luke Jackson, Rangers - Luke Jackson's Statcast profile and his 19.2 strikeout rate aren't very impressive, but he's successfully converted five consecutive save chances for Texas. The 33-year-old flew under the radar for much of draft season, but when the Rangers didn't sign a high-profile closer this off-season, Jackson leap-frogged Chris Martin, Robert Garcia and Marc Church within the Rangers' hierarchy for saves. Jackson's handle on closer duties in Texas might not be a firm one, as his performance doesn't exactly align with his current standing on MLB's saves leaderboard. Manager Bruce Bochy could easily shift to a matchups-based approach in the ninth inning between Martin and Garcia, who are more than capable high-leverage arms.