SF Giants closer Camilo Doval wins May NL Reliever of the Month

The National League Reliever of the Month for May is SF Giants closer Camilo Doval, who recorded 11 saves with a 1.32 ERA.

Marc Delucchi | Jun 2, 2023

SF Giants closer Camilo Doval wins May NL Reliever of the Month /

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San Francisco Giants

The National League Reliever of the Month award for May has gone to SF Giants closer Camilo Doval. Doval has emerged as one of the best closers in MLB over the past two seasons. He was a perfect 11-for-11 on save opportunities in May and posted a 1.32 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 13.2 innings pitched. Doval is still only 25 years old, but the right-handed fireballer has now won three Reliever of the Month awards in his big-league career. He last won the award in September of last season.

SF Giants relief pitcher Camilo Doval delivers a pitch in the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins. (2023) — SF Giants closer Camilo Doval throws a pitch against the Twins. (2023) / Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Doval has made 25 appearances with the Giants this season. He has a 2.19 ERA in 25 appearances with 38 strikeouts in 24.2 innings pitched. He leads the league with 14 saves and 23 games finished. Unsurprisingly, he has remained atop Giants Baseball Insider's bullpen trust rankings.

Doval made his big-league debut during the 2021 season and solidified himself as arguably the best reliever on the team by the end of the season. While he suffered a loss in Game 5 of the NLDS against the Dodgers, he did not let that setback carry over into his first full MLB season.

In 2022, Doval was the Giants' unequivocal closer, recording 27 saves and 51 games finished in 68 appearances over the course of the season with a 2.53 ERA. He also racked up 80 strikeouts in his 67.2 innings pitched.

Over his MLB career, he has a 2.56 ERA in 122 appearances with 155 strikeouts in 119.1 innings pitched and 44 saves. It has surely made late-game situations easier for the SF Giants that Camilo Doval has proven to be one of the best closers in the league.

Published Jun 2, 2023

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).