Baltimore Orioles New Closer Continues to Climb This All-Time List

The Baltimore Orioles are seeing their new closer continue to rise up the ranks of an all-time list.

Jul 3, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel (46) reacts following a strikeout against the Seattle Mariners during the ninth inning at T-Mobile Park / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

When Felix Bautista underwent Tommy John surgery last year, the Baltimore Orioles knew they would need to find a reliable closer to become their stopgap until their superstar was back in the mix.

They decided to go out and sign Craig Kimbrel, a veteran who had put together an All-Star season with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2023, but had his tenure end on a sour note after flaming out of the playoffs.

Still, the 36-year-old has proven to be a top closer in the sport throughout his career, and despite some bumpy moments this season with the Orioles, he continues to deliver for them.

On July 3, Kimbrel recorded his 21st save of the year.

More notably, though, that moved him past Francisco Rodriguez to fourth on the all-time saves list with 438.

"Anytime you have the opportunity to be on this list, but to surpass a guy you got to spend time with and enjoyed their craft and what they did, it's really cool," he told Roch Kubatko of MASN.

Despite some criticism that Kimbrel has received throughout his 15 years as an MLB closer, he continues to showcase how elite of an arm he is coming out of the bullpen to finish games for his teams.

In 2024, he's 21-for-25 on save opportunities with a 2.23 ERA, having given up only eight earned runs on 16 hits during his 36 outings.

Kimbrel has been exactly what Baltimore has needed. A veteran arm who is able to come on and finish close games when necessary for this young team.

It's unlikely that he will ever catch the 600-save mark that Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman reached in their careers, but he's only 40 behind Lee Smith to become third on the all-time list, something that would truly mark how incredible Kimbrel has been.