Cleveland Indians: Cody Allen is the best closer in the game

It is hard to deny that Cody Allen is not only the best closer in the game, but also the most underrated closer in the game today.

Cody Allen is having a monster start to the Cleveland Indians’ 2017 campaign. Taking a look back at what he has accomplished over the past two seasons (2016 and 2017), I argue that Cody Allen is the best closer in the majors.

He is not the biggest name, and he might not even be the best pitcher in his own bullpen, but he does what he does extremely well. Similar to former Tribe closer Mike Jackson, Cody Allen gets the job done with no frills.

Cody Allen 2012-2015

Cody Allen came into the league at age 23 in 2012. He was not the closer out of the gate, as rookies rarely are, and he appeared in 99.1 innings in his first two seasons, compiling a 3.20 ERA. Not bad.

Then, after becoming closer in 2014, Cody decided to snag 24 saves in 28 chances to go along with nine holds, all while posting a 2.07 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 69.2 innings. In a “down year” Allen posted a 2.99 ERA in 2015, grabbing 34 saves in 38 opportunities, striking out 99 in 69.1 innings. This goes to say that from 2013 to 2015, Allen threw an average of 69.2 innings averaging 93 strikeouts with a 2.49 ERA.

Not too shabby, Mr. Allen.

He has never blown more than four saves in a season, and his K/9 innings has always been over 11.3. If you look at his WAR, he averaged close to a 1.7 WAR per season for the those three seasons.

And if you dig deeper and look at his WAR/salary, he produced a 1.0 WAR for every $304,000 earned. Think that’s not impressive? Look at a few comparisons (please do not yell, this list is not inclusive).

2013-2015 MLB Closers (WAR/Salary)

Aroldis Chapman – 1.0 WAR = $2,200,000

Craig Kimbrel – 1.0 WAR = $2,379,000

Greg Holland = 1.0 WAR = $2,282,000

Cody Allen 2016 to present

So, let’s take a look at last season. In the 2016 regular season, Cody Allen posted a 2.51 ERA over 68 innings of work. He had 32 saves with 87 strikeouts for a 11.5 K/9 innings. Allen finally earned a pay increase, bumping his salary from $547,100 to $4,150,000. Consistent as ever, Allen only blew three saves, two of them very early on.

In the postseason, Allen did some amazing stuff. He’s not quite Mariano Rivera, but he pitched in 13.2 innings in the three series, earning six saves, and striking out 24 for an incredible 15.8 K/9 innings.

Related: Allen deservedly named Reliever of the Month

As a comparison, his World Series counterpart Aroldis Chapman threw 15.2 innings in his three series, earning four saves, and striking out 21 for a measly 12.6 K/9 innings. We cannot forget that Chapman blew a save in Game 7 either.

This year, Allen has been nothing less than extraordinary. He already has seven saves in seven opportunities and has only given up one run, in his first appearance, over 11 innings of work. Allen has an incredible 22 strikeouts, averaging two strikeouts per inning for an 18.0 K/9 innings. He already has a 0.6 WAR, and his salary thankfully increased to $7,350,000 this season.

Why Allen is the best

Because Allen does not have a signature pitch or throw 100+ mph, experts and the media often overlook him. He also does not get as many save opportunities as a lot of other guys, so he has never cracked 35 saves in a season. Lastly, playing in Cleveland prior to 2016 meant that he was not getting the media coverage that guys in New York, Chicago, Boston, and L.A. were getting.

If you look at his entire body of work: strikeout rate, ERA, saves converted, walk rate, and performance in high-leverage situations, Allen sticks out as one of the best, if not the best closer in the game.

To add to Allen’s mystique, he has pitched behind Andrew Miller for the last 60 or so games, meaning he is getting even less attention on his own team. Even though Allen often allows runners on base, and even in scoring position, there is no manager in the majors that would not love to see Allen anchoring their bullpen.

He throws his mid-90s fastball, curve, and change extremely consistently. You will read headlines like “Cody Allen pitches just well enough” to win a game. He’s easy to hate because he shows very little emotion and lets guys on base. He’s basically the ninth inning version of Corey Kluber, maybe just a little less stoic.

Next: 5 players who surprised in April

Being the ninth inning version of a former Cy Young winner means that you are one of the best pitchers in the game. Cody Allen, so far in 2017, has been the best closer in the major leagues.

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