Comparing Mason Miller’s 2026 paces to best MLB relief seasons
Consider Mason Miller the most recent evolution of the flame-throwing, fire-breathing relief pitcher, from Dick Radatz to Goose Gossage to Rob Dibble to Billy Wagner to Craig Kimbrel and Aroldis Chapman. Pitching in one-inning bursts of thrilling 101 mph fastballs, Miller had a streak of 37⅓ scoreless innings going again to final season till he allowed two runs final week whereas closing out a win for the San Diego Padres over the Chicago Cubs.
Even then, it was a little bit of a fluke, because the Cubs’ rally started with a 49.5 mph curler down the third-base line which may have been a foul ball. Two extra base hits, a groundout and a wild pitch adopted, and Miller noticed his ERA climb from 0.00 all the way in which to 1.26 and his batting common allowed skyrocket from .071 to … .125.
Despite that little blip, Miller’s domination because the Padres acquired him from the Athletics final season has put his title within the dialog about a number of the best reliever seasons we have ever seen.
Let’s learn how true that assertion is: Are we watching the best relief season in MLB historical past? Here’s how Miller’s astounding early numbers stack up to all-time reliever information — and what number of new marks Miller may set this season.
(For all information, we’re utilizing a minimal of fifty innings pitched in a season.)
Lowest batting common allowed
Current report: .113 (Kirby Yates2024 Texas Rangers)
Miller, 2026: .121
Record in play? Yes
I speculated earlier than the season {that a} sub-.100 common allowed could possibly be in play with Miller. Since Aug. 6 of final season, together with two postseason appearances, he has allowed an .084 common. As his outing towards the Cubs confirmed, nonetheless, it takes solely a few delicate hits right here and there to make that under-.100 common an much more tough job.
Yates’ 2024 season flew beneath the radar on the time as he allowed simply 23 hits in 61⅔ innings. He completed sturdy, permitting 4 hits in his closing 22 innings. According to Statcast, Yates’ anticipated common allowed was .146, so he allowed about seven fewer hits than anticipated based mostly on his contact high quality.
Certainly, the less balls in play that Miller permits, the higher his odds are of topping Yates’ common. That means numerous strikeouts…
Strikeout price
Current report: 52.5% (Aroldis Chapman, 2014 Cincinnati Reds)
Miller, 2026: 55.7%
Record in play? Yes
Three relievers have struck out 50% of the batters they confronted in a season: Chapman in 2014, Kimbrel in 2012 (50.2%) and Edwin Diaz in 2022 (50.2%). Chapman was completely dominant in 2014, throwing 494 pitches at 100-plus mph — and batters placing simply 39 of them in play.
Chapman threw his fastball practically 69% of the time that season, after which usually went to his slider with two strikes, however Miller’s strategy is far totally different. He throws his slider 52.6% of the time in contrast with 40% for his triple-digit heater. His swing-and-miss price on his fastball is somewhat increased than Chapman’s price in 2014 — 44.6% to 41% — however Miller has generated an absurd 73.6% whiff price together with his slider, so his total swing-and-miss price is far increased than Chapman’s, 57.8% to 45.4%.
That ought to give Miller probability on the report, and after a blip by which he fanned simply two of 16 batters confronted, he is again on monitor with 5 strikeouts in his final two appearances. Batters had stopped swinging as a lot on the slider, so Miller adjusted and threw his fastball extra usually.
Strikeouts in a season
Current report: 181 (Dick Radatz, 1964 Boston Red Sox)
Miller’s 2026 tempo: 153
Record in play? No
Radatz was a 6-foot-6 mountain of a person nicknamed “The Monster.” He threw from a whippy sidearm movement like Don Drysdale and had a dominant three-year run from 1962 to 1964 when he went 40-21 with a 2.17 ERA as a reliever — whereas averaging 138 innings per season, together with 157 in 1964. Radatz would blame his burnout on including a sinker in 1965 (on the suggestion of Ted Williams), saying, “I changed my arm position… and it was all downhill from there.”
Miller, in fact, will not strategy 100 innings, not to mention 150. He pitched 61⅔ innings final yr, racking up 104 strikeouts, a powerful 15.2 K’s per 9. Maybe he can go for the very best sub-100-inning mark of 157, set by Brad Lidge with the Houston Astros in 2004. Josh Hader fanned 143 in 81⅓ innings in 2018, a top-10 mark all time.
Lowest OPS allowed
Current report: .358 (Craig Kimbrel, 2012 Atlanta Braves)
Miller, 2026: .285
Record in play? Yes
The key right here just isn’t permitting extra-base hits or surrendering too many walks. Kimbrel allowed a .126 common in 2012 and simply 4 extra-base hits, though three of them have been residence runs. He walked simply 14 batters in 62⅔ innings, the best management season of his profession.
So far, so good for Miller. All seven hits he has allowed have been singles, and he has reduce his stroll price from 4.1 walks per 9 innings in 2025 to 1.6 to date in 2026. Miller did enable 5 residence runs in 2025 — all off his fastball. Four of them got here on first-pitch fastballs, so there was a particular sample there, which Miller has adjusted to by throwing extra first-pitch sliders. It’s working to date.
Lowest ERA
Current report: 0.54 (Zack Britton2016 Baltimore Orioles)
Miller, 2026: 1.04
Record in play? most likely not
This will likely be a troublesome one. If Miller pitches the identical 61⅔ innings as final season, he can enable solely three earned runs; 4 earned runs in these innings would depart him with a 0.58 ERA. Britton allowed 4 earned runs in 67 innings (and three unearned runs, which all got here in the identical outing). His key: one residence run allowed and a .085 batting common allowed with runners in scoring place. Miller has no margin of error right here.
One bloop and a blast and this seems out of attain.
Most saved
Current report: 62 (Francisco Rodriguez, 2008 Los Angeles Angels)
Miller’s 2026 tempo: 50
Record in play? No
Rodriguez’s saves report is among the most underrated information within the sport as he has a large five-save hole over the No. 2 guys, Edwin Diaz for the Seattle Mariners in 2018 and Bobby Thigpen for the Chicago White Sox in 1990. Rodriguez’s season was fascinating as he made 76 appearances however pitched simply 68⅓ innings — so the full innings is affordable by 2026 requirements, however he had 5 one-out saves and three two-out saves, as Angels supervisor Mike Scioscia usually introduced Rodriguez into video games after placing hazard within the ninth. In reality, the Angels had numerous these video games that yr: Rodriguez was hardly good, blowing seven save possibilities, so his sheer quantity of alternative is difficult to match.
He additionally pitched three days in a row on 5 separate events — one thing managers are more and more reluctant to do nowadays. Miller pitched three straight days simply eleven final season and hasn’t finished so but in 2026. Jason Adam and Adrian Morejon every have a save for the Padres, as supervisor Craig Stammen will hand a save alternative to one other reliever so as to keep away from utilizing Miller three straight days.
Most saves (no blown)
Current report: 55-for-55 (Eric Gagne, 2003 Los Angeles Dodgers)
Miller, 2026: 11-for-11 in saves
Record in play? Maybe?
Miller may not get that many alternatives, however here is what IS in play: an ideal season. Gagne misplaced three video games that yr (and blew the save whereas selecting up the loss within the All-Star Game, if you would like to depend that).
Three different relievers have saved not less than 30 video games with out blowing a save: Jose Valverde went 49-for-49 for the Detroit Tigers in 2011, Baltimore’s Britton was 47-for-47 in 2016 and Lidge was 41-for-41 for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008. Lidge, nonetheless, is the one one with an ideal season: He went 2-0 and was additionally 7-for-7 in save possibilities within the postseason.
Alas… Lidge ALSO misplaced the All-Star Game that yr.
OK, possibly that does not depend, however what makes going good in 2026 tougher is the free runner in further innings. It’s simple to blow a save or lose a sport with out even giving up a success. One of Miller’s two losses final yr got here on this vogue — not giving up a success however strolling within the successful run with the bases loaded.
Highest WAR
Current report: 8.2 (Goose Gossage, 1975 White Sox) / 5.2 (Bruce Sutter, 1977 Cubs)
Miller’s 2026 tempo: 4.5 (Baseball-Reference) / 5.4 (FanGraphs)
Record in play? It’s difficult
Since Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs calculate their pitcher WAR a lot in another way, certainly one of these is out of attain, however the different is in play. Gossage pitched 141⅔ innings, going 9-8 with 26 saves and a 1.84 ERA. Baseball-Reference additionally components leverage into its reliever WAR, and Gossage pitched numerous high-leverage innings that yr.
The highest bWAR for a sub-100-inning reliever is Jonathan Papelbon’s 5.0 for the Red Sox in 2006, when he had a 0.92 ERA and 35 saves in 68⅓ innings.
FanGraphs WAR focuses on hits, walks and residential runs — and Miller has dominated these classes to date, posting 1.1 fWAR via the Padres’ first 36 video games, placing him on a report tempo regardless that he will not come shut to the 107 innings that Sutter pitched in 1977.
