Another day, another unanimous award for a Baltimore Oriole. A fan could get used to this…
A couple weeks ago, it was Gunnar Henderson earning every first-place vote for AL Rookie of the Year, and now it’s Felix Bautista matching Gunnar’s ballot with his own for Mariano Rivera Reliever of the Year. He’s the second Oriole to win it, joining Zach Britton (Zach then, Zack now) who earned it in 2016.
Bautista, 28, overcame some early control problems to elevate himself to Best Closer in MLB status. You could argue that he was already that after he took over for Jorge Lopez in the latter half of 2022, but this year he left no doubt. The Mountain was 33-for-39 in save opportunities, with five of them spanning more than an inning of work. Time and again we’d watch Brandon Hyde bring Felix in in the eighth inning with the O’s leading, or the ninth with the game tied (he also had eight wins), and the other team’s bats would simply disappear.
He had a 1.48 ERA, 1.88 FIP, 2.30 xFIP, and 3.0 bWAR. His 16.23 K/9 led MLB, with only Aroldis Chapman joining him with more than 14 K/9. He earned his first All-Star nod as well (though his appearance didn’t go how he’d hoped).
Of course, this news comes as a bit bittersweet for Birdland, as Bautista was unable to complete the 2023 season. It was on Friday, August 25 against Colorado when Bautista, just one strike away from his 34th save, exited the game with discomfort in his pitching arm. Though the team teased us with some hope that Bautista could avoid Tommy John Surgery, in the end it was just that: hope. The only good news is that it’s not like the team ever really needed him while getting swept out of the postseason by the eventual World Series Champion Texas Rangers.
Felix underwent TJS last month, and is expected to miss the entire 2024 season. Needless to say, you could get shorter odds on the O’s to win the 2024 World Series at sportsbook bonuses in Maryland if Baltimore had The Mountain at their disposal headed into Spring Training.
Congratulations, Felix! We miss you. Here’s to a full and speedy recovery.
