Major League Baseball Reliever of the Year Award


annually honors its best relief pitchers in the American League and National League with the Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year Award and Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year Award, respectively. The awards are named after Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman, who played their entire careers in the respective leagues. First issued in 2014, the awards replaced the Major League Baseball Delivery Man of the Year Award, which had been presented since 2005. Also in 2014, the Major League Baseball Delivery Man of the Month Award was discontinued. The Reliever of the Year Award winners had all been closers until 2018, when Josh Hader of the Milwaukee Brewers won as a setup man, but he won the NL title in 2019 as a closer.
The Reliever of the Year Awards are based on the votes of a panel of retired relievers. Each voter selects three pitchers for each league based solely on their performance in the regular season; a 5-3-1 weighted point system is used to determine the winner. At its inception in 2014, the panel consisted of the top five relievers in career saves at the time—Rivera, Hoffman, Lee Smith, John Franco, and Billy Wagner—and the four living relief pitchers who were in the Hall of Fame: Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, and Bruce Sutter.
In 2019, both winners of the awards were also named in the inaugural All-MLB teams.

Reliever of the Year Award (2014–present)

Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year winners

YearPlayerTeamSVERAWHIPKIPRef
2014Atlanta Braves471.610.9195
2015Pittsburgh Pirates512.230.9362
2016Los Angeles Dodgers471.830.67104
2017 Los Angeles Dodgers411.320.75109
2018Milwaukee Brewers122.430.81143
2019
Milwaukee Brewers372.620.81138

Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year winners

YearPlayerTeamSVERAWHIPKIPRef
2014Kansas City Royals461.440.9190
2015New York Yankees362.040.86100
2016Baltimore Orioles470.540.847467
2017 Boston Red Sox351.430.6812669
2018Seattle Mariners571.960.79124
2019
New York Yankees372.211.118557

Delivery Man Award (2005–2013)

The Delivery Man Awards were initially part of a sponsorship agreement between MLB and package delivery company DHL Express from 2005 to 2010. From its inception in 2005 through 2008, the annual award was given to a single reliever who was selected online by fans from a group of 10 finalists chosen by an MLB panel. The panel took sole responsibility to select the annual winner starting in 2009. The winner of the monthly award was decided on by a four-man panel, which originally consisted of Dennis Eckersley, Jerome Holtzman, Rick Sutcliffe and Bob Watson. The panel has included Darryl Hamilton and Mike Bauman, a national columnist for MLB.com.
The awards were given through 2013. Rivera won the Delivery Man Award more than any other AL pitcher; he received the annual award in 2005, 2006, and 2009, and was named the monthly winner in April 2008 and July 2009. Hoffman won the monthly award four times in the NL; winning in May 2005, September 2006, May 2007, and May 2009. Joe Nathan and Rafael Soriano have won the monthly award three times. Other pitchers who won multiple times include Jonathan Papelbon, Brad Lidge, Heath Bell, and Francisco Rodríguez.

Annual winners

YearPlayerTeamSVERAWHIPKIPRef
2005 New York Yankees431.380.8780
2006 New York Yankees341.800.965575
2007Boston Red Sox371.850.7784
2008Philadelphia Phillies411.951.2392
2009 New York Yankees441.760.9072
2010San Diego Padres471.931.208670
2011Detroit Tigers492.241.1969
2012Tampa Bay Rays480.600.7876
2013Atlanta Braves501.210.889867

Monthly winners

MonthYearPlayerTeamSVERAHBBKIPRef
2005Pittsburgh Pirates81.1272108
2005 San Diego Padres120.82611311
2005Washington Nationals150.0011214
2005Houston Astros81.64411511
2005Florida Marlins120.6610013
2005Chicago Cubs130.0010519
2006 Boston Red Sox100.007214
2006St. Louis Cardinals100.777814
2006 Chicago White Sox100.60951615
2006 Minnesota Twins90.75941912
2006 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim120.007617
2006 San Diego Padres101.50741312
2007Milwaukee Brewers100.002719
2007 San Diego Padres110.006110
2007 Seattle Mariners110.596319
2007New York Mets80.002479
2007Los Angeles Dodgers100.687221
2007Colorado Rockies82.301325
2008 New York Yankees80.00401213
2008Toronto Blue Jays100.75761412
2008 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim111.595512
2008 Minnesota Twins70.82351211
2008Houston Astros110.64531714
2008 Kansas City Royals90.00348
2009San Diego Padres80.00429
2009 Milwaukee Brewers110.00411112
2009 Minnesota Twins110.004118
2009 New York Yankees100.00329
2009St. Louis Cardinals110.0066411
2009 Kansas City Royals100.0012521
2010Washington Nationals100.6812615
2010 Tampa Bay Rays90.00339
2010 Chicago White Sox100.75711412
2010 Tampa Bay Rays112.5744914
2010 Tampa Bay Rays100.824210
2010Chicago Cubs130.0021025
2011Colorado Rockies102.2013417
2011 Arizona Diamondbacks110.00541013
2011Pittsburgh Pirates90.715311
2011Milwaukee Brewers112.571331614
2011 Atlanta Braves100.006423
2011 Arizona Diamondbacks100.006115
2012 Philadelphia Phillies80.90631010
2012Baltimore Orioles91.42708
2012Washington Nationals100.002612
2012 Cincinnati Reds130.006231
2012 Cincinnati Reds110.688218
2012 Atlanta Braves100.006225
2013 Pittsburgh Pirates100.82541711
2013 Pittsburgh Pirates121.327121
2013 Texas Rangers110.636315
2013 Kansas City Royals110.82911511
2013 Atlanta Braves120.008219
2013 Kansas City Royals110.60742015