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​​​​​​​​​​LEFTHANDED BASEBALL

The Best Lefthanded Batters and Lefthanded Pitchers in Baseball

​Current Best Lefthanded Relief Pitchers

Based on stats and status prior to start of 2022 season.  2023 updates coming soon.

Based on stats and status prior to start of 2022 season.  2023 updates coming soon.

Aroldis Chapman has pitched 12 years in the majors, including 6 years in Cincinnati, 1 year with the Chicago Cubs, and he is now entering his 7th season with the New York Yankees.  He has 306 saves to start the 2022 season (3rd among active players and 27th all-time) along with a 2.36 career ERA. 

Chapman has been one of the hardest throwers in the game since he began his career, and he has 1002 strikeouts in only 603 innings pitched.  He is a 7 time all-star and if he stays healthy for a few more seasons he will be a strong candidate for the Baseball Hall of Fame .

Zack Britton has pitched 11 years in the majors, including 8 years with Baltimore, and the rest with the New York Yankees.  He has 154 saves which ranks 8th among active players and 83rd all-time.  Most of those saves (139 of them) came with Baltimore, including his best year of 2016 when he saved 47 games in 47 opportunities and had a 0.54 ERA in 67 innings pitched.  Britton gave up most of his save opportunities he joined Chapman on the Yankees, but when he is healthy he remains one of the best relief pitchers in the game. ​

Other Top Lefthanded Relief Pitchers

Two of the best lefthanded relief pitchers active in Major League Baseball have been good enough for long enough to rank in the top 100 all-time in Saves.

Brad Hand has pitched 11 years in the majors with 6 different teams, and starts 2022 as a new member of the Philadelphia Phillies.  He has 126 saves, including 34 saves in 2019.  He has 685 strikeouts in 673 innings, with a 3.68 ERA.

Sean Doolittle has pitched 10 years in the majors with 4 different teams, and starts 2022 in his 2nd season with Seattle.  He has 112 saves, including 20 or more in 4 different years, and a personal high of 29 saves in 2019.   He has 516 strikeouts in 445 innings with a 3.23 ERA.

Josh Hader has pitched 5 years in the major, all with the Milwaukee Brewers.  He has 96 saves, with 482 strikeouts in 232 innings, and a 2.26 ERA.  He had 37 saves with 138 strikeouts in 75 innings in 2019, and 34 saves with a 1.23 ERA in 2021.

Will Smith has pitched 9 years in the majors with 4 different teams, and starts 2022 in his 3rd year with the Atlanta Braves.  He has 86 saves, with 599 strikeouts in 494 innings, and a 3.55 ERA.  He had 34 saves with a 2.55 ERA in 2019, and 37 more saves in 2021.

​Jake McGee has pitched 12 years in the majors with 4 different teams, and starts 2022 in his 2nd year with the San Francisco Giants.  He has 76 saves, with 588 strikeouts in 535 innings and a 3.59 earned run average.​  His best season was 2021, when he had 31 of those 76 saves.

Taylor Rogers has pitched 6 years in the majors, all with the Minnesota Twins.  He has 50 saves, with 361 strikeouts in 314 innings, with a 3.15 ERA.  His best season was 2019 when he had 30 saves and a 2.61 ERA.

Tony Watson has pitched 11 years in the majors with 4 different teams, and he has yet to sign for the 2022 season.  He has 32 saves, with 570 strikeouts in 648 innings and a 2.90 ERA.  He also has 47 wins and 29 losses to his credit.