Why Jonathan Papelbon Signing With The Phillies Is Good News For MetsFans

Think about the great closers over the past ten or twenty years.

Now, think about how many years they were great.

What you will find is that outside of a select few, even the best closers were not able to maintain a high level of success for a long period of time.

Take a look at this list:

CLOSER	YEARS OF “GREATNESS”
Joe Nathan	7
Jason Isringhausen	8
Chad Cordero	4
B.J. Ryan	5
Armando Benitez	8
Robb Nen	9
Keith Foulke	6
Francisco Rodriguez	9
Eric Gagne	3
Francisco Cordero	10
Antonio Alfonseca	4
Jeff Shaw	6

*To qualify for a “great” year, you had to  have one of 20+ saves, a sub three ERA or a K/9 greater than nine in a particular season.