St. Louis Cardinals: All-time top five Cardinals closers


May 5, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Trevor Rosenthal (44) throws to a Chicago Cubs batter during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Cubs 7-4. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
4) Trevor Rosenthal, Closer – St. Louis Cardinals, 2014-present
I have no doubt that a decent chunk of you will be ready to get on my case for adding Rosenthal to this list after just one full season as the St. Louis closer, but, well, that’s life.
Since he broke on to the scene, he’s been good – very good. And that, in and of itself, is deserving of the No. 4 spot on this list.
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Rosenthal has been nothing short of dominant this season, posting a 0.67 earned run average en route to a league-leading 18 saves through the first two months. Last season, he struggled at times, but still racked up 45 saves for the Cardinals.
In his career with the Redbirds, Rosenthal has 66 saves, which already ranks as the sixth-best mark in franchise history, tied with Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley.
Yes, he’s young and he’s still transforming into a top-notch reliever, but one thing is for sure: he’s done more than enough to warrant mention amongst the Cards’ all-time greats.
Next: A little-known, mustached closer