Brewers closer Devin Williams honored as the best reliever in the National League

The Trevor Hoffman Award is headed to Milwaukee once again. 

Brewers closer Devin Williams received the award for the National League’s best relief pitcher Wednesday night, marking the second time in his career he has earned the honor and the fifth time in the last six seasons a Brewers pitcher won. 

Félix Bautista of the Baltimore Orioles won the Mariano Rivera Award for Reliever of the Year honors in the American League.

Williams, in his first full season as closer, carried on the Brewers tradition of great relief pitching with a dominant 2023 season. He pitched in 61 games, saving 36 of them, while sporting a 1.53 ERA and striking out 87 batters.  

Williams so often was positioned in games with absolutely no margin for error if he wanted to get the job done, entering one-run save situations or tie games in the ninth or extra innings. He was nearly flawless in those spots, blowing only four saves and allowing an earned run only six times. Opponents only tagged him for more than one earned run twice, and as a result he led all National League players in championship win probability added. 

Williams was one of only two pitchers with an ERA under 2.00 and at least 30 saves, with Padres closer and former teammate Josh Hader the other. 

Hader won three awards (2018, ‘19, ‘21) in his time wearing a Brewers uniform before being traded to San Diego in 2022. Williams won during his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2020 and received the closer’s role torch from Hader midway through last season. 

Together, Williams and Hader are the primary reasons the Brewers lead all of the major leagues in saves (255) and strikeout rate (26.8%) since 2018. 

The only other team to have a pitcher win the Hoffman Award since 2018 is the New York Mets, with Edwin Diaz taking home the honor last year.