Ranking the 8 best Braves closers of all-time

The Atlanta Braves have a rich history of dominant closers. Fans currently enjoy Raisel Iglesias making quick work in the ninth inning then hitting his signature point to the sky pose after a Braves win.

But where does Raisel rank among the best Braves closers of all-time? Throughout this piece you'll notice each closer's saves and bWAR accumulated while pitching for the Braves specifically. Of course this list is subjective, but we did our best to rank the top eight Braves closers in this article.

8. Billy Wagner - 2010 (37 saves, 2.5 bWAR)

We begin this list with a dominant closer who spent just one season in Atlanta. But oh man was it special. Wagner was undoubtably one of the most dominant closers of his generation, and belongs in the hall of fame.

His one season with Atlanta came in 2010, the final year of his 16 year career. In 2010 Wagner recorded 37 saves, had a 1.43 ERA and 2.10 FIP. That's about as well as you can finish a career as a reliever. Wagner also recorded his 400th career save with the Braves, before eventually finishing with 422 in his career.

7. Cecil Upshaw - 1966-1973 (79 saves, 6.1 bWAR)

During a time where closers were often asked to throw more than just the ninth inning, Cecil Upshaw logged a lot of innings out of the Braves bullpen. Across Upshaw's seven season with the Braves he recorded 79 saves, a mark that is still good enough for sixth most in Braves franchise history.

Upshaw threw 409.2 innings out of the Braves 'pen in total, all while posting a great 3.01 ERA and 3.02 FIP. Had Upshaw played on some better teams and racked up some more saves he may have ranked higher on our list.

6. Raisel Iglesias - 2022-2024 (62 saves and counting, 5.4 bWAR)

The current Braves closer already ranks sixth on our list with a chance to work his way up the list. Iglesias has been nails since the Braves acquired him from the Angels at the 2022 trade deadline. Atlanta moved Raisel to the closer role in 2023, and he has shined since.

The season Iglesias is putting together has him in conversations for the Trevor Hoffman award, which goes to the top National League reliever of the season. Hopefully, Iglesias continues to excell in the ninth inning and work his way up the future version of this list.

5. Rick Camp - 1976-1985 (57 saves, 13.5 bWAR)

Best known for his improbable home run in a marathon game, Rick Camp actually put together a solid career down in the Braves bullpen. Camp only crossed the 20 save plateau in a season once, but his consistency out of the bullpen earned him a spot on this list.

Camp's two best years were some of the best we saw however, as he pitched to a sub 2.00 ERA in both 1980 and 1981. His career 3.37 ERA made him one of the most reliable arms in Atlanta during the late 70's/early 80's.

4. Mark Wohlers 1991-1999 (112 saves, 3.2 bWAR)

Many remember Wohlers as the man who was on the mound for the final out of the 1995 World Series. However, Wohlers was pure dominance for the Braves from 1995-1997. He pitched to a sub 3.00 FIP in each of those seasons, including a 2.09 ERA and 1.88 FIP in Atlanta's championship season of '95.

Wohlers was an All-Star in 1996, but his star quickly faded in 1998. Wohlers bounced around shortly after '98 which tarnished how high he could've been on this list. However, that magical three year run is enough to earn him the fourth spot on our list.

3. Gene Garber 1978-1986 (141 saves, 9.3 bWAR)

The man who ranks third all-time on the franchise saves list, Gene Garber was a staple of the Braves bullpen in the 80's. Again, during a time where closers often threw more innings, Garber threw 856 innings in a Braves uniform.

Garber hit the 30 save mark just once with the Braves, but a career 3.34 ERA made him a great arm to deploy in the late innings. However, his inability to string together consecutive dominant seasons kept him from establishing himself as a true dominant closer...something the top two names on our list had no problem with.

2. John Smoltz 2001-2004 (154 saves, 7.4 bWAR)

The Hall of Famer who was so dominant over his career lands at number two on our list. The only reason he wasn't higher was because he was competing for Cy Young awards during most of his career.

Smoltz moved to the closer role in an attempt to limit innings after his Tommy John surgery. Not only did Smoltz adjust to the bullpen, he was absolutely dominant. In his first full season as closer he led the league in saves. The next two seasons that followed were 40+ save campaigns.

1. Craig Kimbrel - 2010-2014 (186 saves, 12.1 bWAR)

It's hard to begin a career more dominant than young Craig Kimbrel did for the Braves. He led the National League in saves in each full season with Atlanta. Kimbrel had a sub 2.00 FIP in each year with Atlanta.

In 2011 he was NL Rookie of the Year, then he followed that with a magical 2012 season in which he owned a 1.01 ERA and ridiculous 0.78 FIP. Kimbrel continued to shine with the Braves as he eventuallly became the franchise leader in saves. Dominating hitters with his powerful fastball and wipeout breaking ball, Kimbrel was truly the best reliever in baseball in the early 2010's.

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