Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams has been named the 2023 Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year, MLB announced Wednesday.
This marks the second time Williams has won the award in his career, with his first coming back in 2020.
Williams went 8-3 with a 1.53 ERA, 0.920 WHIP, 13.3 strikeouts per nine innings, 36 saves and a 2.6 WAR this season. He made the All-Star Game for the second year in a row and he also finished 19th in NL MVP voting.
There were no finalists announced for the award, but Williams' stiffest competitors were Cincinnati Reds closer Alexis Díaz, San Diego Padres closer Josh Hader, Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar and Miami Marlins co-closer Tanner Scott. Although Williams didn't have the highest WAR, lowest ERA or most saves in the bunch, he was near the top of every major leaderboard and ultimately emerged victorious for the position's top honor.
Baltimore Orioles closer Félix Bautista, unsurprisingly, won the Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year Award.
Williams has been one of baseball's most untouchable pitchers ever since he won NL Rookie of the Year in 2020. He allowed just one earned run and struck out 53 batters in 22 appearances during that COVID-shortened campaign, which led to his first Hoffman Award, a seventh-place finish in NL Cy Young voting and a single NL MVP vote.
For his career, the 29-year-old Williams is 26-10 with a 1.89 ERA, 1.028 WHIP, 14.2 strikeouts per nine innings, 54 saves and a 7.4 WAR.
Williams took over as the Brewers' closer after the club traded Hader to the Padres at the 2022 MLB Trade Deadline. Between the two of them, Milwaukee now boasts five of the last six Hoffman Award winners.
Hoffman played for the Brewers in 2009 and 2010, just before he retired as the league's all-time saves leader.
The Brewers have Williams under contract for another two seasons. He is projected to make $6.5 million in arbitration this winter, according to MLB Trade Rumors.
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