Seattle Mariners: Does it matter if Diaz breaks saves record?

I’ll be the first to tell you that saves are a meaningless stat when determining the quality and worth of a relief pitcher. So why am I so excited to see if Edwin Diaz can break the single-season saves record?

Sporadic hiccups aside, Diaz has been the one constant in the Mariners’ ever-inconsistent 2018 season. In 57 attempts, Diaz has 53 saves and is nine short of Francisco Rodriguez’s 62-save record in 2008.

Even more sporadic has been Diaz’s appearances outside of save opportunities, and the frustrations such decisions have provoked have been notoriously well-documented on this site.

Still, Diaz has been an absolute stud for the Mariners in a season that has quickly gone from exciting to a major disappointment. While saves truly don’t matter in the grand scheme of things, witnessing Diaz etch his name forever in baseball lore would be exciting.

At the very least, it gives Mariners fans something to cheer for and be proud of when everything else surrounding the team feels utterly bleak.

Of course, Diaz’s fortune is contingent upon the Mariners playing well enough to allow him save opportunities. Right now, it’s hardly a guarantee the Mariners can win 10 of their last 22 games, let alone give Diaz his required 10 chances.

If I were to put money on it, I’d say Diaz falls short by about four or five saves. In the end, that’s fine. Diaz has still had an extraordinary season; one that could be revered as one of the best for a reliever in MLB history.

No matter where Diaz ends up by the end of September, great pride should be taken in what he has done for the Mariners’ organization in 2018.

The Mariners’ historic success in one-run games this season would simply not be possible without Edwin Diaz. While I’m still not a subscriber to saves and likely never will be, Diaz’s one-run domination has added value to his save totals.

They’re not just numbers for him, they’re an indication of the weight that has consistently been placed on his shoulders.

Perhaps that’s why I want him to get the saves record, because no closer has carried a team in the way Diaz has for quite some time and the save numbers – if you look deeper – do reflect that.

Additionally, it’s something fun to root for and keep track of. Right now, the Mariners aren’t a lot of fun and the depression will kick in even more once they’re inevitably eliminated from the playoff picture within the next week or two.

At the beginning of this season, I asked for this team to be fun. Diaz has made them fun. Whether the record matters or not is irrelevant. It’s fun.