In this series, we are choosing the best seasons at each position by using the Baseball-reference.com stat Wins Above Replacement, or WAR. It is a statistic that tries to objectively combine all of a player’s contributions into one number. That number is expressed as the number of wins the player would generate above that of a “replacement player,” i.e. the kind of player you could call up any time from AAA and plug in.
There are many other ways to determine the best seasons in baseball history. WAR is only one of many modern statistical systems for determining a season’s total value. You could also choose the best in a more subjective manner. This list should not be considered the final word on the subject. Think of it instead as one perspective on the best relief pitcher seasons ever.
NOTE: To qualify for this list, a player had to spend at least 80 percent of his games as a relief pitcher in the season in question. Pitchers of any quality almost never fulfilled such a role before World War II, so this list will consist entirely of seasons since 1946.
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