2021 Eck Award Winner: Liam Hendriks

Liam Hendriks ran away with the 2021 Eck Award, winning by one of the widest margins in recent memory and quietly putting together one of the highest Eck's scores in almost a decade.

The Tucson closer reached the rare 40-save mark, a year after just one closer reached 30 saves. It's only the seventh time in DMBL history that someone has cracked 40 saves, and it's the most saves since Kenley Jansen recorded 39 for San Francisco in 2013.

		Sv	BSv	W	L	PTS
1	Hendricks, TUC	40	4	6	5	83
2	Hahn, SCS	33	4	3	2	66
3	Mayers, EP	28	5	8	5	62
4	Jeffress, ARK	27	2	7	5	61
5	AndersonN, HBK	29	1	2	2	59
6	ReyesA, NWK	27	7	4	4	51
7	Hader, EC	25	6	5	6	48
8	Melancon, RP	23	3	5	6	47
9	Colome, ER-BR	24	6	3	4	44
10	MartinC, POO	20	2	6	7	43

 It's unfortunate news for Sardine City's Jesse Hahn, whose point total would have won the Eck fairly easily in any of the past two seasons. Only once in the past five seasons (2018) has the Eck Award winner eclipsed 70 points. Hendriks' point total is the highest since at least 2018 when Andrew Miller recorded 80 for Sardine City and likely is seventh best all-time.

Hendriks and Hahn were the only closers to reach 30 saves with the rest of the pack bunched up in the high 20s. It's the third Eck Award for the King Snakes franchise. Seung Hwan Oh won it as a rookie in 2017 with 69 points and Craig Kimbrel won it in 2014 with 77 points, edging Jansen by 1 point.

El Paso's Mike Mayers, Jeremy Jeffress of Arkansas and Hoboken's Nick Anderson trailed Hendriks and Hahn and were only separated by one point each. Anderson recorded 29 saves and had been perfect in save opportunities until his final outing, missing out on 30. He led the league in save percentage (.967), ahead of Jeffress (.931) and Hendriks (.909), anchoring the bullpen for a staff that led the league in ERA (3.41) and WHIP (1.14) The blown save cost Anderson not only a perfect season but sole possession of the league record, which he now shares with Hillsborough's Rafael Soriano, who in 2011 also saved 29 of 30 chances. Hendriks and Hahn also were 1-2 in the league in save opportunities with 44 and 37, respectively, followed by Newark's Anthony Reyes with 34.

As for the unheralded men in the bullpen, perhaps no one was better than Sardine City's Aaron Slegers. He led the league with 118 appearances but the rest of his stats looked like a starting pitcher. He was among 8 pitchers to earn 18 wins (18-5) and finished 7th in the league in ERA (2.51). The win total led the Straphangers and broke the league record for relief wins (16, set by Jeff Zimmerman in 2000 with Vancouver). Coupled with 6 saves, the 18 wins gave Slegers 34 points - only good enough for 11th in the Eck Award. He also logged 186.7 innings out of the bullpen, had a league-high 9 blown saves but also registered 28 holds.

Hold records were shattered this year. The previous record of 24 was set by Tim Worrell with Stanhope in 2001 and Joel Zumaya with New Jersey in 2007. Four pitchers broke that mark and three were within one hold of matching it. John Curtiss of Arkansas set the new mark with 35, followed by Slegers and Kyle Zimmer of Tucson with 28, and Jonathan Loaisiga of Newark with 26.

Chris Martin of Poovey Farms may have finished a distant 10th for the Eck Award but he led the league with .029 inherited runners scored (1/34) -- another new league record. Race Point's Mark Melancon (0.040, 1/25) also would have set a new mark, besting the 0.054 by Newark's Brandon Lyon in 2010. Five pitchers in all limited inherited runners to less than .100 this year, including: Lucas Sims of Allentown (0.89, 5/56), Justin Wilson of Race Point (0.095, 4/24) and Vancouver's Oliver Perez (0.097, 3/31).

The Eckersley Relief Man of the Year Award is named for Dennis Eckersley, who revolutionized the closer position during the 1990s with Vancouver and Toledo. The Eck is the only award not voted upon by owners but instead uses a formula. Pitchers earn 2 points for each save and each win but get 1 point deducted for each loss and each blown save. Holds are not included in the formula.