Mariano Rivera

The ageless wonder just kept it going in 2011, putting up yet another year with 40-plus saves, an ERA under 2.00, and a WHIP below 1.000. The Yankees do have a ready-made fill-in for Rivera with the emergence of David Robertson, so they may be more willing to put Rivera on the shelf for a few weeks if he experiences any aches and pains, but Rivera shows absolutely no signs of weakening, and there's no reason to think he can't duplicate his 2011 stats. Other than handcuffing Robertson in case this is the year Rivera finally shows his age (or if he decides to retire, as he's mentioned to the New York press), we have no hesitation about drafting him as one of the top closers out there.

He has to slow down at some point (we think), but there's no reason to think it will be in 2011. Even at age 40 last season, Rivera posted a miniscule 1.80 ERA with 45 strikeouts and 11 walks in 60 innings. Although his velocity is down a bit, his cutter is still as unhittable as ever. The Yankees still believe that he'll be their ninth-inning man for a couple of seasons, as evidenced by the two-year, $30 million deal he inked in the offseason to stay in the Bronx.

After recording the final out of the Yankees� 27th world championship, Rivera (now 40 years old) said he wanted to play five more years. At this point, who are we to doubt him? The ageless one racked up 44 saves last season, posting a 72:12 K:BB ratio in 66.1 innings, and surrendered an earned run in just two of his final 40 appearances. Until he shows any signs of slowing down, he�ll remain among the game�s elite closers.

It sounds like Rivera may have been pitching through some pain last season, but the 38-year-old proved that he's still one of the game's elite ninth-inning options, racking up 39 saves while posting a 77:6 K:BB ratio and allowed just 41 hits in 70.2 innings. Fortunately, Rivera did not have any structural damage during October surgery that was performed to shave a calcified joint on the top of his pitching shoulder, so his offseason surgery was very minor. He's slated to resume throwing a month before spring training begins, so there's little reason to worry about the operation effecting his status for next season.

While father time may slowly be creeping up on Rivera, he still remains one of the best closers in the business. Toss out a dismal April in which he had a 10.57 ERA and you'll see 2.26 line from May to season's end. His 30 saves were an all-time low for a season in which he has made at least 50 appearances, but opportunities were few and far between early in the 2007 campaign, and inconsistency in the bullpen didn't help. Rivera showed plenty of ability to keep hitters off balance, fanning 9.34 hitters per nine innings - his best mark since 1996. Rivera is one of the most proven closers the game has seen and remains a top closer option for 2008, especially when you consider the turnover and instability at the position around the league.

Few clubs have been able to turn games over to a more consistently dominant closer over the past 10 years. An elbow issue limited his appearances in September, keeping him from the 40-save plateau for the first time since 2003, but he will be 100 percent for spring training. Given his proven track record and ability to still get the tough outs, Rivera remains an elite option at a very fluid position.

Many thought Rivera should have won the Cy Young Award in 2005. It might be optimistic to expect seven wins and a 1.38 ERA again, but the man is the greatest closer of all time and hasn't shown a single sign of slowing down. He still strikes out more than a batter per inning and batters continue to look as foolish against him as they have for the last decade.

Rivera made a run at Bobby Thigpen's single-season saves record of 57, and if the Yankees starting pitching continues to force them into so many 8-7 games, there's no reason to think he can't do it again. Rivera is 35, and his strikeout rate has come down each of the past four years to 7.55 K/9IP, but the air of invincibility around him is only now starting to lift. He's got a few years left as a top-notch closer.

After being sidelined for the sart of 2003 because of an injured groin, Rivera came back to record another dominant season. The one concern we have was how much manager Joe Torre leaned on him for multiple-inning appearances in the playoffs, which could affect his durability over time. The addition of Tom Gordon and Paul Quantrill and getting Steve Karsay back from injury should help limit him to one-inning stints, which will pay dividends to his owners in the long run.

Rivera was dogged by shoulder problems last season, costing him 20+ innings and 15-20 saves. But other than that he was his usual effective self, posting a 2.74 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP and a 41/11 K/BB ratio. Keep an eye on his health during spring training, and if his shoulder isn't giving him any problems, put him at the top of your closer list.