A Milwaukee Brewers pitcher has won the Trevor Hoffman NL reliever of the year award five times out of the last six years. Josh Hader was the winner in 2018, 2019, and 2021 whereas Devin Williams 2020 and 2023. The lone non-Brewers winner during this span was Edwin Diaz of the New York Mets in 2022.
When Devin Williams first won the award in 2020 he was also announced as the rookie of the year. During that shortened season he struck batters out at an alarming 53% rate. His changeup was coined “the airbender” and it has continued to be one baseball’s most dominant pitches.
In 2023 Devin Williams became the Brewers full time closer. Josh Hader previously held that position, but he was traded half way through the 2022 season and Milwaukee elected to use a couple of pitchers alongside Devin Williams to close out games after his departure. Devin Williams did not disappoint during his first full year as a closer as he secured 36 saves, had a 1.53 ERA, and received Cy Young votes.
Devin Williams speaks out after winning his second NL reliever of the year award with the Milwaukee Brewers.
After being announced as the 2023 NL reliever of the year Devin Williams appeared on MLB Network and was very grateful to be recognized for his performance. He also talked about his changeup, its development, and his feel for it.
“It’s an incredible feeling. This is what you work for, or at least one of the things. It’s nice to have my work recognized.”
As for the development of his changeup as well as how he commands it here is what he said.
“The development goes back to my childhood, just playing catch in the backyard. I didn’t’ really know how good it was or how it could be until 2020 when I started throwing it more and getting the results I was looking for.”
“It’s definitely feel, but I can try and shape it differently. Try and make it shorter, bigger, depending upon the count and who the hitter is. It’s all feel and just how much I want it to move.”
Over five seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers Devin Williams has a 1.89 career ERA over 214 innings pitched. He has 54 career saves and a career 14.2 K:9 ratio. His continued success has been fun to watch, but his team control will run out after the 2025 season and it’s unlikely that he remains a member of the Brew Crew long term.
Follow me on Twitter @tylerkoerth. Follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great sports content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!. We cover the Milwaukee Brewers, Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers, and Wisconsin High School Sports. Additionally we provide the latest news coverage on the NFL, MLB, and NBA. Lastly we are your home for betting.
