Carlos Estévez is probably a name that people have heard of if they watched Major League Baseball, but not someone that they would have paid attention to. Estévez was an eight-year veteran coming into the 2025 season, with one All-Star appearance when he played on the Los Angeles Angels. Despite this, Estévez made his mark on the 2025 MLB season, leading the league in saves with 42.
Throughout his career, Estévez has played with four teams. The Colorado Rockies drafted him, but didn’t find a lot of success in his six seasons with the organization. During his time there, he posted a 2.1 WAR, an 18-21 record and a 4.59 ERA, none of which stood out. He then moved to the Angels in 2023, where he found more success, being a first-time All-Star and lowering his ERA to 3.90, earning a then career-high in saves with 31. In 2024, Estévez became a high-quality reliever. Although the Angels traded him midway through the season, that didn’t affect his play at all. Estévez helped the Philadelphia Phillies with their playoff push in 2024, posting a 2.57 ERA with the team. In 2025, he signed with the Royals.
After their surprise playoff berth in 2024, the Royals were a team to look at coming into the 2025 season. Though they didn’t make the postseason this year, it was no fault of Estévez, as he had a career year. He led the American League and the MLB in saves, having a sparkling 2.45 ERA in 66 innings pitched.
Estévez is not your modern-day dominating closer. He only throws three pitches: fastball, slider and changeup. He doesn’t light up the radar gun in comparison to other elite closers– his average fastball is about 96 MPH. The key to his success was his ability to change speeds, walk fewer batters, execute pitches and lock down save opportunities.
The deception that he gains due to his velocity is impressive. His changeup averages 87.9 MPH, and his slider averages 87.3 MPH. This means that he has two completely different pitches that move in opposite directions at slightly different speeds, released from the same arm angle. His dominance is proven in his numbers, with opponents batting an abysmal .199 against him and boasting one of the best walk rates of his career with 8.8%.
Estévez is in some great Royals company, joining Dan Quisenberry as the second Royal ever to lead the MLB in saves. This season also put Estévez seventh all-time for Royals saves in a season. The Royals have had some great relievers in past seasons, but none as statistically dominant as Estévez.
While he is no longer a young player, going into his age-33 season, he still has many good years in front of him if he continues to pitch this way. Consistency is key for a closer as you need to be the guy to rely on to get three outs at the end of the game. With only six blown saves this season, Estévez did just that. In a weak AL Central, it should not surprise anyone to see another dominant season from Estévez and potentially some playoff baseball in Kansas City.
Edited by Colin Simmons l [email protected]
Copy edited by Ethan Palgon & Ava Mohror | [email protected]
Edited by Chase Pray | [email protected]
