Heading into the 2019 season, the Oakland A’s did not have any concerns about their closer position. Blake Treinen had been coming off of an All Star season, notching 38 saves as he posted a 0.78 ERA and a 0.834 WHiP, striking out 100 batters in 80.1 innings. He earned votes for both the Cy Youn and AL MVP, as he continued his dominance since his acquisition as part of the Sean Doolittle trade.
As it turned out, the A’s did, in fact, have an All Star closer, but it was not Treinen. Instead, it was the surprising Liam Hendriks, who had gone from being a mediocre middle reliever to a dominant closer seemingly overnight.