Padres' Mason Miller Wins Major End-Of-Season Award

The Reaper had a phenomenal season in 2026.

Sep 30, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Mason Miller (22) reacts after defeating against the Chicago Cubs in game two of the Wildcard round for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller won the 2026 Reliever of the Year Trevor Hoffman Award, given to the best bullpen arm in the National League.

He beat out finalists Trevor Megill of the Milwaukee Brewers and Jhoan Duran of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Miller exceeded the already mighty expectations set before him going into his first full season on the Padres with an ERA of 1.67 across a career-high 70 innings of work. He led the NL with 38 saves and finished 57 games, another NL-high.

Miller also entered the year with a scoreless innings streak started on Aug. 6 that he ended up extending to 34.2 frames without an earned run. It was the longest scoreless innings streak in Padres history, and the eight-longest by a reliever since 1961.

The Reaper was able to be as effective as he was for a number of reasons.

Perhaps the most obvious trait of Millers is his elite fastball, averaging a velocity of 101.4 mph. He got batters to swing-and-miss at his offerings 45.3% of the time and struck out said batters at 47.4% of the time. All of these marks placed him in the 100th percentile among qualified hurlers.

It isn't just speed, however, that made Miller as dominant as he was in 2026, but how he sequenced his blistering fastball along with a slider that averaged just 88 mph. Batters swung-on-and-missed 56.3% of the time on sliders.

All-Star teammate Jackson Merrill perhaps best encapsulated what it was like to step into a batter's box against Miller and gave him a glowing review earlier this season.

“It’s pretty ridiculous," Merrill said. "You get in there, you don’t know what’s coming. You don’t know if it’s gonna be 87, 95 or 105 [mph]. You just gotta be ready for everything, and it’s pretty tough being ready for all that.”

Even divisional rivals know the kind of talent Miller possesses is far from normal.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spoke on Miller earlier this season, bringing up how difficult it is to plan for his speed, as well as his ability to slam on the brakes.

“A guy like that, he’s the best in the game,” Roberts said. “You know if you don’t get him, there’s swing-and-miss in there, there’s soft contact.”

“When they’re ahead in the seventh inning," Roberts added, "they don’t lose.”

Miller now officially adds a piece of hardware to his collection after a dominant season.

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