Yankees Baseball: Who Would Replace Mariano? No One, He's One of a Kind

Ever since the implication that Mariano Rivera might retire at the conclusion of the 2012 baseball season was uttered, the question has been raised. 

"Who will take his place?"

That's the easiest question in the world to answer. 

"No one."

No one will be taking Mariano Rivera's place in the Yankees bullpen. Yes, someone, some player cursed with poor timing, will be granted the chance to close games for the New York Yankees while following in the footsteps of the man who is unquestionably the greatest closer of all time. 

That player could be anyone from David Robertson to Rafael Soriano to another unknown quantity at this time. The magnitude of the task is literally impossible.

Fairly or unfairly, the next closer will ultimately be compared to the previous one. That happens on every team, but every team isn't the New York Yankees, and every closer isn't named Mariano Rivera. 

In fact, no closer has ever been Mariano Rivera, and it's highly unlikely that any closer in the near or even not-so-near future will be, either. Part of that reality is due to Mariano himself. 

Rivera has never been the sort of extroverted flamboyant mound presence that many closers have been over baseball's long history. Whether it was Rollie Fingers' handlebar mustache, Dan Quisenberry's unique submarine delivery, Jonathan Papelbon's facial contortions and fist pumping or Brian Wilson's beard, the closer position has historically attracted some fairly unique characters. 

Rivera is unique, too. He's unique in his stoic attitude, his robotic mannerisms on the mound and his almost computerized consistency. No beards, little celebratory actions, not even much more than a smirk even after the task is completed.

Rivera just exits the bullpen to his signature Metallica soundtrack, strolls to the mound and ends games. 

Lots of games. Lots of saves, saves in big games and saves in seemingly meaningless games. The saves have been piling up since he emerged from the shadow of former Yankee closer John Wetteland in 1997. That means that the 2012 season will be his 16th as Yankee closer.

How big a deal is that? It means that this June young men and women in the greater New York area and all over the nation who are Yankee fans will graduate high school having never watched another man besides Mariano Rivera close games for the Yankees.

In the span of Rivera's career, the Yankees have missed the postseason once. Only in 2008 did a Yankee team with Mariano Rivera as the closer miss the playoffs.

The Rivera postseason numbers are more impressive than the regular-season ones. He's the all-time save leader in both categories.

His regular-season career earned run average is 2.21 in 1,211.1 innings pitched. His postseason ERA? An absurd 0.70 in 141 innings pitched. Rivera has registered 603 regular-season saves and 42 postseason ones.

For a comprehensive list of all the other major-league closers with over 100 innings pitched, over 40 saves and an earned run average under 1.00 in the postseason, click on this link. 

He's been so dominant that his few mishaps are emblazoned in the minds of nearly all baseball fans. The Game 7 loss in the 2001 World Series, the Game 4 loss in the 2004 ALCS, the Sandy Alomar Jr. home run against the Indians in the 1997 ALCS.

All those blown saves are historical moments in the histories of the three teams involved. Part of the reason why is that they occurred against Rivera. The players on those teams and the fans that rooted for them knew they had beaten the best, and that always makes a win more satisfying.

In order to be looked at in that light, you actually have to be the best, though.  Mariano is just that, and the unlucky player who follows in his footsteps has no chance of replicating Mariano's persona or accomplishments.

Enjoy this season, because if in fact it is the final season of Mariano Rivera's career, then Yankee fans and all baseball fans can say something that most sports fans get to say with near certainty very rarely: "You've witnessed the best ever."

His name is Mariano Rivera.