The Top 20 MLB relief pitchers are led by Trevor Hoffman, Lee Smith, John Franco and The Sandman, Mariano Rivera. This bunch knows how to shut that ninth inning door.

The 300 Save Club features Baseball's Top 20 Relief Pitchers of all time:

1. Trevor Hoffman (495 Saves).

Trevor Hoffman got to the 300 Save Club, and then kept right on going. As of May 28, 2007, Hoffman is just four saves away from 500, and given his health and strength, it looks like he will give 550 a run. Although Hoffman has been a great closer his entire career, he has been overshadowed Mariano Rivera, whose regular season numbers and postseason heroics make him the best of all time. Nonetheless, Hoffman ranks second among the Top 20 Relief Pitchers, and will one day have a plaque in Cooperstown.

2. Lee Smith (478 Saves)

This big, intimidating reliever collected almost 500 saves while pitching for eight teams over an eighteen year career. Smith's bedouin-like behavior during the second half of his career have led some Hall of Fame voters to believe that Smith couldn't have been very valuable if teams were so willing to trade or release him. Smith's supporters say that that argument is preposterous in this era of rampant free agency. They also point to those 478 saves, which surely must be worth something.

3. John Franco (427 Saves)

A good reliever whose ability to pitch forever (well, from 1979-2003) allowed him to compile some very gaudy save totals for his career.

4. Mariano Rivera (416 Saves)

The best there ever was, or so say the experts. Rivera's 416 saves and 2.24 Career ERA are far outdone by his postseason numbers, which have made him a living legend.

5. Dennis Eckersley (390 Saves)

As a starting pitcher, the man who was nicknamed Eck won over 170 games. But when his career as a starter began to falter, Oakland A's manager Tony LaRussa moved him into the bullpen and limited him to just one inning per appearance. These revolutionary moves created the first true closer and one of the top relief pitchers in history.

6. Jeff Readon (367 Saves)

Along with Jose Mesa, Jeff Reardon is the only pitcher to have 40-save seasons with three different teams (Montreal in 1985, Minnesota in 1988, Boston in 1980). He was also a four time All-Star who won the 1985 Rolaids Relief Man of the Year.

7. Randy Myers (347 Saves)

Myers was one-third of the Nasty Boys, the relief corps led by Myers, Rob Dibble and Norm Charlton that led the 1990 Cincinnati Reds to a World Series sweep over the heavily favored Oakland A's. His 347 Saves make him one of the Top 20 Relief Pitchers in baseball history.

8. Rollie Fingers (341 Saves)

Rollie Fingers was a superstar for the Oakland A's in the 1970s and for the Milwaukee Brewers in the 1980s. In 1981, Fingers won the AL Cy Young and MVP awards when he led the Majors in saves, had a 6-3 record, a 1.04 ERA and a sinfully low WHIP of 0.887. Fingers was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1992.

9. Billy Wagner (335 Saves)

This lefty flamethrower can crank up his fastball to 101 mile per hour. It makes him one damn good closer. Because Wagner is just thirty-five years old and still appears to be at the top of his game (11 saves, 0.90 ERA in 20 innings in 2007), he should reach 400 saves easily and may even approach 500 someday.

10. John Wetteland (330 Saves)

The MVP of the 1996 World Series, Wetteland was the last Yankee closer before Mariano Rivera. Wetteland saved 330 games over a nine year period, averaging 38 per year, which is one of the best such averages in history.

11. Roberto Hernandez (326 Saves)

At 42 years old, this former closer is still pitching. Although he was never a top closer, his longevity is what puts him on the Top 20 Career Saves list.

12. Troy Percival (324 Saves)

Percival started out as a catcher in the Angels minor league system. Eventually, the team realized he couldn't hit very well, but he could throw a 100-MPH fastball, and quickly converted him to a relief pitcher. The rest is history.

13. Jose Mesa (320 Saves)

A very good closer who once placed 2nd in Cy Young voting (1995), Mesa sports one of baseball's great nicknames, "Joe Table," which is a literal English translation of his Spanish name.

14. Rick Aguilera (318 Saves)

He began his career as a starting pitcher for the Mets, where he compiled a 31-24 record and even won a World Series game as a starter with the 1986 New York Mets. In 1989, the Mets traded Aguilera to Minnesota, who converted him into a closer. Aguilera saved 32 games in 1990, and 42 in 1991. That fall, he saved five more games for the Twins in the ALCS and World Series.

15. Rob Nenn (314 Saves)

Nenn was forced to retire due to injury at the age of 32. Had he been able to stay healthy, he surely would have compiled more than 400 saves in his career.

16. Tom Henke (311 Saves)

Nicknamed the Terminator, Henke saved 5 games in Toronto's 1992 postseason run to a World Series title. He finished his career in 1995 with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he saved 36 games, posted an ERA of 1.82 and took home the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year award.

17. Rich "Goose" Gossage (310 Saves)

He is from another era, a time before the closer was invented, a time when relief pitchers routinely threw three or four innings a game. His save total, while among the best ever, only tells part of the Goose's story. Look for him to finally make the Hall of Fame in the next year or two.

18. Jeff Montgomery (304 Saves)

A fine reliever who won the 1993 Rolaids Relief Man of the Year, Montgomery toiled away in relative obscurity pitching for the Kansas City Royals in the 1990s. Perhaps his 304 saves and 3.27 ERA could have been put to better use elsewhere.

19. Doug Jones (303 Saves)

Another competent reliever whose save total reflects his longevity more than his ability.

20. Bruce Sutter (300 Saves)

This six time All-Star was among the best relievers that baseball has ever seen. A winner of four Rolaids Relief Man of the Year awards and the 1979 Cy Young, Sutter popularized the split-finger fastball and led his league in saves five times. In 2006, he became just the fourth pure relief pitcher inducted into the Hall of Fame.

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See also:

The 3,000 Hit Club

The 300 Wins Club

The 400 Home Run Club