With the way Shawn Tolleson ended the season with the Rangers, it's hard to remember just how great he was in 2015.
Part of the reason for his struggles was the fact he was overworked down the stretch, including pitching five straight days leading up to Game 162, when Cole Hamels tossed a complete game to clinch the AL West.
But Tolleson was fantastic as the Rangers' closer after taking the job from Neftali Feliz in mid-May. In fact, from the time he got the job, he led all of baseball in saves with 35. On Tuesday, he was named the Rangers' pitcher of the year by the local chapter of the Baseball Writers of America, becoming the first reliever to win the award since 2007 (Joaquin Benoit).
Tolleson, who was an elite setup man in 2014, finished the year with 35 saves and a 2.99 ERA. He blew just two saves. Tolleson is the likely candidate to be the team's closer again in 2016, though he'll have some competition from Sam Dyson and Jake Diekman, who were acquired at the trade deadline and revitalized the Rangers' bullpen.
