replacement might be a tough word, because no one is going to ever replace the supreme production supplied by Mariano Rivera.
Replacing someone was as great as Rivera in their own line of work is the ultimate no-win situation. It rarely works out the same way, and no one usually remembers the replacements.
Quick: Who replaced Lou Gehrig at first base? Who replaced John Wooden at UCLA?
Mariano is the greatest closer of all time. Not the greatest relief pitcher (that would be Rollie Fingers because of his multiple inning durability), but Mo is the one pitcher you want on the mound for three ninth inning outs holding a one run lead.
Finding a new closer is going to be a difficult challenge as no one knows how long Rivera will continue to want to pitch.
At age 40, Rivera has shown no signs of vulnerability. He still sports one of the best closer ERAs with 1.05 and 20 saves, and a WHIP of 0.641. He also retired an incredible 24 straight batters in the month ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - MLB By Joseph DelGrippo