Ever since he made his MLB debut back in 2010 with the Atlanta Braves, the hard-throwing righty . But his first season with the Dodgers has been anything but smooth. Thats not ideal for any reliever, especially not for one tasked with shutting the door. The Cubs were clinging to a 4-2 lead before their closer slammed the door with two strikeouts to end the threat. 2 Phillies Players Who Need Bounce Back Seasons (78-84) F. Cleveland Guardians. Los Angeles has already clinched the NL West and holds the best record in the majors, but Kimbrel's inconsistency is cause for concern as the team heads toward the postseason. Home of the PitchFX Tool Player Card: Craig Kimbrel", "Major League Leaderboards 2012 Pitchers Plate Discipline Statistics", "For new Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel, best could be yet to come", "Craig Kimbrel continues to dominate as Braves' ace closer", "Matt Kimbrel Minor League Statistics & History", "Kimbrel brothers want to resurrect baseball in hometown Huntsville", "Carpenter feeling better, expects to throw in June", "With help from Wagner, Kimbrel puts blown save behind him", "Former Wallace State pitcher Craig Kimbrel appreciative of mental toughness he developed while with Lions, proud of program's tradition", "Kimbrel leaves spring training for daughter's surgery", "Red Sox's Craig Kimbrel focused on daughter", "Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel finding groove on mound again as he finds fulfillment in Christ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Craig_Kimbrel&oldid=1137179085, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 3 February 2023, at 06:24. "He's a special one, and we're fortunate to have him.". With names like these, it is easy to forget that Mark Wohlers had a few seasons of being dominant himself. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday after the team's 5-4 loss to the Brewers in 11 innings that Kimbrel will retain the closing gig despite blowing his fourth save of the season, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports. Kimbrel has compiled a 1.41 ERA and 419 strikeouts over his first 254 appearances in the majors. Statcast Leaders Baseball Savant Top Prospect Stats. Kimbrel now has a 3.88 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 62:21 K:BB with 22 saves in 26 chances through 48.2 innings this year. Those are the types of games the Dodgers will need to lock up in October. (Age 21-344d, Craig Kimbrel blows save as Brewers rally to beat Dodgers in 11 innings. Corey Knebel and Brad Hand are free agents, opening up $16 million in payroll and a spot for a new veteran arm in Philadelphias bullpen. Jansen left after the 2021 season, and late last spring Los Angeles traded for Craig Kimbrel, the only active pitcher with more career saves than Jansen. Los Angeles Dodgers Trade AJ Pollock For Chicago White Sox Reliever Craig Kimbrel, The White Sox Are Asking For Your Attention, Dodgers Snag High-Upside, Hard-Throwing Righty Alex Reyes. Stats. Craig Kimbrel gave up two ninth-inning runs in a 6-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, but Clayton Kershaw and Andrew Heaney took steps to come off IL. At the time, most fans wrote off his struggles to his late start. Although he only 25 saves in 1995, hitters struggled mightily . Kimbrel (3-4) picked up the win against St. Louis on Wednesday, striking out one batter in a perfect inning of work. He hit Jake McCarthy with a pitch to begin the frame but had some good fortune when replay determined that McCarthy was tagged out on a stolen-base attempt after initially being called safe. All 20 of Kimbrel's successful saves have come when he entered . 350 but had no idea he was one save away entering Thursday. Thus, the Dodgers made the slightly surprising decision to leave the eight-time All-Star and 2018 World Series Champion off their postseason roster. This is an argument Red Sox fans make with regards to the use of Craig Kimbrel; many believe Kimbrel should only be used in the ninth inning when the Red Sox have a lead of 3 runs or less . Bad baserunning play, Roberts said. With the Dodgers mounting a late-game comeback, manager Dave Roberts elected to go to Kimbrel with Los Angeles down by a run in the eighth inning. He finished off . Craig Kimbrel enters free agency at age 34, coming off an up-and-down season for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Sox tried putting a proven closer in a set-up role in 2021 with Craig Kimbrel and it didn't come close to working. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Talks Closer's Role For Opening Day With holdovers Seranthony Dominguez and Jose Alvarado, plus new experienced closers in Craig Kimbrel and Gregory Soto, manager Rob Thomson will have to sort out the initial pecking order. Overall in 2021, Hendriks appeared in 69 games while recording an American League-leading 38 saves and having a record of 8-3. On a positive note, the runs were his first allowed over his last seven outings. A year later, however, the Braves traded him to San Diego. Explore Craig Kimbrel's biography, personal life, family and real age. Explore all Philadelphia Phillies MLB player stats - including batting average, RBIs, home runs & more! Join our linker program. All rights reserved. Cubs manager David Ross joked in the dugout during Thursday's game against the Pirates how Craig Kimbrel would have to earn his second save of the season. Kimbrel should draw plenty of interest from teams looking to add a high-upside reliever to the backend of their bullpen. First published on December 23, 2022 / 8:12 PM. Craig Michael Kimbrel (born May 28, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball . If we ignore Kimbrel's brief introduction to the majors in 2010 when he recorded only one save in 20 innings, he's averaged over 41 saves over the last seven seasons. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. MLB spring training 2023 - What to watch in games on ESPN The veteran now owns a 4.14 ERA on the season and has struck out a modest 27.2 percent of opposing batters, well below his career mark of 40.0 percent. Craig Kimbrel blows save, Dodgers still happy about Clayton Kershaw If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. Find out more. Robert Ozias III on Twitter: "@podoffame depends on if he retires nbcsports.com. Warming Up: Craig Kimbrel, Gregory Soto, Jose Alvarado. Dodgers acquired Kimbrel from the White Sox. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. But the closer who joined the Cubs on a Hall of Fame trajectory deserves plenty of credit. If Edwin Daz signs elsewhere, the Mets will be scrambling to replace him. . After the Dodgers scored a run in the top of the 10th frame, Kimbrel was called upon to close the door. Craig Kimbrel tough season continues blows save vs. Brewers - MLB.com Kimbrel confident he was going to be signed, Kimbrel: 'It got a little exciting there at the end'
. The 34-year-old has been deployed in more non-save situations of late, with Evan Phillips and Chris Martin among the relievers who have seen higher-leverage work. He walked 12 batters in 15.1 innings of work and finished with a 5.28 ERA. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. With the White Sox, Kimbrel served as a set-up man rather than a closer. When the Dodgers acquired Kimbrel from the White Sox in exchange for AJ Pollock, they hoped the right-hander was exactly what they needed to round out their bullpen. PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Philadelphia Phillieshave reportedly added an eight-time All-Star and a member of the 300 save club to their bullpen. Average MLB salary rose to record $4.22M in '22. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. However, Roberts has expressed a commitment to using Kimbrel as the team's primary closer, and he'll be available in a potential save situation Monday against the Brewers since Roberts feels comfortable using Kimbrel on back-to-back days. In light of yet another poor showing in a high-leverage spot, Kimbrel looks to be further away from returning to closing duties, and he could even find himself at risk of missing out on a spot on the Dodgers' postseason roster. The Phillies have been burned time and time again by signing veteran relievers, but that hasnt stopped them from trying. Thus, the Angels can give Kimbrel an outside shot at contention and a decent shot at a closing job as long he pitches well. The biggest problem seemed to be that Kimbrel was having trouble getting opposing hitters to swing and miss at pitches outside the strike zone, something that used to be one of his specialties. The Dodgers continue to hope that Kimbrel will eventually turn it around, though time is running short. In the top of the ninth inning, Craig Kimbrel, as usual, had his number called on by manager Dave Ross to close things out. Latest on Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN On Friday, Kimbrel rescued the Dodgers from a precarious ninth-inning. Like I said, its going to change. Thats something that of course is going to bring a smile to Rosss face, plus all the Chicago supporters who make their way to Wrigley Field. 2011, in a game versus the New York Mets, Kimbrel passed the record for most saves by a National League rookie before the All-Star break. Craig Kimbrel powers to top of Braves' career saves list Kimbrel was called in to protect a three-run lead on the road at Coors Field in the ninth, and he nearly blew the save after giving up two runs on a bases-loaded single to Randal Grichuk. Who Is The Dodgers Closer? Fantasy Baseball Saves Outlooks The 2022 season was another mixed bag for Kimbrel. Kimbrel hasn't been a lock-down bullpen arm this season, and the veteran closer's ERA has now risen to 4.37. He also had an ERA of 2.54 in 71 innings and lead all MLB relievers in strikeouts with 113. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Team: Philadelphia Phillies (majors) Born: May 28, 1988 in Huntsville, AL us Draft: Drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 33rd round of the 2007 MLB June Amateur Draft from Wallace State Community College (Hanceville, AL) and the Atlanta Braves in the 3rd round of the 2008 MLB June Amateur Draft from . Craig Kimbrel has moved into a tie for 9th place on the all-time saves list!#CubTogether pic.twitter.com/GBH5mbb9HO. 3 Clippers flaws exposed by the Suns in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, Korean Zombie shocks everyone when he calls out Max Holloway in English (Video), Heres why Javier Baez got benched vs Indians (Video), Incredible Photo of Chicago Cubs Fan On Her Phone, Completely Unaware of Approaching Baseball, El Mago: Javier Baez robs Marlins of base hit with insane play (Video), 2 trades Cubs shouldn't wait until deadline to make, Marlins making rookies go on a Wrigleyville coffee run is priceless (Photo). Then, over the next three months, he allowed 24 runs in 32.2 innings, blowing four saves and losing five games in the process. And in doing so, Kimbrel hit a milestone, picking up the 350th save of his career in a 4-2 Cubs win. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal was thefirst to report the agreement. Can the Dodgers rely on Craig Kimbrel as closer? For now, Dave Roberts Phillies add veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel to bullpen Thomson showed his flexibility on roles last postseason as Zach Eflin, Alvarado and Dominguez all earned saves. Get the latest career stats for Craig Kimbrel of the Philadelphia Phillies on CBS Sports. (92-70) F. Chicago White Sox. However, he was able to get Luis Urias to ground into a fielder's choice to end the contest. Craig Kimbrel Signed Game Used Baseball Braves All Time Saves Leader Click here to subscribe to the Cubs Talk Podcast for free. A leadoff Hunter Renfroe single and one-out Luis Urias walk set the stage for a two-run Victor Caratini single to saddle the 34-year-old with the blown save and loss on the same pitch. Not necessarily the other team, but myself. Kimbrel's success wasn't merely a by-product of getting 54 save chances as his peripheral stats were outstanding as well. The squad posted the best record in the majors during the regular season before falling to . Its tremendously frustrating, Kimbrel said following the loss. Kimbrel will likely begin 2023 as Philadelphia's closer. 27 Thursday against the Rockies, Craig Kimbrel set a rookie record for the most saves prior to the All-Star break. Ball is in front of you, and you know that if the ball is in front of you, you got to retreat and get back, stay in scoring position. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. @morgensternmlb, Leo Morgenstern is an editor for Just Baseball and a writer for FanGraphs. Kimbrel came into Tuesdays game having not recorded a clean inning since July 13, 11 appearances ago. Signed thru 2023, 1 yr/$10M (23), Service Time (01/2023): 11.161 He is a seven-time All-Star, and was the youngest pitcher in MLB history to record 300 saves. They also made enough mistakes to lose. Kimbrel's been a bit spotty of late with nine runs (seven earned) allowed in his last 14 innings. This season, Evan Phillips is the team's best reliever, but the Dodgers are . Cubs' Craig Kimbrel gains milestone save No. 350 in strong showing - RSN Play Ball Youth Baseball & Softball. After the Dodgers scored a run in the top of the 10th frame, Kimbrel was called upon to close the door. Leo Morgenstern | Kimbrel returned to the mound in the ninth, shutting down Pittsburgh 1-2-3, and adding another strikeout, to hit the milestone, which also happened to be the first five-out save of his career. Kimbrel (4-6) took the loss and blew a save in an extra-inning affair against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, allowing three runs (two earned) on one hit . Aaron Judge is back in New York, star shortstops have shuffled off to new homes and a pair of former Cy Young winners have relocated this offseason. Kimbrel's credentials back up Snell's assessment that he's "the best." The 30-year-old is a nine-year major league veteran with 333 career saves. Kimbrel allowed one earned run on one hit while striking out one to earn the save Thursday against the Giants. He missed . Craig Kimbrel, Philadelphia Phillies, RP - Fantasy Baseball News, Stats Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Then, over the next three months, he allowed 24 runs in 32.2 innings, blowing four saves and losing five games in the process. What is the Closer Grid? Craig Kimbrel blows save, Dodgers still happy about Clayton Kershaw, Andrew Heaney. John Smoltz, Craig Kimbrel in his prime, and HoF hopeful Billy Wagner. These 7 free agents are still unsigned. And all have been linked to the Roberts cited better pitches from Kimbrel over the past few outings. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Kimbrel continued his excellent work in Boston, and it was no surprise when the team picked up his option for the 2018 season. Kimbrel (3-5) took the loss and the blown save during Tuesday's 5-4 defeat at the hands of the Brewers, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk while striking out one in one-third of an inning. The veteran has posted a 4.03 ERA and 1.36 WHIP while taking six losses and blowing five saves through 54 appearances on the campaign. Craig Kimbrel Records Four Strikeouts In One Inning, Thanks - CBS News Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 12:52AM. The right-hander allowed a bunt single but was otherwise spotless, closing out the contest on an efficient 12 pitches. At times, he looked like the Kimbrel of old, but just as often he looked completely hittable. he was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2011 after setting an MLB rookie saves record with 46 for the Atlanta Braves. Read this year's top stories about Craig Kimbrel - Medium On Tuesday, Kimbrels struggles continued as the right-hander suffered his fourth blown save of the season in the Dodgers 5-4 loss to the Brewers in 11 innings at American Family Field.