Craig Kimbrel 2024

[Aristotelian]

51 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

Every time I watch that I think Tommy Pham looks like he’s about to cry.

He probably wants to slap someone.

[Aristotelian]

12 minutes ago, Roy Firestone said:

I'm still not convinced. In fact, I'm wary. On Saturday night he gave up a ball that shouldve been a HR, but Cowser saved the day.... had we not had a 2 run lead, the game would've been tied. Even yesterday, one ball was hit hard to RF but it was tracked by Cowser again. I get that closers will falter and no one is perfect, but at age 36 and a recent track record of lots of blown saves...I still think Kimbrel is far from a lock.In fact, he continues to make me nervous EVERY time he goes out there.And remember, I saw him blow up a lot last year in LA.

At least he's been throwing strikes. In his rough patch he had no idea where the ball was going. That was scary. 

[RZNJ]

54 minutes ago, Roy Firestone said:

I'm still not convinced. In fact, I'm wary. On Saturday night he gave up a ball that shouldve been a HR, but Cowser saved the day.... had we not had a 2 run lead, the game would've been tied. Even yesterday, one ball was hit hard to RF but it was tracked by Cowser again. I get that closers will falter and no one is perfect, but at age 36 and a recent track record of lots of blown saves...I still think Kimbrel is far from a lock.In fact, he continues to make me nervous EVERY time he goes out there.And remember, I saw him blow up a lot last year in LA.

What closers do you consider locks?   I watch other teams on mlb.tv and the list, IMO, is very, very short.

[Rbiggs2525]

15 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

What closers do you consider locks?   I watch other teams on mlb.tv and the list, IMO, is very, very short.

I agree. Kimbrel is pitching fine besides his bad week. Better it happened a month in the season than the playoffs. He’s still not clicking and getting results. Like Aaron Judge hitting 200 for a month and a half.

[Frobby]

44 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

What closers do you consider locks?   I watch other teams on mlb.tv and the list, IMO, is very, very short.

Looking at the top 16 in saves (9+), they have totaled 192 saves (exactly 12 each), 27 blown saves  (1.69 each), for an 88.5% save rate.  The ones above that with a sub-3.00 ERA are Ryan Helsley (2.25 ERA, 17 S, 1 BS), Robert Suarez (0.76 ERA, 15 S, 0 BS), Andrés Muñoz (1.61 ERA, 10 S, 1 BS), and Mason Miller (1.96 ERA, 10 S, 0 BS).   That would be my list of elite shutdown closers this year so far.  Emmanuel Clase has managed to blow 3 saves despite sporting an 0.33 ERA.  There are three guys with a 90% (9/10) save rate but an ERA over 3.00, so I wouldn’t include them.  Clay Holmes (1.57 ERA, 15 S, 2 BS), Kyle Finnegan (1.80 ERA, 14 S, 2 BS) and Raoul Iglesias (2.33 ERA, 12 S, 2 BS) are below 88.5% save rate, but close (88.2%, 87.5%, 85.7%, respectively).  You could make the case for them, especially Holmes and Finnegan.  

[RZNJ]

3 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Looking at the top 16 in saves (9+), they have totaled 192 saves (exactly 12 each), 27 blown saves  (1.69 each), for an 88.5% save rate.  The ones above that with a sub-3.00 ERA are Ryan Helsley (2.25 ERA, 17 S, 1 BS), Robert Suarez (0.76 ERA, 15 S, 0 BS), Andrés Muñoz (1.61 ERA, 10 S, 1 BS), and Mason Miller (1.96 ERA, 10 S, 0 BS).   That would be my list of elite shutdown closers this year so far.  Emmanuel Clase has managed to blow 3 saves despite sporting an 0.33 ERA.  There are three guys with a 90% (9/10) save rate but an ERA over 3.00, so I wouldn’t include them.  Clay Holmes (1.57 ERA, 15 S, 2 BS), Kyle Finnegan (1.80 ERA, 14 S, 2 BS) and Raoul Iglesias (2.33 ERA, 12 S, 2 BS) are below 88.5% save rate, but close (88.2%, 87.5%, 85.7%, respectively).  You could make the case for them, especially Holmes and Finnegan.  

I watch Finnegan.  Holmes, not so much because I’m blacked out.  Even Helsley the other day had a 3 run lead and gave up 2.  When you watch these guys it makes them all look vulnerable.

BTW, I think Holmes gave up 4 in the 9th the other night.

Edited May 27 by RZNJ

[Just Regular]

Happy 36th birthday.

Kenley, Darvish, Morton and Verlander look like the only active pitchers older than him (sorry, Kershaw/Scherzer).

He opened the year 146 career IP behind Billy Wagner and at the Memorial Day checkpoint, it is 20 more innings of 3.15 ERA.     He's lost one point of career ERA+, now at 170.

He's been fine - Elias about a third of the way towards getting what he bought, and any use or non-use later on is up to him.

[Rbiggs2525]

Gotta give him credit when he performs. I think going into the season if you said he had a 3.15 ERA and striking out 36% percent of batters you would say fair deal. 

[Aristotelian]

7 straight scoreless appearances (knock on wood). Hyde has done a nice job of easing him back into the closer role.

[Frobby]

Kimbrel with his 16th save last night.  His ERA is sitting at 2.59.

Last night he topped out at 97.0 mph.  I think that’s the fastest we’ve seen from him this year.  Remember when he was throwing 92-93 in spring training and people were worried?   Overall his velo is down this year but his pitches come in at such a weird angle it doesn’t seem to matter much.  

[Ripken]

48 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Kimbrel with his 16th save last night.  His ERA is sitting at 2.59.

Last night he topped out at 97.0 mph.  I think that’s the fastest we’ve seen from him this year.  Remember when he was throwing 92-93 in spring training and people were worried?   Overall his velo is down this year but his pitches come in at such a weird angle it doesn’t seem to matter much.  

I was there last night.  He threw a curveball warming up that looked really good and I knew the game was over.  His velo was never my concern until that curve stops working and then he's fastball only and gets in trouble.

[Frobby]

18 minutes ago, Ripken said:

I was there last night.  He threw a curveball warming up that looked really good and I knew the game was over.  His velo was never my concern until that curve stops working and then he's fastball only and gets in trouble.

To me, when Kimbrel is off his game he has a tendency to yank his fastball towards the LHH batter’s box, and that’s when I know he’s in trouble.  Then he starts aiming it instead of just letting it fly.   

[Aristotelian]

Since that rough patch in early May he has been really good, just the one hiccup vs TOR. Only one back to back during that period. 2.59 ERA with 12.6 K/9 to 3.7 BB/9 (effectively identical K's/B's to last year). Can't complain about the overall performance, it's just the nature of the beast that the occasional meltdowns are costly. 

[Say O!]

Kimbrel has been nails.  Even better than was expecting.  Stuff looking better and better recently. Only question is will he hold up all season or invariably go through one of his characteristic rough patches.  

[Frobby]

11 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

Since that rough patch in early May he has been really good, just the one hiccup vs TOR. Only one back to back during that period. 2.59 ERA with 12.6 K/9 to 3.7 BB/9 (effectively identical K's/B's to last year). Can't complain about the overall performance, it's just the nature of the beast that the occasional meltdowns are costly. 

Yes, and my guess is he’ll hit at least one more rough patch where he’s bad for several outings in a row.  His mechanics are weird and if he gets out of sync it can last a few games.  Also, it’s important not to overuse him.  He threw in 15 of the first 33 games, but since then only 12 of the next 34.   That may just be the way the games have gone, but I think Hyde has been a little more careful with him since that meltdown stretch.