Craig Kimbrel

Craig Kimbrel

Kimbrel with the Boston Red Sox in 2016
Boston Red Sox – No. 46
Closing pitcher
Born: (1988-05-28) May 28, 1988
Huntsville, Alabama
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
May 7, 2010, for the Atlanta Braves
MLB statistics
(through 2016 season)
Win–loss record 21–18
Earned run average 1.86
Strikeouts 646
Saves 256
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Craig Michael Kimbrel (born May 28, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is a five-time All-Star, and led the National League in saves for four consecutive seasons from 2011 through 2014. Kimbrel played for the United States national team in the World Baseball Classic in 2013.

As a rookie with the Atlanta Braves in 2011, Kimbrel was named their closer, and set an MLB record for saves by a rookie with 46. He was awarded the National League's 2011 Rookie of the Year Award.[1] On June 6, 2014, he recorded his 155th save to surpass John Smoltz as the Braves' all-time leader in saves. Kimbrel was traded to the San Diego Padres prior to the start of the 2015 season, and to the Red Sox before the 2016 season. He is known for the speed of his fastball, as well as his unique and intimidating pre-pitch stare.[2]

Career

Amateur career

Kimbrel attended Lee High School in Huntsville, Alabama, and Wallace State Community College. He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 33rd round of the 2007 draft, but elected to remain at Wallace State in order to improve his draft position. He was then taken by the Braves in the third round of the 2008 draft, and was the 96th player chosen.[3]

Atlanta Braves

2010

Kimbrel got his first call-up from the Gwinnett Braves on May 15, 2010, to replace the injured Jair Jurrjens on the roster.[4] He was called up for the second time in his career on June 4, 2010, to replace Takashi Saito, who was placed on the 15-day DL.[5] He earned his first major league save on September 19, 2010 against the New York Mets. Kimbrel's record for the 2010 season was 4–0, with one save and a 0.44 ERA in 20 2⁄3 innings. He recorded 40 strikeouts and 16 walks.[3] In the 2010 playoffs, he shut down the eventual World Champion San Francisco Giants on several occasions; he had 7 strikeouts in a total of 4 1⁄3 innings, appearing in all 4 games of the NLDS between the Giants and the Braves.

2011

Kimbrel made the roster to start the 2011 season as the team's primary closer. He was successful in his first four save opportunities before blowing his first career save on April 21, 2011. On June 3, 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.[6] He is the fastest Braves pitcher to reach 100 career strikeouts, doing so in 59 1⁄3 career innings. His new record surpassed the previous record set by John Rocker in the 1998–1999 season, where it took Rocker 70 career innings to reach the 100 career strikeout mark.[7] On July 5, his 26th save matched Jonathan Papelbon's record for most saves by a rookie before the All-Star break.[8] On July 7, Kimbrel's 27th save of the year against the Colorado Rockies broke Papelbon's record.[9]

Kimbrel on the mound in 2011

Kimbrel was selected to the 2011 All Star Game during his first full season in the majors. San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy choose Kimbrel as a replacement for Giants pitcher Matt Cain.

On July 22, 2011 in a game versus the Cincinnati Reds, Kimbrel broke the Braves rookie record for saves in a season (31).[10]

On August 9, 2011 in a game versus the Florida Marlins, Kimbrel tied the National League rookie record for saves in a season (36 by Todd Worrell of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1986). He broke that record on August 17 in a game versus the San Francisco Giants. On August 21, 2011, Kimbrel recorded his 100th strike out which coincided with his 39th save of the season and a string of 30 2⁄3 innings without yielding a run.[11][12] On August 23, 2011, Kimbrel recorded his 40th save, tying the rookie save record of Neftalí Feliz. He subsequently broke this record with his 41st save on August 31 with two strikeouts in a game against the Washington Nationals. At the time, he led the majors in saves and had not given up a run in his last 34 innings.[13] The following night September 1, 2011, Kimbrel surpassed Cliff Lee's record of thirty four scoreless innings with 34 2⁄3 scoreless innings for the longest scoreless streak in the majors in 2011.[14] He was named the NL Rookie of the Month and MLB Delivery Man of the Month for August 2011.[15][16] His scoreless inning streak came to an end after 38 1⁄3 innings, on September 9, 2011.[17]

The Braves season ended when he blew a save against the Philadelphia Phillies in the last game of the season. The loss knocked Atlanta out of playoff contention, completing a late-season collapse that squandered an early-September lead of 8½ games.[18] Kimbrel's mediocre September (4.76 ERA)[19] led to charges that manager Fredi González had overworked him over the course of the season.[20][21]

Kimbrel ended the season tied for the National League lead with 46 saves—shattering the previous rookie record of 40, set by Feliz in 2010—and led the Major Leagues with 127 strikeouts in 77 innings of relief.[22]

On November 14, the Baseball Writers' Association of America announced the results of their 2011 National League Rookie of the Year vote; Craig Kimbrel received all 32 first-place ballots—the first unanimous selection since 2001 winner Albert Pujols—for 160 points. Freddie Freeman finished second in the voting with 21 second-place votes and seven third-place votes, for a total of 70 points[23]—making the pair the first team-mates to take the top two spots since 1989, when the Chicago Cubs' Jerome Walton and Dwight Smith came in first and second in the balloting.[24][25] The only other time two Braves finished in the top five, the organization was still located in Milwaukee—Gene Conley was voted third-best rookie of the 1954 season; Hank Aaron came in fourth.[22] He was also named the Players Choice Awards NL Outstanding Rookie by the Major League Baseball Players Association.[26]

2012

Kimbrel again made the All-Star team in 2012. He struck out the two batters he faced.[27] He won the MLB Delivery Man Award for September 2012.[28] On September 26, he struck out four batters in the ninth inning.

Kimbrel was thoroughly dominant throughout the 2012 season. He led the National League with 42 saves (in 45 opportunities) and Win Probability Added among pitchers. He struck out 116 batters in  62 2⁄3 innings, producing a K/9 rate of 16.7.[29] In so doing, he also became the first pitcher in history to strike out at least half the batters he faced during a season.[30] He also went to an 0–2 count on 56% of the batters he faced.[31] Kimbrel allowed only 3.9 hits and 2.0 walks per 9 innings he pitched, giving him a WHIP of 0.65 and a batting average against of .126. He finished with an ERA of 1.01.[29] He won the NL Rolaids Relief Man Award.[32] Kimbrel finished fifth in the 2012 National League Cy Young Award voting,[33] and eighth in the 2012 National League MVP voting.[34]

Kimbrel in his pre-pitch stance during 2013

2013

Kimbrel began the 2013 season with three blown saves during his first nine save opportunities, tying his personal record for blown saves during the entire 2012 season.[35] Nonetheless, on May 9, 2013 in a game against the San Francisco Giants, Kimbrel earned his 100th save making him the second youngest player in MLB history to reach that mark.[36] With a save against the Cardinals on July 27, 2013, he became only the second Atlanta pitcher after John Smoltz to have three 30-save seasons.[37] Kimbrel surpassed John Smoltz's Braves record of 27 consecutive saves on August 17, 2013.[38]

On September 27, Kimbrel recorded his 50th save of the season in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies. In doing so, he became the 11th pitcher in Major League history to have a 50-save season.[39] He was voted the "GIBBY Awards" Closer of the Year – by the fans, media, team front-office personnel, former players, and SABR.[40]

2014

On February 16, 2014, Kimbrel agreed to a four-year, $42 million extension with the Braves that runs through 2017, with an option for 2018.[41][42] On April 2, Kimbrel tied Gene Garber's 141 saves with the Braves, good for second in franchise history. Two days later, April 4, Kimbrel recorded his 142nd career save, to move into sole possession of second place. On April 25, 2014, Kimbrel became the fastest pitcher ever to reach 400 strikeouts—reaching the mark in 236 innings' worth of work.[43] On June 6, 2014, Kimbrel recorded his 155th save in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, surpassing John Smoltz's previous record of 154 saves.[44] On August 29, 2014, Kimbrel recorded his 40th save of the season. He became the third pitcher to reach that single-season milestone in four straight seasons.[lower-alpha 1]

San Diego Padres

Kimbrel during his tenure with the San Diego Padres in 2015

On April 5, 2015, Kimbrel was traded to the San Diego Padres along with outfielder Melvin Upton, Jr., in exchange for Carlos Quentin, Cameron Maybin, prospects Matt Wisler, Jordan Paroubeck, and the 41st overall pick in the 2015 draft.[46]

On June 8, Kimbrel recorded his 200th career save against his former team, the Atlanta Braves. Kimbrel also became the fastest ever to 200 career saves, only taking 318 games to do so.[47][48]

Boston Red Sox

On November 13, 2015, the Padres traded Kimbrel to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Manuel Margot, Javier Guerra, Carlos Asuaje, and Logan Allen.[49][50]

On July 8, 2016, Kimbrel injured his knee while taking warmups. The next day, an MRI revealed that there was a tear in the medial meniscus of the left knee. The injury required surgery, and 3-6 weeks to recover.[51] Kimbrel ended his first season with the Red Sox with a 3.40 ERA.

International career

Kimbrel was named the closer for Team USA in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Despite not surrendering one lead off double all year with the Braves in 2012, Kimbrel gave one up to Nelson Cruz of the Dominican Republic in their round two matchup. Kimbrel would go on to give up two runs in the game, and be the losing pitcher in Team USA's 3–1 loss to the eventual champions.

Pitching style

Kimbrel uses a combination of a four-seam fastball and a power curveball to get outs.[52][53] His fastball averages 96–97 mph and occasionally tops out at 101 mph.[54] His curve, thrown with a "spike" grip, stays in the mid-to-upper 80s. The whiff rate of his four-seamer is 33%, and the curve at is 52%.[55] This combination contributes to a strikeouts per nine innings rate of 14.61 over Kimbrel's career so far (as of 22 July 2015).[56] He is also tied for third among all pitchers from 2002–2012 in the highest percentage of pitches that resulted in swinging strikes.[57]

Kimbrel's four-seam fastball was the 12th-fastest among Major League relievers in the 2011 season. In addition, he threw the hardest curveball, averaging 87 mph. His fastball had the fifth-highest whiff rate among relief pitchers' fastballs (32%), and he also had the highest whiff rate of any reliever's curveball, at better than 55%.[58] His pre-pitch stance has also been widely recognized, and has been dubbed "Kimbreling", or "Spider Arms".[2][59]

Personal life

Kimbrel's parents, Mike and Sandy,[60] have two other sons, Alan and Matt.[61] He proposed to Ashley Holt in May 2012;[62] the two were married in December that year.[63][64]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Trevor Hoffman, who acheved it twice, and Francisco Rodríguez are the others.[45]

References

  1. ↑ Cockcroft, Tristan H. (April 4, 2012). "2012 Position Preview: Relief pitcher". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
  2. 1 2 Kepner, Tyler (March 2, 2013). "Pitcher's Stare Is Menacing, but Fastball Is Feared More". New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
  3. 1 2 Hummer, Steve (May 21, 2011). "Braves closer took unusual path to role". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved December 5, 2013. Kimbrel the player, though, is an entirely different beast now. The kid just out of Huntsville, Ala., Lee High was nobody's prodigy.
  4. ↑ Mark Bowman / MLB.com. "Strained left hamstring lands Jurrjens on DL". MLB.com. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  5. ↑ Evan Drellich / MLB.com (June 5, 2010). "Kimbrel ready for second taste of bigs". MLB.com. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  6. ↑ Rogers, Carroll (June 3, 2011). "Jones, Hinske homers help Braves rally past Mets". ajc.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  7. ↑ David O'Brien (June 28, 2011). "Kimbrel surpasses Rocker strikeout mark". AJC.com. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  8. ↑ O'Brien, David (July 5, 2011). "Lowe hits (3 RBIs), pitches Braves to win". ajc.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  9. ↑ David O'Brien (July 7, 2011). "Kimbrel breaks first-half rookie saves record". AJC.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  10. ↑ Carroll Rogers (July 10, 2011). "Kimbrel named as replacement to NL All-Star team – updated". AJC.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  11. ↑ Carroll Rogers (August 21, 2011). "Braves postgame quotes following Sunday's win over Arizona". Blogs.ajc.com. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  12. ↑ David O'Brien (August 22, 2011). "Braves' hitting turnaround is more than just Uggla". Blogs.ajc.com. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  13. ↑ O'Brien, David (September 1, 2011). "Derek Lowe homers, Craig Kimbrel gets record save". ajc.com. Archived from the original on May 29, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  14. ↑ O'Brien, David (September 2, 2011). "Jones, McCann homers send Braves to win". ajc.com. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  15. ↑ Chris Vivlamore (September 8, 2011). "Braves notes: Beachy gets strikeout mark". Blogs.ajc.com. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Craig Kimbrel named winner of the Major League Baseball Delivery Man of the Month Award for August" (Press release). MLB.com. September 8, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  17. ↑ Kimbrel's streak ends; Teheran likely to bullpen
  18. ↑ "Latest collapse for Atlanta Braves came before playoffs this time". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 29, 2011. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  19. ↑ "Craig Kimbrel 2011 Pitching Splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  20. ↑ Powers, Matt (May 2, 2012). "Atlanta Braves: 10 Keys to Keeping the Phillies in the Rear-View Mirror". Bleacher Report. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  21. ↑ Neyer, Rob (August 27, 2012). "Braves' Brilliant Relievers Being Paced For September". SB Nation. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  22. 1 2 Kimbrel wins NL Rookie of Year, Freeman runner-up|Atlanta Braves
  23. ↑ "BBWAA.com: Official site of the Baseball Writers' Assn. of America.". bbwaa.com. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Braves' Craig Kimbrel, Rays' Jeremy Hellickson win Rookie of the Year Awards". Major League Baseball. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  25. ↑ Kimbrel wins NL Rookie of Year, Freeman runner-up
  26. ↑ "Players Choice Awards History". MLB.com. Major League Baseball Players Association. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
  27. ↑ "July 10, 2012 All-Star Game Play-By-Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  28. ↑ "Craig Kimbrel Of The Atlanta Braves Named The Major League Baseball Delivery Man Of The Month For Septembert". MLB.com (Press release). Major League Baseball. October 2, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  29. 1 2 "Craig Kimbrel Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  30. ↑ Pouliot, Matthew (October 3, 2012). "Craig Kimbrel first in history to fan half his batters faced". Hardball Talk. NBC Sports. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  31. ↑ "Craig Kimbrel Pitching Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  32. ↑ "Rolads Relief Man Award". rolaidsreliefman.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012.
  33. ↑ "2012 NL CY Young voting results". BBWAA.com. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  34. ↑ "2012 NL MVP voting results". BBWAA.com. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  35. ↑ "Kimbrels 100th save comes at historic rate". Fox Sports South. May 10, 2013. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
  36. ↑ Bowman, Mark (May 10, 2013). "Kimbrel earns 100th career save". MLB.com. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  37. ↑ "Simmons' double lifts Braves past Cardinals". ajc.com. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  38. ↑ "Home-field advantage important for Braves". ajc.com. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
  39. ↑ Pouliot, Matthew (September 28, 2013). "Craig Kimbrel is 11th with 50-save season". nbcsports.com. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  40. ↑ Click on "Closer" at "2013 Greatness in Baseball Yearly Awards". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media, L.P. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
  41. ↑ "Craig Kimbrel agrees to 4-year deal". ESPN.com. Associated Press. February 16, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  42. ↑ Bowman, Mark (February 16, 2014). "Kimbrel, Braves agree to four-year contract". MLB.com. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  43. ↑ Keuler, John (June 5, 2014). "A look at Craig Kimbrel's career highlights thus far". Atlanta. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  44. ↑ Taylor, Jon (June 7, 2014). "Braves' Craig Kimbrel continues to rack up saves at record-setting pace". SI.com. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  45. ↑ Bowman, Mark (August 30, 2014). "Kimbrel joins short, elite list with 40th save". MLB.com. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  46. ↑ O'Brien, David (April 5, 2015). "Braves deal Kimbrel, Upton to Padres". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  47. ↑ Odum, Charles (June 8, 2015). "Kemp, Kimbrel lead Padres over Braves in 11 innings". Athens Banner Herald. Associated Press. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  48. ↑ "Kimbrel earns 200th save as Padres beat Braves". Reuters. June 9, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  49. ↑ Abraham, Peter (November 13, 2015). "Red Sox acquire star closer Craig Kimbrel from Padres". Boston Globe. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  50. ↑ "Padres trade Craig Kimbrel to Red Sox in exchange for 4 prospects". ESPN.com. November 14, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  51. ↑ "Kimbrel set for surgery, placed on DL". CBS Sports. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  52. ↑ Bowman, Mark (April 15, 2012). "Curveball comes through for Kimbrel". MLB.com. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  53. ↑ Kepner, Tyler (March 3, 2013). "Brave's Stare Is Menacing, But Fastball Is Feared More". The New York Times. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  54. ↑ Official Twitter Account of MLB on Twitter
  55. ↑ "Brooks Baseball · Home of the PitchFX Tool – Player Card: Craig Kimbrel". Brooks Baseball. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  56. ↑ "Craig Kimbrel Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  57. ↑ "Major League Leaderboards » 2012 » Pitchers » Plate Discipline Statistics". Fangraphs. Retrieved August 29, 2012. Minimum 100 innings pitched.
  58. ↑ "PitchFX Leaderboards". Baseball Prospectus. Retrieved September 20, 2012.
  59. ↑ Weber, Rick (February 19, 2016). "For new Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel, best could be yet to come". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  60. ↑ McCarter, Mark (November 15, 2011). "Cause for celebration: Huntsville's Craig Kimbrel is National League Rookie of the Year". The Birmingham News. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  61. ↑ McCarter, Mark (July 8, 2012). "Craig Kimbrel continues to dominate as Braves' ace closer". The Birmingham News. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  62. ↑ Goold, Derrick (May 13, 2012). "Carpenter feeling better, expects to throw in June". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  63. ↑ Rogers, Carroll (October 11, 2012). "With help from Wagner, Kimbrel puts blown save behind him". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  64. ↑ Moore, Russell (January 4, 2013). "Former Wallace State pitcher Craig Kimbrel appreciative of mental toughness he developed while with Lions, proud of program's tradition". Wallace State Community College. Archived from the original on February 28, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2015 – via National Junior College Athletic Association.

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