Aug 31, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel (46) delivers a pitch in the ninth inning of their game against the Miami Marlins at Turner Field. The Braves won 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Even mortal enemies who are sworn to destroy each other can agree that Atlanta Braves closer Craig Kimbrel is great. Just how great is when the debate begins.
Debuting in 2010, Kimbrel showed off his baseball skills immediately working as a relief pitcher. In 20.2 innings pitched he was 4-0 with a 0.44 ERA. As outstanding as this was, it was his 17.4 K/9 number that probably convinced the Braves to make him their next closer.
Kimbrel began his 2011 sophomore season as the Braves’ closer. He saved a league leading 46 games and added a 2.10 ERA with 14.8 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. This was good enough to unanimously win him the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Additionally, he was an All-Star and finished ninth in NL Cy Young award voting.
The next three seasons were even better for Kimbrel. His ERA was 1.01 in 2012, 1.21 in 2013, and 1.61 in 2014. Each season, he also happened to lead the league in saves with 42, 50, and 47, respectively.
Kimbrel’s blown saves have been very infrequent, too. In 2011 he had eight followed by just three in 2012 and four in both 2013 and 2014. When it comes to the ninth inning, there has been very little doubt that Kimbrel will get the job done.
The basic statistics from 2014 may look like he took a bit of a step backwards, but Kimbrel was walking into danger more often than ever before. Previously he had never had a season with more than four inherited runners. In 2014, he got the call from the pen with a total of 14 men already on base. Despite the significant increase, Kimbrel only allowed a pair of them to score.
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Being far from over, Kimbrel has a chance to end his career as the greatest closer in history, an honor universally accepted as belonging to Mariano Rivera. Kimbrel already has three seasons with an ERA lower than Rivera’s best of 1.38. He has also led the league in saves four times. This is an accomplishment Rivera can lay claim to a total of three times over a 19 year span of time.
At the rate Kimbrel is going — averaging 46 saves per season — he will surpass Rivera’s record of 652 career saves in 11 years. Kimbrel will be 37-years old at the time, so even if he does slow down, there are possibly a few years later on in life at the end of his career to make up for it. Rivera pitched until he was 43. There’s no reason to think Kimbrel can’t stay around just as long.
We won’t know for years where Kimbrel ranks among the best relievers in history. Right now though, he’s the top gun in a league-wide arsenal of closers when it comes to getting three outs to end a ball game.
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