Craig Kimbrel set a new record In the Atlanta Braves 3-1 win over the Washington Nationals this past week for one of the most pressure-filled positions in major league sports. The closer walked off the mound with a new record for most saves by a rookie.
Turner Field Photo/Wikimedia Commons
With his 41st save, that came when he struck out Michael Morse, Kimbrel broke the record set just a year ago by former Braves prospect Neftali Feliz who is now with the Texas Rangers.
In recent years, more teams have been willing to go with rookie closers but none have been as dominant as Kimbrel. In the American League, closers Andrew Bailey and Feliz have won the Rookie of the Year award, something Kimbrel may do with one more spectacular month.
While the save is a somewhat useless statistic (there are a number of ways to get a save, including giving up two runs while recording a single out) Kimbrel’s season deserves the recognition that this record will give him. He is having arguably the best season of any rookie relief pitcher since the save became an official MLB statistic in 1969.
Since that time, no rookie reliever has struck out batters at a better rate (14.66 K/9) or posted as low an FIP (1.13) as Kimbrel currently has. With a month still left in the season, the reliever is already tied for second in fWAR for rookie relievers over that time and has pitched over 90 fewer innings than leader Mark Eichhorn who wasn’t a full time closer.
But Kimbrel isn’t just having a fantastic season by rookie standards; he is having one of the best relief seasons in history. Only Eric Gagne has ever posted a better FIP (0.86) over a full season than Kimbrel’s current mark. Only five relievers in MLB history have a higher strikeout rate than the one Kimbrel carries into September.
Heading into September, Kimbrel has a streak of 33.2 consecutive scoreless innings and last allowed a run on June 11th. Over that time he has struck out 15.77 batters per nine innings; a staggering stat.
If Kimbrel continue to pitch as like he has the season’s first five months, he will finish with the best relief season since Eric Gagne’s perfect year in 2003 and should walk away with the Rookie of the Year award.
Used with permission of the author.
Brett is the editor and a contributor for www.BravesFTW.com. He has covered MLB and the Braves for numerous websites and is a regular contributor to Sports Climax. Follow Brett on Twitter.
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