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New Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel ready to ‘keep the train rolling’ in Félix Bautista’s stead

jacob calvin meyer, baltimore sun
·4 min read

Craig Kimbrel recognizes a great closer when he sees one.

In his introductory news conference with the Orioles on Thursday afternoon, he made sure to praise Félix Bautista, the injured closer Kimbrel is replacing for the 2024 season.

“What he did last year was absolutely spectacular and something no one’s ever done before,” Kimbrel said about Bautista’s stellar 2023 campaign, which made the 6-foot-8 fireballer the American League Reliever of the Year.

The Orioles didn’t give Kimbrel a one-year, $13 million contract to be Bautista, who is recovering from Tommy John elbow reconstruction, but they did add the 35-year-old veteran to stabilize the back end of the bullpen and be the closer for a playoff-contending team.

Kimbrel is ready for the challenge.

“It’s hard to replace someone like him,” Kimbrel said on a video call as he donned an O’s hat. “… To come in and to fill those shoes and keep this team on a good roll, I fully expect to do that. That’s why I signed here, that’s what I’ve been doing my whole career, and I think that’s part of the reason why the Orioles wanted me to come here and just keep the train rolling and keep the wheels going. That’s what I’m coming in to do and I fully expect to do it and do it at the highest level.”

Kimbrel’s answer when asked why he chose Baltimore — his eighth team — was similar to Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias’ on Wednesday during the final day of the MLB winter meetings in Nashville, Tennessee.

“They want to win and they want to now,” Kimbrel said. “I don’t know how many more years I’ve got to do this and go out there and sling the ball, and I want to be part of a winner, I want to be part of a great opportunity and be comfortable doing it, and they provided all of those things for me.”

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The fit — both for Kimbrel and the Orioles — makes sense, and Elias believes Kimbrel, who turns 36 in May, has “a lot in the tank.” Kimbrel is one of the most accomplished closers in MLB history. His 417 saves rank eighth all-time and second among active pitchers behind Boston’s Kenley Jansen.

But Kimbrel is far from the dominant closer he was a decade ago, even though he did pitch well enough to make his ninth All-Star Game appearance in July with the Philadelphia Phillies.

“I don’t think the competitor [in me] has changed,” he said. “I think what I’m using has changed a little bit. My spin rate’s still good, the way I move the ball’s good, but it’s not 100 mph anymore. I’m using 94-96 now. Sometimes, I’ll get a little harder and those days are a little easier to pitch, but understanding, I can’t pitch like I throw 100 anymore. When you don’t do it, you can’t pitch that way, so I have that understanding. I’ve learned a lot about myself.

“Analytics over the last two years have helped me understand how to transition and use what I have without what I used to have. And that’s the beautiful thing about baseball. You don’t have to do it the same way forever.”

After a prolific nine-year stretch to begin his career, Kimbrel struggled in 2019 and 2020. But he’s posted a 3.10 ERA and been an All-Star in two of the three seasons since. Last season was a bounce-back of sorts for Kimbrel, who posted a 3.26 ERA, 1.043 WHIP and 33.8% strikeout rate — a total he’s topped just one other year in his career — in 69 innings.

He was equally good in the second half as the first, ending the regular season strong with a 1.50 ERA. But he struggled in the postseason — something he’s done several times in his career — and was a major reason the Phillies lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Championship Series.

“It was unfortunate how it ended, it’s terrible,” Kimbrel said. “Luckily, I’ve been knocked in the face quite a few times in my career and been able to get back up and keep on going, and that’s what I plan on doing. You learn from your mistakes and you move forward and you’re better for it.”

He said he’s ready to start working toward 2024 with Orioles backup catcher James McCann, who lives near Kimbrel outside Nashville. He’s also looking forward to pitching at Camden Yards, which is one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in baseball after being one of the least when Kimbrel last played there.

Despite his up-and-down 2023 season, Kimbrel’s confidence in his ability to be a trusted closer hasn’t wavered.

“I love it,” he said. “It’s everything about who I am and what I want.”