{"id":43910,"date":"2025-03-25T00:23:13","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T00:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=43910"},"modified":"2025-03-25T00:23:13","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T00:23:13","slug":"craig-kimbrels-return-could-be-boon-for-braves-bullpen-if-his-body-cooperates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=43910","title":{"rendered":"Craig Kimbrel\u2019s return could be boon for Braves\u2019 bullpen, if his body cooperates"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Craig<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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NORTH PORT, Fla. \u2014 When you\u2019re Craig Kimbrel from Huntsville, Ala., by way of Wallace State Community College, and you\u2019ve spent a 15-year MLB career daring guys to hit your formerly hellacious fastball, rarely showing emotion when things went your way and even more rarely making excuses when they didn\u2019t, it\u2019s hard to change.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also hard for Kimbrel, who was a stoic steamroller of a closer for so many years, to open up and explain why he\u2019s suddenly struggling mightily to get hitters out and reporters are asking why, as has been the case a few times in recent seasons including last year before he was released by the Baltimore Orioles in September.<\/p>\n

Perhaps it felt beneath him to say his back was aching and that his fastball, not the overwhelming pitch it once was, was even less so when he couldn\u2019t generate the power with his lower half that he did when he was at his most elite level.<\/p>\n

Nearly six months later, Kimbrel, 36, was at least willing to share with a reporter \u2014 one he knew from those early Atlanta Braves years \u2014 that a balky back contributed to his struggles last season. Baltimore had signed him to a one-year, $13 million deal after an All-Star season with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2023 that ended with Kimbrel\u2019s taking two losses in the NLCS.<\/p>\n

There was a real turn-back-the-block torrid stretch last season for Kimbrel, which allowed him to post a 2.10 ERA, 23 saves and a sparkling .147 opponents\u2019 average and .483 opponents\u2019 OPS in 38 appearances through July 7. But he unraveled from there, with an 11.50 ERA, .303 OA and 1.006 OOPS in 19 appearances through Sept. 17 before being let go.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I know the end of last year was a little tough,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was tough to watch. It was tough to go through. But I was trying. I mean, I was battling. I was trying to stay out there, and it wasn\u2019t working out for me for many reasons. But I think I got those reasons taken care of, and I feel pretty good about getting the ball and getting back out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pushed to elaborate on what he was dealing with last season, Kimbrel paused, then said: \u201cWhen you get older, there are certain things that \u2014 I mean, I played this long in my career. I pitched through stuff. You don\u2019t stay out on the field unless you do. And last year, I just hit a point where it was something I couldn\u2019t get through.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I just needed some time. I got some time. And here I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Craig<\/p>\n

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Craig Kimbrel didn\u2019t have a spring training since he was unsigned until last week. (Kim Klement Neitzel \/ USA Today)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

It was clear he didn\u2019t want to get much more specific, but a little later, Kimbrel did. Slightly.<\/p>\n

When asked, he said he didn\u2019t hurt his back doing anything specific, such as lifting weights. It was more cumulative.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say just years and years of doing what I\u2019m doing, trying to keep weight on, and as a pitcher the way I throw,\u201d he said. \u201cI mean, it\u2019s all in my legs; it\u2019s all my lower body. And as soon as I start trying to do more and trying to use my arm, it\u2019s no good.\u201d<\/p>\n

He left a late-April game with back soreness, the second of four times in a five-game stretch in which he failed to make it out of the ninth inning. But he didn\u2019t cite health as a reason for those struggles at the time; he only said he needed to do better.<\/p>\n

And he did, for more than two months immediately after that five-game slide. He produced a 0.43 ERA and .287 opponents\u2019 OPS over his next 22 appearances, with 31 strikeouts, five walks, no homers allowed in 21 innings during that span, including 15 saves in 16 opportunities.<\/p>\n

It was vintage Kimbrel, who got the nickname \u201cDirty C\u201d from teammates in Atlanta, back when his stuff was so filthy they expected him to get out of jams with strikeouts \u2014 even if two or three runners were on base with one or no outs.<\/p>\n

But now, in his mid-30s instead of his mid-20s, maintaining that level is far trickier for pitchers. His midseason surge ended with a three-run, three-hit, two-walk inning against the New York Yankees in his last appearance before the All-Star break, a harbinger of what awaited after the break.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just got to where I couldn\u2019t trust my legs, I couldn\u2019t trust my drive, and I\u2019d drop my drive down the mound,\u201d Kimbrel said. \u201cAnd when that\u2019s the case \u2014 I mean, we saw it towards the end last year, it\u2019s not any good.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s the first to acknowledge he isn\u2019t as overpowering as he once was, but he said he\u2019s still plenty good to perform at a high level when healthy, throwing strikes with his fastball and keeping hitters off-balance with his curveball.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not throwing 100, but my stuff\u2019s still there,\u201d said Kimbrel, whose average fastball velocity was 98 mph at the end of his first five seasons with Atlanta. Kimbrel was still 96.9 in 2020 but dropped to a career-low 93.9 in his physically challenging 2024 season.<\/p>\n

Lest we forget, Kimbrel was elite for a long time. As elite as any closer for most of a decade. Elite long enough to rack up 440 saves, fifth most in history and more saves than the combined totals of Josh Hader and Edwin Diaz.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s the past. Now, he is an aging reliever trying to rejuvenate his career with his original team, the team with which he had his greatest success, debuting for Atlanta in May 2010 and leading the National League in saves in each of his four full seasons with Atlanta (2011-2014).<\/p>\n

That included a majors-leading 50 saves with a 1.21 ERA in 2013, when he finished fourth in NL Cy Young balloting, after finishing fifth in 2012 when he posted a 1.01 ERA and had 116 strikeouts with only 14 walks in 62 2\/3 innings.<\/p>\n

Kimbrel made the All-Star team in each of his four full seasons with Atlanta and made it five times since, including three with the Boston Red Sox (2016-2018) and once apiece with the Chicago Cubs (2021) and Phillies (2023).<\/p>\n

And for a while last summer, he was healthy and elite again. The Braves hope there\u2019s more of that first-half Kimbrel left in the tank.<\/p>\n

They figured there was no risk involved in signing him to a minor league deal that will pay $2 million prorated for any time he\u2019s on the MLB roster, which could be as soon as a few weeks from now, after he gets ramped up at Triple-A Gwinnett and assuming the Braves have a need.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully he can replicate what he did the first half of last year,\u201d said Braves manager Brian Snitker, who was Atlanta\u2019s third-base coach when Kimbrel debuted in the majors. \u201cIt\u2019ll be awesome if he can come in and do that. It\u2019ll be good to see him. God, I loved Craig.\u201d<\/p>\n

If he\u2019s got something left as he showed for a couple of months last season, he could be valuable for a Braves bullpen that has some potent arms but lacks depth.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnytime you can add a bullet like that to your bullpen, a guy with that experience,\u201d Snitker said, \u201cobviously back-end, closer-type stuff. If he can pitch in the seventh inning on, that\u2019d be awesome to get a guy like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kimbrel didn\u2019t have a spring training since he was unsigned until last week, so he\u2019ll be careful not to overdo things initially. He wants to use the next two or three weeks as his spring training, then be ready to help the Braves if and when they have a need.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s not looking ahead too far, but Kimbrel\u2019s eyes lit up when he was informed the Braves would play the Cincinnati Reds in a special one-off game Aug. 2 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Alabama native\u2019s dad, Mike, is a big racing fan and became known for riding his Harley-Davidson hundreds of miles to some of Kimbrel\u2019s road games when he was with the Braves.<\/p>\n

TV cameras would often show the long-haired, long-bearded Mike Kimbrel seated in the stands, in a Kimbrel jersey and leather hat.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s still riding, but not quite as much,\u201d Kimbrel said, smiling.<\/p>\n

When told about the Braves game this summer at Bristol, Kimbrel said, \u201cOh, he\u2019ll definitely ride to that one and probably bring some of his buddies.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Top photo: Scott Cunningham \/ Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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David O’Brien<\/strong> is a senior writer covering the Atlanta Braves for The Athletic. He previously covered the Braves for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and covered the Marlins for eight seasons, including the 1997 World Series championship. He is a two-time winner of the NSMA Georgia Sportswriter of the Year award. Follow David on Twitter @DOBrienATL<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kimbrel, 36, was at least willing to share with a reporter that a balky back contributed to his struggles last season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":43911,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[71],"class_list":["post-43910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-atlanta-braves"],"yoast_head":"\nCraig Kimbrel\u2019s return could be boon for Braves\u2019 bullpen, if his body cooperates - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=43910\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Craig Kimbrel\u2019s return could be boon for Braves\u2019 bullpen, if his body cooperates - 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