Kenley Jansen ‘excited’ to adjust to new MLB rules
New closer working with a pitch timer
FORT MYERS, FLA. >> Kenley Jansen is one of the best closers of his generation.
He’s the active leader in games finished, a two-time Trevor Hoffman Reliever of the Year, three-time AllStar, and 2020 World Series champion. Since 2013, he’s made at least one postseason appearance every October, with a 2.20 ERA across 59 career playoff games.
He’s also, in his own words, “the slowest guy in the league,” so in addition to spending the next few weeks ramping up, he’s going to have to speed up.
This year, pitchers will be on the clock. The pitch timer is one of several rule changes MLB is implementing, supposedly to improve the game. Pitchers now have to be in motion before time runs out: 15 seconds with the bases empty, 20 seconds with a runner on base, 30 seconds in between hitters. Failure to get moving will result in an automatic ball.
As if Fenway Park wasn’t a stressful enough environment before.
It’s not the easiest adjustment for anyone to make, let alone a 35-year-old entering their 14th big-league season.
Baseball Savant’s Pitch Tempo measures the time between pitch releases, a slightly different metric than the timer, which clocks the time elapsed between the pitcher receiving the ball from the catcher and beginning their delivery of the next pitch. But among qualified pitchers in 2022, Jansen’s 25.6 pitch tempo (19.6 timer equivalent) made him the third-slowest pitcher with the bases empty, and his 22.3% Slow Rate outranked them all. With runners on, he worked slower than anyone last season, a 31.4 tempo (25.4 timer equiv.) and the second-worst Slow Rate, 57.4%.
After 12 seasons with the Dodgers, including three consecutive All-Star seasons between 2016-18, NL MVP and Cy Young votes in 2017, and a World Series ring in 2020, Jansen spent 2022 with the Braves. He posted a 3.38 ERA across 65 appearances and led the National League in games finished (54) and saves (41).
Will the timer hamper that kind of production? Jansen abstained from playing for Team Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic in order to “adapt to the pitch clock.” Of course, his teammates also play a part in determining whether or not he’ll have save opportunities at all.
But in this tumultuous, bittersweet offseason, Jansen has been like a balm, soothing a smarting wound.
Not just because he immediately improves a bullpen that was among the worst in the game last year, but because he’s said all the right things since signing earlier this winter.
Story’s best- and worst-case scenarios
As he did on the frigid day when he was introduced at Fenway last month, the 35-year-old righty raved about his new organization in the Florida sunshine on Wednesday. “Mostly, I’m excited to just be wearing this uniform, I’m excited to be here, excited to compete,” he said. Talking about reuniting with longtime Dodgers teammates Justin Turner and Kiké Hernández, Jansen smiled and continued, “We’re happy to be here. We’re happy to wear this uniform. We understand what this uniform comes with, a lot of greatness.”
Greatness, to be sure, but a lot of pressure, too. And now, the clock is ticking.
Devers ’embarrassed’
After Chaim Bloom was asked on Tuesday if Kiké Hernández “has the resumé” to be a leader on this team, the super-utility player got some digs in on Twitter, writing, “Anybody know how to use LinkedIn? Need help with my resume.” Instead of a period, he ended with an upsidedown smiley face, an emoji typically used for sarcastic, frustrated, or passive-aggressive sentiments.
Hernández is only signed through this season, but he’s been vocal about readying to lead the team, noting the departure of its longesttenured players: Christian Vázquez, Xander Bogaerts, JD Martinez, Nathan Eovaldi, and Matt Barnes.
But this week, his outspokenness made waves when he opined that the ’22 team “got comfortable” being in last place.
His manager and at least one of his teammates disagree. Alex Cora explicitly said, “I don’t agree… When I saw I was like, ‘No.’ I wasn’t comfortable. I don’t think that the group was comfortable. You talk to Raffy, he’ll be very, very clear that that wasn’t acceptable.”
And on Wednesday, Rafael Devers told reporters the same and didn’t mince words. “I don’t think we felt comfortable being in last place. To be honest with you, last year was disappointing. I feel embarrassed by what we did last year,” he said.
He went on, “And that’s why I don’t think that’s going to happen again. We’re working towards that goal to be better and to fight for championships. That’s what we do here. And to be honest with you, we felt really embarrassed last year. … But we know we have the guys in there that can turn the page around and can make it to the playoffs and win championships. Like I said before, it was something that happened last year. Nobody was happy. And now we turn the page and focus on 2023.”
In his original comments, Hernández also “I don’t think this is an organization that should settle for last place,” and stressed that players need to be more vocal and hold one another accountable.
Intentional or not, he’s already gotten Devers to speak up.
Trevor Story’s timeline is about as fluid as that dirty water.
On Wednesday morning, he said it’s “realistic” that he could play in the second half of the season. The sophisticated sling that cradled his arm at Winter Weekend last month is gone, and he’s doing rangeof-motion work now. “We’re right on track,” he said.
But in addition to what he described as the “bestcase scenario,” he acknowledged the “worst-case scenario,” that he could miss the entire season. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom hasn’t rule that out, either.
To that end, there’s been no decision as to whether or not he’ll ship up to Boston with the team when the regular season starts. That’s to be expected at this stage of spring training, but Story said he’d like to go with the team, stressing the importance of togetherness.