Craig Kimbrel was voted the 2011 National League Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers of America. Kimbrel was part of the 3-headed monster that was the back end of the Braves bullpen with Jonny Venters and Eric O'Flaherty (collectively known as "O'Ventbrel"). Until the Braves 'pen succumbed to overuse, the 7-8-9 innings of games the Braves were ahead by 3 runs or less saw a virtual "lights out" when trying to face these hurlers; Kimbrel provided the knockout punch the Braves had been missing since Smoltzie was our closer a few years back.
Posting an NL rookie record 46 saves, a 2.10 era, and 277 K's in only 77 appearances; for those who don't know, that's an actual "butt-load" of strikeouts per 9 innings. When talking about just a "1-2" punch, the Braves combo of Venters/Kimbrel were perfect throughout the summer months this past season. PERFECT. This combo of setup man and closer was quite simply the best in baseball this year; a lefty/righty, 8/9 inning combo that has the mustard to strike out the final 6 batters no matter who they are. Kimbrel is a thoroughbred who was groomed from day 1 to be the Brave's closer; starting with his call-up in 2010 so he could be mentored by then Braves closer, Billy Wagner. In 3 years in the minors spent in Danville, Rome, Myrtle Beach, and finally AAA Gwinette, Kimbrel had 51 saves in 121 appearances; while posting a 1.85 era and a staggering 14.4 strikeouts! To put Kimbrel's k/9 stat into perspective to allow you to understand how powerful and how NASTY Kimbrel's stuff really is, his k/9 is 14.4 whereas "The Rocket" Roger Clemens, one of the most prolific strikeout pitchers of all-time has an 8.55k/9 for his career and the best numbers he could muster were 10.68k/9 back in 1998 when he pitched for Toronto.
In 2010, Kimbrel got a taste of the closer role for the Braves and got the chance to pitch in all 4 of the Braves postseason games despite only hurling 20 innings during the regular season. This instance shows just what it means when a ballplayer has "IT," the intangible that separates professionals from amateurs; and Kimbrel has "IT" in spades. Despite the fact that the 2011 season came crashing down around all of the Braves, and the fact that Kimbrel struggled for the first time since April, (5 for 8 for saves in September), this does not mean Kimbrel has forgotten how to throw "heat." In game 3 of the 2010 NLDS, Kimbrel came into the game in the 9th and subsequently blew the save and took the L; that very next night, instead of falling flat on his face, he did what good closers do: He got the save and gave his team another chance to win the series. Get used to hearing this name folks, here's a stud that will be around for awhile.
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