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Chicago Cubs: Craig Kimbrel could decide the bullpen’s fate in 2020
First impressions aren’t always accurate. At least, Chicago Cubs fans hope that’s the case – after Craig Kimbrel struggled a great deal in his first year.
I was absolutely elated when Craig Kimbrel made his Chicago Cubs debut against the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field. Sitting on a rooftop across the street at a work outing, everyone else was enjoying the libations inside, away from the scorching sun – but my eyes were locked on the left-field bullpen gate.
As Kimbrel trotted in from the pen for the first time in a Cubs uniform, I couldn’t help but have that hopeless sense of optimism anyone who’s ever rooted for a franchise once dubbed the Lovable Losers surely understands. Twenty pitches later, ‘Go Cubs Go’ rang out from the Friendly Confines as the bearded right-hander high-fived his teammates.
But that optimism and excitement quickly abated. Kimbrel got rocked by the Pirates in a mop-up role on July 1, allowing three runs on three hits – including a pair of home runs. Chicago lost that game by an 18-5 final. He followed that up two days later by blowing his first save as a Cub – as Pittsburgh scored twice off him, walking off by a final of 6-5.
He settled in from there, running off eight consecutive scoreless appearances, in which he limited opponents to a .115 average while striking out 11 over those eight frames.
Chicago Cubs: The up-and-down continues as season winds down
But just as soon as you started to feel comfortable with Kimbrel in the ninth, he’d fall victim to the long ball once again – as he did on July 27 when the Brewers rallied to win 5-3 in extras at Miller Park, one of the Cubs’ most crushing losses of the season.
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In essence, Craig Kimbrel’s first season with the Cubs was a roller coaster. Some days, he’d look the part – a potential future Hall of Fame closer. Others, it was like watching the reincarnation of Carlos Marmol. Without the traditional ramp-up period and full Spring Training, the right-hander clearly missed a tick on his fastball. Missing that velocity, when he made mistakes, opponents made him pay.
“That’s the thing about being a relief pitcher. There’s a fine line between success and struggle,” Kimbrel told MLB.com. “Minimizing damage, staying away from the big innings, things like that, those are things I wasn’t able to do this year that I’ve been really good at over my career, I’d find myself in trouble and get out of it. There were times where I wasn’t able to get out of it this year and the numbers show that.”
Chicago shut down their closer late in September after he battled back from his second IL stint in mere months. In a trio of appearances that month, he was torched for six runs on four home runs. He struck out five and walked a pair in just 2 1/3 innings of work. Opponents slugged 1.545 against him in these outings.
Chicago Cubs: Focused, determined Kimbrel wants to rewrite the script
So that’s the taste left in Cubs fans mouths. More than a few people look at Kimbrel now as the latest swing-and-a-miss by the front office, which has been shaky, at best, when it comes to major free agent deals in recent years. With two years left on his deal, the right-hander is looking to silence his critics and prove that he still belongs in the conversation amongst the best ninth-inning arms in baseball.
“By no means has the struggle that I had this year deterred me or given me any kind of feeling like, ‘I can’t do it,’ or anything like that. I know I can still come out here and be successful and do my job. I’m looking forward to digging into it a little bit more and doing what I can to get better.”
Will the Cubs bring in a new veteran presence?. dark. Next
Kimbrel will likely head into 2020 as the undisputed veteran leader in the Chicago bullpen. The Cubs are losing several key relievers to free agency, including Pedro Strop, Brandon Kintzler and Steve Cishek – to name a few. With young arms such as Rowan Wick, Brad Wieck, Kyle Ryan and Alec Mills – there’s potential and promise. But as we saw in 2019, it’s no longer about hype – it’s about delivering in the big moments.