The New York Mets added a future Hall of Fame reliever a couple of weeks ago, but they know Craig Kimbrel is near the end of his career. He’s a familiar figure as a rival, though, so the Mets also know that they’re going to get every bit of whatever he has left in the tank as he reports to camp.
Kimbrel’s stats are more than Hall-worthy. He has 440 career saves, which is more than all but four pitchers, and three of the four are already in the Hall of Fame. He’s been in nine All-Star games and has one of the highest strikeout rates in MLB history.
As Andrew DiComo of MLB.com noted, other players and fans tend to stop and watch when Kimbrel does something, even in a spring-training environment. He’ll be a bargain at $2.5 million if he makes the team, especially if Kimbrel can show consistency during the season.
Kimbrel offered some familiar cliches when he reported to camp, but given his history, they mean something extra with him.
“I love playing the game,” Kimbrel said. “I love competing, standing on the mound. … I take that very seriously. I want to go out there and compete and be a part of that, the high-pressure stuff. I’m getting a little excited just talking about it. So the fact that I still want to do that, there’s no reason for me to be at home watching the game.”
Part of what intrigued the Mets was the changeup Kimbrel has added, according to DiComo. His fastball is down about five miles an hour from his peak years, but if he can make his change play, he has the knowledge and guile to fool hitters and get outs.
Kimbrel is also someone younger players can learn from, says rookie catcher Kevin Parada, who caught the former closer during one of Kimbrel’s early bullpen sessions.
“It’s a really cool feeling,” said Parada, who was in elementary school when Kimbrel broke into the league. “You sit there and realize the man’s been in the game for a long time. He’s more than likely going to be a Hall of Famer at some point when his career is finally over.”
Kimbrel has been up and down for the last few years, but he seemed to find himself with the Houston Astros last August. He went through a stretch where he struck out 16 hitters in 11 innings, and that small sample size was also part of what drew the Mets attention.
The Mets still have some open bullpen slots, and Kimbrell is an easy player to root for, even if his history against the Mets comes with plenty of bitter moments for the fan base. GM David Stearns certainly understands Kimbrel’s value, and it was reflected in his comments when asked about Kimbrel early in camp.
“This is someone who has an incredible amount of experience and success pitching in the back end of bullpens,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said. “It certainly looks like he still has the ability to get Major League hitters out. We value the experience. We value the wisdom. And so having someone like that in our camp -- and potentially on our Major League team -- made a lot of sense for us to give it a look and give him a chance.”