Kenley Jansen led the Atlanta Braves bullpen as the closer in 2022. We review his season, which included a stint on the IL for an irregular heartbeat, calls for his benching, and leading the National League in saves.
The Atlanta Braves followed up the 2021 World Championship season with a flurry of off-season maneuvers. One move brought a big-named closer to Atlanta as the Braves prepared to put together their campaign to defend their world title.
Kenley Jansen, longtime Dodgers’ closer, was now an Atlanta Brave. signing a one-year deal worth $16 million. Jansen would join the team that eliminated him from the previous postseason. He was coming off a resurgent season with the Dodgers in which he finished with a 2.22 ERA and 38 saves.
Despite a solid season and 11 scoreless postseason innings from Will Smith in 2021, Alex Anthopoulos was interested in Jansen. AA reinforced an already stellar bullpen by adding one of the game’s greatest closers. The Braves GM involved Will Smith in the decision to bring Jansen on board.
Alex Anthopoulos said he involved Will Smith, one closer, in the process of signing Kenley Jansen, another closer. Anthopoulos said Smith was on board. He told Anthopoulos he wants another ring and another parade.
— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) March 19, 2022
Kenley Jansen came to the Braves with 350 career saves, 0.928 WHIP, 2.37 ERA, and a career K/9 rate of 13.0 over 705 innings pitched.
Atlanta Braves: Kenley Jansen’s 2022 Season Stats
3.38 ERA | 1.05 WHIP | 41 SV | 85 K | 11.95 K/9
Jansen opened the season as the undisputed closer for the Braves. He would hold that spot all season, while he was healthy. Jansen got off to an inauspicious start, allowing three earned runs in his first appearance on April 8 in a 7-6 win over Cincinnati.
Jansen would not allow another earned run until May 7th when he gave up just one run in his eighth save of the season over the Brewers.
The three-time all-star put any initial concerns to rest after his debut clunker. Over his next 14 appearances, he gave up just one earned run and posted nine saves. Jansen allowed just three hits over that time span.
The greatness would be interrupted by a spell of instability. Despite eventually finishing the season as the NL saves leader, Jansen would earn the ire of Braves fans with a few dizzying spells of inconsistency.
On May 18th, Jansen would surrender an earned run and begin a streak of three consecutive outings allowing at least one earned run.
During that three-game stretch, Jansen allowed a total of four earned runs, three walks, and four hits. In the month of May, Jansen allowed earned runs in five of his 12 appearances and posted a 4.26 ERA for the month.
Kenley Jansen to 15-Day IL with Irregular Heartbeat
Jansen had a better June, finishing with a 3.26 ERA, 8 SVs, and 1 BSV. On June 28th, the Braves moved Jansen to the 15-day IL with an irregular heartbeat. This scary condition is something the closer has dealt with his whole career. Luckily, he was able to return to the field on July 13 in a scoreless appearance against the Mets.
Although Jansen had some sweat-inducing stretches, he still only allowed 1.05 runners on base per inning over the course of the whole season. Once he returned from the IL in July, he posted a 3.16 ERA for the rest of the season, holding opposing batters to a .193 average. He saved 21 games with just three blown saves in the same time.
Kenley Jansen Solid Down the Stretch in 2022
As mentioned earlier, Kenley’s 41 saves were tops in the senior circuit. As the Braves closed the gap on the Mets, Jansen stepped his game up. He pitched some of his best baseball down the stretch, allowing just four earned runs and striking out 20 over 15.1 September innings.
Jansen concluded his regular season by allowing just one with four consecutive scoreless saves, including on October 4th against Miami to lock up the NL East for a fifth straight season. Jansen was another successful case study in Alex Anthopoulous’ one-year veteran contracts. He served the Braves well and is currently a free agent.
As Atlanta looks to 2023, the door is open for a new star to step up and claim the spotlight. The Atlanta Braves have some options to replace Jansen in 2023.
How do you think the 2022 season went for the Atlanta Braves and Kenley Jansen? Let us know in the comments!