Atlanta has seen its share of great bullpen arms over the years. However, some are more memorable than others. Craig Kimbrel fits that bill perfectly as he is one of the most memorable Braves relievers in recent memory.
He studied under Billy Wagner briefly during the 2010 season and quickly became one of baseball's best closers in his impressive rookie campaign. He earned Rookie of the Year for 2011 with a ridiculous 2.10 ERA through 77 innings with 32 walks, 127 strikeouts, and 46 saves. Those 46 saves set the record for the most saves by a rookie.
Unfortunately, since Kimbrel was traded to the Padres in 2015 despite appearing in four consecutive All-Star games for Atlanta, things haven't gone as well as he'd hoped. He's played for a plethora of teams since then including the Padres, Red Sox, Cubs, White Sox, Dodgers, Phillies, and Orioles.
He's never been able to recapture the same magic he found with the Braves. Injuries have played a part in keeping him off the field more than he'd liked to have been. However, he has also been inconsistent from year to year.
Baltimore Orioles designate former Braves closer Craig Kimbrel for assignment
2024 has been a bit of the same for Kimbrel in Baltimore. He had an incredible first half as he pitched to a 2.80 ERA through 35.1 innings with 16 walks, 53 strikeouts, and 23 saves. The second half has been the polar opposite and the former Brave hasn't recorded a single save since the All-Star break.
This horrible second half led the Orioles to designate Craig for assignment on Wednesday ahead of the team's preparation for the playoffs. Why would they let go of such a renowned closer? Well... see these second-half numbers for the answer.
The Orioles have designated Craig Kimbrel for assignment. pic.twitter.com/mHlDBpFrnE
— MLB (@MLB) September 18, 2024
He has a 10.59 ERA over 17 innings with 15 walks and 20 strikeouts. Another problem is how bad he's been at home in Baltimore. Kimbrel earned a 7.50 ERA when pitching at Camden Yards (24 innings) this season with 17 walks and 36 strikeouts. He's faired much better on the road with a contrast of a 3.49 ERA over 28.1 innings with 14 walks and 37 strikeouts.
The common denominator here is that he's walked a lot of hitters in 2024. He has a 13.4% walk rate this season which is one of the worst in Major League Baseball. It's not hard to see why he had such a poor season with the O's.
His strikeout rate and whiff rate are incredibly good at 31.5% and 30.9% respectively. However, that's where the good metrics end. Kimbrel hasn't been able to get a lot of batters to chase, teams are barreling up his pitches and hitting the ball hard. And his ground ball rate? Absolutely putrid at 31.7% for the season.
It's easy to see why Baltimore decided it was time to cut ties as he became a major liability to the team for the postseason. It's sad to see a reliever who started with such promise fall off in the latter half of his career. Craig may have a hard time finding himself another job with under two weeks left of the season.