For a second consecutive year, Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen was not included on MLB Network’s The Shredder’s list of top 10 relief pitchers.
San Diego Padres closer Kirby Yates claimed the top spot in the rankings for the 2020 season, after a spectacular campaign that saw him post a minuscule 1.19 ERA in 60 appearances last year.
The rest of the list, in order, consists of the New York Yankees’ Aroldis Chapman, the Milwaukee Brewers’ Josh Hader, the Oakland Athletics’ Liam Hendriks, the Houston Astros’ Ryan Pressly, the Boston Red Sox’s Brandon Workman, the New York Mets’ Seth Lugo, the Yankees’ Adam Ottavino, the Minnesota Twins’ Taylor Rogers and the Atlanta Braves’ Will Smith.
MLB Network analysts Sarah Langs, Ben Lindbergh and Mike Petriello each had Hader atop their respective lists, but like The Shredder, excluded Jansen.
The all-time Dodgers saves leader put up a career-worst 3.71 ERA in 62 games last season, while also posting his second-worst marks in both FIP (3.48) and WHIP (1.06).
Jansen’s eight blown saves additionally was second to only the Padres’ Craig Stammen (nine). However, not all was doom and gloom, as he saw improvements in strikeouts per nine innings (11.4) and home runs per nine (1.3) from the previous season.
Moreover, Jansen’s 33 saves was good for the eighth-most in all of baseball. It was his sixth consecutive year notching at least 30. Since the 2014 season, the right-hander’s 239 saves is by far the most in the league, besting Craig Kimbrel’s total of 207 during the span.
Jansen credits work with Driveline Baseball for improved cutter
Despite getting a late start to Summer Camp due to testing positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19), Jansen did not allow a baserunner in any of his exhibition outings. He’s carried that success into the regular season.
Over the offseason, Jansen was one of a handful of Dodgers players to work with Driveline Baseball. He credited them for his early success in exhibition play.
“It’s helped tremendously,” Jansen said of his time with Driveline. “It was more getting back of how I stride to home plate and finding my rhythm. They helped me through that and I’ve got to give them a lot of credit. You see how I’m driving straight to the plate, it’s effortless.”
| Rank | The Shredder | Mike Petriello | Sarah Langs | Ben Lindbergh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kirby Yates (Padres) | Josh Hader (Brewers) | Josh Hader (Brewers) | Josh Hader (Brewers) |
| 2 | Aroldis Chapman (Yankees) | Kirby Yates (Padres) | Kirby Yates (Padres) | Aroldis Chapman (Yankees) |
| 3 | Josh Hader (Brewers) | Nick Anderson (Rays) | Aroldis Chapman (Yankees) | Nick Anderson (Rays) |
| 4 | Liam Hendriks (Athletics) | Aroldis Chapman (Yankees) | Liam Hendriks (Athletics) | Kirby Yates (Padres) |
| 5 | Ryan Pressly (Astros) | Drew Pomeranz (Padres) | Nick Anderson (Rays) | Ken Giles (Blue Jays) |
| 6 | Brandon Workman (Red Sox) | Ryan Pressly (Astros) | Ken Giles (Blue Jays) | Ryan Pressly (Astros) |
| 7 | Seth Lugo (Mets) | Liam Hendriks (Athletics) | Will Smith (Braves) | Will Smith (Braves) |
| 8 | Adam Ottavino (Yankees) | Taylor Rogers (Twins) | Seth Lugo (Mets) | Taylor Rogers (Twins) |
| 9 | Taylor Rogers (Twins) | Ken Giles (Blue Jays) | Zack Britton (Yankees) | Brad Hand (Indians) |
| 10 | Will Smith (Braves) | Seth Lugo (Mets) | Ryan Pressly (Astros) | Liam Hendriks (Athletics) |
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