The 2016 season marked Kenley Jansen’s 12th year with the Los Angeles Dodgers and seventh as a regular member of the Major League bullpen.
Just 29 years old, Jansen went on to post the best numbers of his career. In 68.2 innings, the right-hander pitched to a 1.83 ERA and 1.44 FIP with 104 strikeouts to just 11 unintentional walks. Jansen’s efforts amounted to 2.5 rWAR — the second-highest total he’s reached since entering the Majors in 2010.
Underrated for the majority of his Dodgers tenure, Jansen received national recognition with his first selection to the National League All-Star team. He especially impressed during the first half of the season, posting a minuscule 1.16 ERA and 0.65 WHIP with 51 punchouts in 38.2 frames.
On June 20 against the Washington Nationals, Jansen locked down the 162nd save of his career, surpassing Eric Gagne for most saves in Dodgers history. The previous record ironically withstood since 2004 — Jansen’s first year in the organization.
Another achievement for Jansen was his ability to remain healthy throughout the course of the season. He was sidelined for the first month and a half to begin last season, so maintaining his health while pitching at the highest level of his career exemplifies how Jansen continuously strives to improve his overall game.
2016 Highlight
While Jansen was dominant for the entire year, his defining moment arrived in the playoffs.
On Oct. 7, in Game 5 of the NL Division Series, Jansen was summoned in the seventh inning to preserve the Dodgers’ one-run lead in a win-or-go-home atmosphere.
In 2.1 innings (his career-high at the time), Jansen yielded just one hit and tallied four strikeouts — setting up the historic one-out save for Clayton Kershaw.
Jansen made three more appearances in the NL Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs and recorded more than three outs each time without allowing a run, displaying newfound versatility that became a trend among closers in the postseason.
2017 Outlook
The longtime Dodgers closer is a free agent for the first time in his career and figures to command the largest contract ever for a reliever.
Many big-market teams are in the hunt for a relief ace, including the Dodgers, Cubs, Nationals, San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees.
With the vast amount of clubs looking to bolster their bullpen and other elite free-agent closers being available, it’s far from a lock that Jansen returns to Los Angeles next season.
But given the Dodgers’ lack of replacements within the organization and familiarity with the player, retaining Jansen at all costs figures to be the wise choice going forward.
