While the Los Angeles Dodgers’ bullpen has taken plenty of blame for the club’s shortcomings over the past three seasons, Kenley Jansen has remained a consistent force.
The power right-hander took control of the closer’s job in July 2013 and has excelled in the role. Jansen is widely viewed as one of the best closers in baseball and has largely proven to be unflappable.
No one is perfect, however, and the Curacao native and Dodgers have been reminded of that this season. Jansen blew consecutive saves in back-to-back games against the San Diego Padres in May, and more recently failed to close out a game in the 10th inning against the San Francisco Giants.
In discussing that outing and overall season, Jansen expressed some frustration over not feeling his usual self, via Bill Plunkett of the OC Register:
“This whole year, has been tough for me. I’m not going to lie. Even though my numbers are still good, I don’t feel like I’ve been as dominant as I should be.”
On the season, Jansen is 2-2 with a 1.65 ERA, 1.70 FIP and 0.77 WHIP in 29 games. He’s converted 19 of 22 save opportunities.
A notable difference for the 28 year old this season compared to years prior is his strikeout per nine innings. Throughout his career, Jansen has boasted an average of at least 13 strikeouts per nine innings.
However, he’s currently averaging 10.54 strikeouts per nine inning, and his strikeout rate is 31.7 percent, which is down from 40 percent last season. Even with a down season by his standards, Jansen is tied with Eric Gagne for the Dodgers all-time record with 161 saves.
