Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen is coming off a historic season in which he saved 41 games while setting career-best marks in ERA (1.32), FIP (1.31) and strikeout-to-walk-ratio (15.57).
Many view Jansen as the top reliever in all of baseball, including ESPN’s Buster Olney, who ranked him ahead of the likes of Craig Kimbrel, Andrew Miller and Wade Davis going into the 2018 season. Jansen enters a year in which he will have a new bullpen coach.
While it simultaneously is the first time Mark Prior to holding such a role, he was known as a pitcher with terrific mechanics before injuries cut his career short.
In a recent interview on Dodger Talk with David Vassegh on AM 570 L.A. Sports Radio, Prior joked about what concern he has in coaching Jansen:
“I’ve thought about it briefly, my biggest concern is just making sure I can get the gate open for him. That was the initial concern,” Prior joked.
He also went on to add that he is excited to work with Jansen and the rest of the bullpen to help elevate their game to the next level:
“But even the greatest pitchers eventually they have something or something gets a little out of whack. For me, it’s just getting with Honeycutt and immediately getting to know these guys in Spring Training and find out what they like, what they don’t like, what makes them tick, what are maybe their ‘keys’ in their delivery that helps them. And then obviously just be prepared. That’s something I’m really looking forward to, just being able to prepare and know the opposing lineups and make sure that I can kind of give them those little quick hits right before they can step onto the warning track and run out there so they can take the thinking part out of it and just get out there and perform. That’s my main goal, for these guys to feel very confident when they go out and feel successful.”
Having Prior on the staff will be like having a second pitching coach alongside Rick Honeycutt. Prior previously served as the Minor League pitching coordinator for the San Diego Padres.
The Dodgers have boasted one of the best bullpens in all of baseball the past two seasons, and with Jansen leading the way they will look to once again be at or near the top in 2018.
