Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen made his long-anticipated 2019 Cactus League debut on Sunday against the Texas Rangers, tossing a scoreless inning of work in the third while recording a strikeout.
With the exception of Hunter Pence reaching base via error, Jansen did not allow a hit or walk in his relief appearance. His velocity peaked at 92 mph, though he sat around the 89-90 mph range for much of the inning.
Despite not lighting up the radar gun in his debut, Jansen is confident that his velocity will increase by the the start of the regular season, via Rowan Kavner of Dodger Insider:
“I know it’s in there,” Jansen said. “It will come. It’s just, stay in this process, stay in today, stay in the next time I go out there. By the time it comes to April, actually March, end of March, I probably get to 93, 94 maybe 95.”
Jansen admitted he paid too much attention to his velocity last season, which hindered his performance at times. He vowed not to make the same mistake in 2019 and will gradually allow his velocity to increase over the course of the year.
Looking to avoid the slow start he endured last season, Jansen has ramped up his workload this spring and is expected to pitch in additional Cactus League games before the start of the regular season.
