A change in offseason workouts helped put Kenley Jansen on the right path
By Rowan Kavner
Kenley Jansen felt the “lightbulb moment” arrive April 11 when he struck out two batters in an eight-pitch save. The radar gun flashed “95” on his strikeout of Washington’s Luis Garcia. His upper body followed his lower body. His mechanics clicked. Velocity followed.
In 2019, Jansen threw a pitch 95 mph or faster nine times. In 2020, it happened three times. Through his first 27 games of the 2021 season, he threw 30 pitches at least 95 mph. That included his first 97 mph pitch in four years. He considered the progress a result of the changes made this winter, when he placed his trust in Dodger director of player performance Brandon McDaniel.
Ask McDaniel, and the process really started long before then.
As teams waited to hear what would happen with the 2020 season, McDaniel visited Jansen to train. Jansen’s best friend, former Dodger outfield prospect Trayvon Robinson, stood in to see pitches and take live batting practice. They occasionally snuck onto fields to get their work in. It was a time McDaniel says he’ll never forget.
“We had a portable mound that we had bought in Spring Training, and we had it sent to Kenley’s house,” McDaniel recalls. “We were literally throwing bullpens in the middle of the street because we had nowhere else to go. His neighbors were coming outside, like, ‘What the heck is going on right now?’
“At that time, you could just tell that Kenley wasn’t moving the way that I knew he could. He was throwing the ball hard. He was throwing the ball well. He was working his butt off, sweating more than anybody, lifting more than anybody. It just had become too much. It was just like we almost swayed the teeter-totter too far.”
McDaniel felt Jansen was too athletic to not be moving faster. He knew then that he wanted to make a change, but it was too late to do anything drastic. The 2020 season could have started at any point, and pitchers needed to be ready.
When teams reconvened for Summer Camp, Jansen’s start was delayed after a bout with COVID-19. There were times during the season he felt tired, as if the symptoms were returning, but he didn’t want to make excuses for his performance. Last year, most pitchers still would have taken Jansen’s 3–1 record, 3.33 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings. But he expected more from himself. He allowed five runs (four earned) in seven postseason innings, going 2-for-3 in save opportunities. Julio Urías secured the final outs of the Dodgers’ World Series — which Jansen understood, given the way Urías was performing. But the dips and fluctuations in Jansen’s velocity and command left him frustrated and looking for answers.
Robinson tried to provide positive support: “I have to keep reminding him, ‘Bro, you know who you are.’ A lot of people, we’re human. We forget.”
Two days after the Dodgers finished off their championship, Jansen began an updated offseason workout program under McDaniel’s direction.
The 33-year-old closer ditched heavy strength training in favor of quickness and speed. McDaniel could tell the 2020 season motivated Jansen, who was receptive to the changes the strength staff had in mind.
“I think at that point he had just kind of thrown his hands up and said, ‘Dude, I’ll do whatever,’” McDaniel says. “It wasn’t like we hadn’t talked about it before, but it’s tough when it’s going well to change something.”
Most years, Jansen would start riding his bike and doing deadlifts immediately after the season ended. McDaniel told him to wait until he arrived. He had a new plan.
Weighted-ball workouts were out. Quick-twitch, athletic movements were in. Jansen incorporated more long toss into his routine. Robinson, who’s now playing in the independent Atlantic League, continued to help where he could, providing feedback at the plate and serving as a throwing partner.
“Long toss I feel like was huge for both of us,” Robinson says. “We went to a football field and just started throwing, like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.”
Jansen ditched his heavy strength training program. Instead of picking up 500 pounds off the floor during his workouts, it was 275 to 315. What mattered most to McDaniel is that Jansen moved the weight quickly.
“He lost almost 20 pounds from what we were doing and just changing the fact we were trying to train faster,” McDaniel says. “We were still squatting, but we were squatting for speed. We were still deadlifting, but we were deadlifting for speed. We were still doing all the same moves we used to do, but we were getting more range of motion out of it and emphasizing how fast you can move.”
As McDaniel considered the workout changes he wanted to make ahead of the 2021 season, he kept in close contact with the Dodger pitching coaches, manager Dave Roberts and the Dodger front office to make sure everyone was on board. Of course, Jansen had to be, too.
Jansen didn’t return home to Curacao. He trained all offseason in Los Angeles, frequently visiting a track near his house to add more running into his routine. The better shape he was in, the more he could repeat his delivery.
“I wanted to be right,” Jansen says. “I didn’t miss even one day. Continued his program and the process, and like I said, I just give it a try. It’s paying off right now, big time.”
Roberts kept his faith in Jansen as the Dodger closer entering the new season. He wanted to instill confidence in the Dodgers’ all-time saves leader, and Jansen has rewarded Roberts’ belief.
Through his first 27 games of the 2021 season, Jansen sports a 1.63 ERA — his best mark in four years. Opponents own a .101 batting average against him — the best mark of any Major League pitcher with at least 20 innings pitched this season.
Jansen has allowed an earned run in just one appearance since the start of May. After recording his 321st career save on May 19, he now trails only Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman for the most saves with one team.
“His stuff’s been really good,” Roberts says. “He’s worked really hard to get back where he needs to be. Kenley is a strike thrower. There were some outings where he wasn’t right, didn’t have the command. But this guy, his pedigree as a strike thrower is getting ahead and putting guys away. That’s what he’s done all year for us.”
A velocity bump helped.
McDaniel figured the new workouts might put Jansen on the correct plane and in a better position to get more behind the baseball. Entering this year, Jansen hadn’t touched 96 mph since the 2018 season. He has done it 10 times this year.
“Did I think he would hit 97 against the Pirates? No,” McDaniel says. “But I knew if we could get his body moving faster to speed his arm up, then yeah, he was going to throw harder.”
It’s not consistent mid-90s heat, which still frustrates Jansen. But he’s demonstrated the occasional 96 mph pitches — and the movement that comes with them — are still in his arsenal.
Even with some fluctuations, he’s averaging a tick higher in velocity on his entire mix this year compared to last. The results are speaking for themselves.
“No doubt there’s a special feeling to see Kenley do what he does and to be on the mound throwing hard again,” McDaniel says. “More importantly, I think the most gratifying thing is to see Kenley so happy, to see the joy back in him to do what he does.”
