Roberts shares his appreciation for Jansen, prepares for new-look ninth
by Rowan Kavner
On the night the Dodgers’ all-time saves leader agreed to a deal in Atlanta, he gave his former manager a call. Dave Roberts, who was at dinner at the time Friday night, texted Kenley Jansen back.
It was one of a few messages Jansen left with teammates, coaches and executives he’s known since he joined the Dodgers as a 17-year-old in 2004. The catcher turned elite closer has spent half his life in the Dodger organization, compiling 350 saves during his sensational 12-year career. Only Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman have recorded more saves with one team.
Now, for the first time as a Major Leaguer, the 34-year-old closer will be pitching for a new team.
“Like I texted him, he’s always going to be part of my family,” Roberts said. “You guys know what he means to me, so we wish him well outside of the times that we do play the Braves. You just never know. It’s a one-year deal, and we might see him again, but he’s always a Dodger.”
Jansen has been the Dodgers’ primary closer since 2012, when he finished off 25 saves. He has since recorded at least that many saves every year (apart from the 60-game 2020 season), including three seasons of at least 40 saves and a 2017 season in which his 41 saves led the National League.
He is a three-time All-Star (2016–18) and a two-time Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year (2016, 2017). Between the 2016 and 2017 seasons, Jansen went a combined 8–2 with a 1.58 ERA, striking out 213 batters with only 18 walks in 137 innings.
In addition to saving twice as many games as any Dodger reliever, Jansen also holds the franchise records for strikeouts (1,022) and appearances (701) as a reliever. He is one of 25 Major League relievers to amass at least 1,000 strikeouts.
As teams dealt with volatile closer situations over the past decade, Jansen was a constant to take the ball for the Dodgers in the ninth inning. He finished off 88.6 percent of his save opportunities.
“He made my job much easier,” Roberts said. “To have a guy that you can count on to post, to stay healthy and to be good — really good — is certainly not lost on me. I think that over the last few years, there’s been some kind of sentiment that he wasn’t what he should have been. That is completely false. I do think that as a closer things are more magnified, which they should be, but this guy was as dependable as any in the history of the game. The numbers don’t lie. They really don’t.”
Jansen’s velocity and consistency wavered at times over the past few years — his average cutter velocity was 94 mph in 2016 and 90.9 mph in 2020 — but he bounced back in 2021, averaging 92.5 mph on his cutter while going 4–4 with a 2.22 ERA and 1.04 WHIP.
His 38 saves last year were tied for the second most in the Major Leagues, despite him being asked to do more than the typical closer. He recorded a four-out save five times and made 13 appearances in the eighth inning of games. Roberts is counting on that mentality to live on in the Dodger bullpen.
“He bought into the Dodgers,” Roberts said. “That kind of openness still affects our guys this year, and it will going forward. He made it a lot easier, but I’ve got to now look at our roster and where it is and go back to whatever gives us the best chance to win that night.”
The Dodgers are in an unfamiliar position without a set pitcher for the ninth inning. Blake Treinen, who recorded seven saves last year and was an All-Star closer in 2018, could be a likely candidate to get most of the opportunities. But the Dodgers also like utilizing him in favorable matchups earlier in the game.
Last year, 10 different Dodger relievers recorded at least one save. Roberts said he has “a few guys” he thinks can finish a game, and the choice in the ninth inning may be based on the best matchup. But it’s possible one reliever separates himself.
“I don’t know if it’s going to be a closer by committee, but I just think that looking at the landscape of the pen right now, today, we have a lot good options,” Roberts said.
Quick Hits:
· Jason Martin and Eddy Alvarez both homered in the Dodgers’ 7–6 loss Saturday against Seattle. It was Martin’s second home run in as many spring games.
· Ryan Pepiot started the game and allowed six runs in two innings. Despite Saturday’s results, Roberts has high hopes for the top prospect who could soon make his debut: “He is right on track to being a really impactful Major League pitcher.”
· Roberts said Andrew Heaney is likely to make his spring debut Tuesday. Freddie Freeman is also expected to make his Dodger spring debut early next week.
