The Kimbrel Kronicles

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39 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (one slot is open), plus two players are on the 60-DAY IL and one player has been DESIGNATED FOR ASSIGNMENT (DFA)

26 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and nine players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors, three players are on the 15-DAY IL, and one player is on the 10-DAY IL

Last updated 4-23-2024

* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 13
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay
Javier Assad
Colten Brewer
Ben Brown
* Shota Imanaga
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Hector Neris
Jameson Taillon
Keegan Thompson
Hayden Wesneski
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
Christopher Morel
* Matt Mervis
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman

OPTIONED: 9
Kevin Alcantara, OF
Michael Arias, P
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF
Jose Cuas, P
Brennen Davis, OF
Porter Hodge, P
* Miles Mastrobuoni, INF
Daniel Palencia, P
Luis Vazquez, INF

10-DAY IL: 1
Seiya Suzuki, OF

15-DAY IL: 3
Kyle Hendricks, P
* Drew Smyly, P
* Justin Steele, P

60-DAY IL: 2
Caleb Kilian, P
Julian Merryweather, P

DFA: 1
Garrett Cooper, 1B

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Here is what I saw this week from Craig Kimbrel's Spring Training in June at the Cubs Mesa facility:
He's wearing #24

SATURDAY 6/15
26 pitches (14 strikes) in late afternoon (104 degrees) "live" BP/sim game on Field #1 at Riverview Baseball Complex
Seven batters faced
1. hard-contact ground ball down 1st base line on a 1-0 pitch (would have been a double or a triple)
2. hard contact fly ball (HR) to LF on 1-1 pitch
3. strike out swinging on 2-2 pitch
4. strike out looking on 2-2 pitch
5. walk on 3-2 pitch
6. hard-contact line-drive to left-center on 1-0 pitch (would have been a double)
7. soft contact grounder to SS on 1-2 pitch (would have been 6-4 FC or 6-4-3 DP if needed)
NOTE: Also two foul balls - one hard contact line-drive off 1st base side bench fence, the other lined straight back
COMMENT: Still has command issues and stuff was not as electric as in previous outing on Thursday

THURSDAY 6/13
24 pitches (15 strikes) in late afternoon (108 degrees) "live" BP/sim game at Sloan Park (Cubs Spring Training stadium)
Five batters faced
1. hard contact line-drive to RF on 0-2 pitch (would have been a single)
2. strike out swinging on 2-2 pitch
3. strike out swinging on 3-2 pitch
4. strike out swinging on 2-2 pitch
5. soft-contact two-hopper to 1st base on 2-1 pitch (would have been a 3-U)
NOTE: There were also four foul balls popped into grandstands, two on 1st base side and two on 3rd base side.
COMMENT: Had difficulty commanding FB but velo in mid-90's and slider was sharp

MONDAY 6/10
44 pitches thrown in morning bullpen session (10:45 AM local).
COMMENT: He bounced slider a few times but went straight-through without stopping and looked pleased after he was done (smiled and shook hands with everybody who was there).

My favorite part of Kimbrel's two "live" BP outings was 35 or 40 of the Cubs AZL pitchers standing around watching him warm up in the bullpen before he took the field.

So my general opinion of Kimbrel's performance this week is that while he clearly has good FB velo and his slider has bite, he also has difficulty commanding his stuff and throwing strikes, and inexperienced AZL hitters were able to barrel-up his stuff and make hard contact a bit too often.

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