Biographical

Craig Kimbrel PWhite Sox

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2019 Projections (Preseason PECOTA - seasonal age 31)

IP	ERA	WHIP	SO	W	L	SV	WARP
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Birth Date	5-28-1988
Height	6' 0"
Weight	215 lbs

Age	36 years, 9 months, 5 days
Bats	R
Throws	R

: 1.92015
: 1.32016
: 2.52017
: 1.72018
: 1.02019
proj

WARP Summary

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MLB Statistics

Historical (past-seasons) WARP is now based on DRA..
cFIP and DRA are not available on a by-team basis and display as zeroes(0). See TOT line for season totals of these stats.
Multiple stints are are currently shown —Click to hide.

YEAR	Team	Lg	G	IP	W	L	SV	H	BB	SO	HR	PPF	H/9	BB/9	HR/9	K/9	GB%	BABIP	WHIP	FIP	ERA	cFIP	DRA	DRA-	WARP
2010	ATL	MLB	21	20.7	4	0	1	9	16	40	0	92	3.9	7.0	0.0	17.4	0%	.281	1.21	1.55	0.44	60	1.95	44.1	0.7
2011	ATL	MLB	79	77.0	4	3	46	48	32	127	3	96	5.6	3.7	0.4	14.8	0%	.315	1.04	1.48	2.10	41	2.03	47.2	2.5
2012	ATL	MLB	63	62.7	3	1	42	27	14	116	3	98	3.9	2.0	0.4	16.7	0%	.250	0.65	0.81	1.01	17	1.60	36.7	2.4
2013	ATL	MLB	68	67.0	4	3	50	39	20	98	4	100	5.2	2.7	0.5	13.2	0%	.263	0.88	1.90	1.21	51	1.93	46.1	2.2
2014	ATL	MLB	63	61.7	0	3	47	30	26	95	2	97	4.4	3.8	0.3	13.9	0%	.235	0.91	1.80	1.61	57	1.89	46.3	2.0
2015	SDN	MLB	61	59.3	4	2	39	40	22	87	6	95	6.1	3.3	0.9	13.2	0%	.276	1.04	2.70	2.58	63	2.09	48.8	1.9
2016	BOS	MLB	57	53.0	2	6	31	28	30	83	4	116	4.8	5.1	0.7	14.1	31%	.242	1.09	2.87	3.40	84	2.88	63.8	1.3
2017	BOS	MLB	67	69.0	5	0	35	33	14	126	6		4.3	1.8	0.8	16.4	37%	.260	0.68	1.40	1.43	41	1.94	41.4	2.5
2018	BOS	MLB	63	62.3	5	1	42	31	31	96	7	107	4.5	4.5	1.0	13.9	30%	.216	0.99	3.16	2.74	76	2.58	57.7	1.7
2019	CHN	MLB	23	20.7	0	4	13	21	12	30	9	96	9.1	5.2	3.9	13.1	29%	.279	1.60	7.95	6.53	107	6.05	124.1	-0.2
Career		MLB	565	553.3	31	23	346	306	217	898	44	88	5.0	3.5	0.7	14.6	40%	.259	0.95	2.18	2.08	56	2.24	50.7	16.8

Statistics for All Levels

'opp' stats - Quality of opponents faced - have been moved and are available only as OPP_QUAL in the Statistics reports now.
Minor league stats are currently shown —Click to hide.

YEAR	Team	Lg	LG	G	GS	IP	W	L	SV	H	BB	SO	HR	PPF	H/9	BB/9	HR/9	K/9	GB%	BABIP	WHIP	FIP	ERA	cFIP	DRA	DRA-
2008	ROM	A	SAL	10	0	12.7	2	0	4	6	4	26	0	97	4.3	2.8	0.0	18.4	0%	.333	0.79	0.40	0.71	36	1.84	37.6
2008	MYR	A+	CRL	2	0	3.7	0	0	0	5	1	3	0	101	12.2	2.4	0.0	7.3	0%	.500	1.62	2.64	0.00	95	6.04	123.6
2008	DNV	Rk	APL	12	0	19.0	1	2	6	5	10	27	0	93	2.4	4.7	0.0	12.8	0%	.122	0.79	2.99	0.47	94	1.61	32.9
2009	ROM	A	SAL	16	0	20.0	0	0	10	9	6	38	0	93	4.1	2.7	0.0	17.1	0%	.290	0.75	0.70	0.90	44	1.74	36.6
2009	MYR	A+	CRL	19	0	26.3	0	2	2	18	28	45	2	98	6.2	9.6	0.7	15.4	0%	.340	1.75	4.22	5.48	102	4.87	102.4
2009	MIS	AA	SOU	12	0	11.7	2	1	6	3	7	17	0	91	2.3	5.4	0.0	13.1	0%	.150	0.85	2.24	0.77	64	1.91	40.3
2009	GWN	AAA	INT	2	0	2.0	0	0	0	0	4	3	0	98	0.0	18.0	0.0	13.5	0%	.000	2.00	6.15	0.00	116	6.25	131.6
2009	PES	Wnt	AFL	11	0	10.3	0	1	0	7	16	18	1		6.1	14.0	0.9	15.7	0%	.316	2.23	7.25	10.49	0	0.00	0.0
2010	ATL	MLB	NL	21	0	20.7	4	0	1	9	16	40	0	92	3.9	7.0	0.0	17.4	0%	.281	1.21	1.55	0.44	60	1.95	44.1
2010	GWN	AAA	INT	48	0	55.7	3	2	23	28	35	83	3		4.5	5.7	0.5	13.4	0%	.238	1.13	3.11	1.62	0	0.00	0.0
2011	ATL	MLB	NL	79	0	77.0	4	3	46	48	32	127	3	96	5.6	3.7	0.4	14.8	0%	.315	1.04	1.48	2.10	41	2.03	47.2
2012	ATL	MLB	NL	63	0	62.7	3	1	42	27	14	116	3	98	3.9	2.0	0.4	16.7	0%	.250	0.65	0.81	1.01	17	1.60	36.7
2013	ATL	MLB	NL	68	0	67.0	4	3	50	39	20	98	4	100	5.2	2.7	0.5	13.2	0%	.263	0.88	1.90	1.21	51	1.93	46.1
2013	USA	int	WBC	4	0	3.7	0	1	0	5	0	3	0		12.3	0.0	0.0	7.4	0%	.417	1.36	1.99	4.91	0	0.00	0.0
2014	ATL	MLB	NL	63	0	61.7	0	3	47	30	26	95	2	97	4.4	3.8	0.3	13.9	0%	.235	0.91	1.80	1.61	57	1.89	46.3
2015	SDN	MLB	NL	61	0	59.3	4	2	39	40	22	87	6	95	6.1	3.3	0.9	13.2	0%	.276	1.04	2.70	2.58	63	2.09	48.8
2016	BOS	MLB	AL	57	0	53.0	2	6	31	28	30	83	4	116	4.8	5.1	0.7	14.1	31%	.242	1.09	2.87	3.40	84	2.88	63.8
2016	PAW	AAA	INT	1	1	0.3	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	95	27.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	100%	.500	3.00	12.17	0.00	98	3.33	73.4
2017	BOS	MLB	AL	67	0	69.0	5	0	35	33	14	126	6		4.3	1.8	0.8	16.4	37%	.260	0.68	1.40	1.43	41	1.94	41.4
2018	BOS	MLB	AL	63	0	62.3	5	1	42	31	31	96	7	107	4.5	4.5	1.0	13.9	30%	.216	0.99	3.16	2.74	76	2.58	57.7
2019	CHN	MLB	NL	23	0	20.7	0	4	13	21	12	30	9	96	9.1	5.2	3.9	13.1	29%	.279	1.60	7.95	6.53	107	6.05	124.1
2019	IOW	AAA	PCL	4	1	3.7	0	0	0	2	1	4	1	93	4.9	2.5	2.5	9.8	44%	.125	0.82	5.97	2.45	104	4.04	83.1

Plate Discipline

YEAR	Pits	Zone%	Swing%	Contact%	Z-Swing%	O-Swing%	Z-Contact%	O-Contact%	SwStr%
2010	381	0.5118	0.3990	0.6316	0.5897	0.1989	0.6696	0.5135	0.3684
2011	1305	0.4713	0.4307	0.6085	0.5593	0.3159	0.7209	0.4312	0.3915
2012	919	0.5016	0.4995	0.5817	0.6399	0.3581	0.6610	0.4390	0.4183
2013	1031	0.4714	0.4588	0.6723	0.5905	0.3413	0.7875	0.4946	0.3277
2014	1036	0.4961	0.4797	0.6237	0.6556	0.3065	0.6855	0.4938	0.3763
2015	1001	0.4585	0.4595	0.6283	0.6667	0.2841	0.7353	0.4156	0.3717
2016	934	0.4497	0.4422	0.6489	0.6095	0.3054	0.7500	0.4841	0.3511
2017	1150	0.5191	0.4861	0.5689	0.6030	0.3599	0.6611	0.4020	0.4311
2018	1108	0.4305	0.4594	0.5972	0.6310	0.3296	0.7409	0.3894	0.4028
2019	377	0.4191	0.4642	0.6743	0.7342	0.2694	0.7931	0.4407	0.3257
Career	9242	0.4741	0.4608	0.6182	0.6207	0.3178	0.7187	0.4449	0.3818

Injury History — No longer being updated

Last Update: 12/31/2014 23:59 ET

Date On	Date Off	Transaction	Days	Games	Side	Body Part	Injury	Severity	Surgery Date	Reaggravation
2014-04-13	2014-04-19	DTD	6	5	Right	Shoulder	Inflammation		-	-

Compensation

Year	Team	Salary
2025	BAL	$1,000,000
2024	BAL	$12,000,000
2023	PHI	$10,000,000
2022	LAN	$16,000,000
2021	CHN	$16,000,000
2020	CHN	$16,000,000
2019	CHN	$10,000,000
2018	BOS	$13,000,000
2017	BOS	$13,000,000
2016	BOS	$11,000,000
2015	SDN	$9,250,000
2014	ATL	$7,750,000
2013	ATL	$655,000
2012	ATL	$590,000
2011	ATL	$419,000

Years	Description	Salary
14 yr	Previous	$135,664,000
2019	Current	$1,000,000
15 yr	Pvs + Cur	$136,664,000
15 yr	Total	$136,664,000

Service Time	Agent	Contract Status
12 y 161 d	SportsMeter	1 year/$13M (2024), 2025 option

Details

1 year/$13M (2024), plus 2025 club option. Signed by Baltimore as a free agent 12/6/23. 24:$12M, 25:$13M club option ($1M buyout). 2024 performance bonuses: $100,000 each for 35, 40, 45, 50, 55 games pitched. $100,000 each for 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, games finished.
1 year/$10M (2023). Signed by Philadelphia as a free agent 12/23/22. Award bonuses: $100,000 for Reliever of Year ($50,000 as finalist). $100,000 for WS MVP. $50,000 each for Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, LCS MVP. Perk: hotel suite on the road.
3 years/$43M (2019-21), plus 2022 club option. Signed by Chicago Cubs as a free agent 6/6/19. 19:$16,173,913 (will earn pro-rated salary of $10M), 20:$16M, 21:$16M, 22:$16M club option $1M buyout. 2022 option is guaranteed 1) with 110 games finished in 2021-22 combined, including 55 GF in 2021, and 2) if Kimbrel does not have a non-temporary injury. Buyout price increases by $1M each with 53 or more GF in 2020 and 2021. Full no-trade protection for 2019. Limited no-trade protection for 2020 (may block deals to 8 clubs which Kimbrel must designate by 10/31/19). Acquired by Chicago White Sox in trade from Chicago Cubs 7/30/21 with $5,591,398 in 2021 salary and $1M buyout remaining. Chicago White Sox exercised 2022 option 11/5/21. Acquired by LA Dodgers in trade 4/1/22.
4 years/$42M (2014-17), plus 2018 club option. Signed extension with Atlanta 2/16/14 (avoided arbitration, $9M-$6.55M). $1M signing bonus. 14:$7M, 15:9M, 16:$11M, 17:$13M, 18:$13M club option ($1M buyout). May earn additional $3.5M in performance bonuses. Award bonuses, including $50,000 for All-Star selection. Acquired by San Diego in trade from Atlanta 4/5/15. Acquired by Boston in trade from San Diego 11/13/15. Boston exercised 2018 option 11/2/17. Boston made $17.9M qualifying offer 11/2/18.
1 year/$655,000 (2013). Re-signed by Atlanta 2/27/13.
1 year/$590,000 (2012). Re-signed by Atlanta 3/2/12.
1 year/$419,000 (2011). Re-signed by Atlanta 2/21/11.
1 year (2010). Contract purchased by Atlanta 5/5/10.
Drafted by Atlanta 2008 (3-96) (Wallace St CC, Ala.). Signed 6/08, $391,000 signing bonus.

2019 Preseason Forecast

Last Update: 1/27/2017 12:35 ET

PCT	W	L	SV	G	GS	IP	H	BB	SO	HR	BABIP	WHIP	ERA	DRA
90^o	0	0	0	0	0	14.4	8	5	21	1	.234	0.90	1.74	2.05
80^o	0	0	0	0	0	9.3	6	4	13	1	.248	0.98	2.08	2.45
70^o	0	0	0	0	0	5.8	4	2	8	1	.259	1.04	2.32	2.74
60^o	0	0	0	0	0	2.9	2	1	4	0	.268	1.09	2.54	3
50^o	0	0	0	0	0	0.2	0	0	0	0	.277	1.14	2.75	3.24
Weighted Mean	?	?	?	?	?	0.0	?	0	0	?	.000	0.00	0.00	?

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BP Annual Player Comments

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BP Articles

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BP Chats

Date	Question	Answer
2019-09-20 11:00:00 (link to chat)	Craig Kimbrel's tenure as a Cub is reminding me of the Mel Rojas days. (Buddy from Peoria, IL)	Eh, I think he will be fine next year with a regular Spring. Or at least fine enough. He's still missing bats. But relievers do burn hot and fast and nine years is a very long run for a high-end pen arm. (Jeffrey Paternostro)
2019-05-10 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Any clue/rumor when Craig Kimbrel may sign with someone? Very much regretting drafting him this year and hope to salvage some stats soon... (DDriesen from NYC)	If I had to guess, he'll sign pretty quickly after the draft next month. Gotta save those 2nd round picks! (Mark Barry)
2019-05-13 16:00:00 (link to chat)	Do you think Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel are going to sit out the season? (Free agency from Offseason)	I'd bet on them signing soon after the draft, at which point they'll no longer have draft pick compensation attached. The idea that potentially losing a third-round pick is keeping teams from signing All-Star players is absurd, of course, but here we are. Sitting out the entire season, while perhaps emotionally sensible, wouldn't really put them in better position next offseason. They'd be a year older and coming off a non-season. If they'd had awful 2018 campaigns, or were coming off major injuries, maybe it would make sense, but I'm not sure there's any reason to think their market would higher after sitting out a year. (Aaron Gleeman)
2019-05-03 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Why would teams want Mychael Givens when Craig Kimbrel is still available? (Gyan Rarton from Quadapolis)	The guy is good and maybe you can get him cheap but I honestly don't know because if you can get him that cheap I can't say why the O's would trade him. (Craig Goldstein)
2014-03-12 14:00:00 (link to chat)	Have a favorite pick you've made in the reliever draft thus far? Didn't make it into your league so can't see your roster. (Alex from Milwaukee)	My league is in the middle of the 13th round. My 12 picks so far: Craig Kimbrel Grant Balfour Junichi Tazawa Kevin Siegrist Craig Stammen Will Smith Carlos Martinez Adam Ottavino Wade Davis Manny Parra Heath Hembree Santiago Casilla (For anyone who doesn't know what we're talking about, Sam is running a reliever-only fantasy league with Effectively Wild listeners. Only categories are runs allowed and strikeouts, and only relief innings count.) (Ben Lindbergh)
2014-02-13 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Which Atlanta pitcher will have the best year? (Billy Been from Atlanta)	Craig Kimbrel. But I assume you meant starting pitcher, in which case it's a tougher choice. Minor, Teheran, and Medlen all have cases. You could maybe even argue Beachy, but his health is in doubt. (R.J. Anderson)
2013-11-19 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Matt Moore, Ryan Cook, and David Robertson for Gerrit Cole and Craig Kimbrel. Fair trade? (Jonah from Redwood)	It's not unfair, per se. But I'd take the Cole side of that deal every day of the week and twice on Sunday. (Bret Sayre)
2013-10-17 13:00:00 (link to chat)	I am in a dynasty league, would you trade Matt Adams for Craig Kimbrel? (already have Freeman at 1st) (Justin from Saint Louis)	I don't pay for saves. (Harry Pavlidis)
2013-05-10 14:00:00 (link to chat)	Probably a question best for a fantasy chat, but In a 20-team dynasty league: Giancarlo Stanton, Clayton Kershaw, and Patrick Corbin for Yu Darvish, Shelby Miller, Craig Kimbrel, Neftali Feliz, and Byron Buxton. Assuming the trade benefits the needs of both teams, which side would you rather have? (Dr. Mike from Milwaukee)	Kershaw and Darvish are nearly a wash (maybe a slight edge to Kershaw), and it's hard to bank on Feliz, so it comes down to Giancarlo-Corbin for Miller-Kimbrel-Buxton. I love Kimbrel, but closers are risky business from a dynasty standpoint, and though I prefer Miller to Corbin by a decent measure, I don't think that Buxton bridges the gap to Giancarlo. I feel that prospects are extremely overvalued in dynasty formats, especially when compared to players like Stanton - Stanton is young enough to still qualify as a prospect and already one of the best players in the game, and his future will be even brighter once he escapes the island of misfit toys in Miami. On the jukebox: Lagwagon, "Bury the Hatchet" (Doug Thorburn)
2013-03-20 11:00:00 (link to chat)	What position has the biggest drop off between the "elite" group and the next tier. If that makes sense... (Schackmj from Hoboken)	Closer. Craig Kimbrel is on a different planet, even if he's had a so-so spring and WBC, and while the next tier offers some very solid names -- Motte, Papelbon and Mariano -- they're not even close to Kimbrel in terms of value. This would be a different story if we knew Kenley Jansen and Aroldis were going to be locked in as closers this year, but as of today, Kimbrel is laps ahead of the next tier of closers. (Cory Schwartz)
2013-02-22 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Gimme a factoid (Rich from San Francisco)	Oooh, I will try to come up with something original if I can this hour, but my favorite factoid that I came up with in the past month was this: Craig Kimbrel had more three-pitch strikeouts in 2012 than Justin Verlander. (Sam Miller)
2013-01-07 13:00:00 (link to chat)	In a keeper league w/ farm system (7x7 obp, xbh,hld, qs)- I am being offered my choice of Matt Moore or David Price, Tyler Skaggs, R. Soriano, Jonny Venters, and two-4 first round picks for my Gerrit Cole and Craig Kimbrel, and Clayton Kershaw. Yes, No, or Maybe So? (Mitch from Buffalo)	I'm not sure what's going to be available at those picks, but unless it is substantial talent I would pass. (Josh Shepardson)
2012-07-09 14:00:00 (link to chat)	Going into the allstar break, which team do you see making a run to come from 2nd or worse in the division to make a run a the pennant (Cano don't ya know from NY)	The Angels are probably the trendy pick for this question, but I'll go with the Braves. Judging by the last four days, Brian McCann is back to hitting like Brian McCann, and I think Frank Wren will make a deal for a starting pitcher to shore up the rotation. One more Braves note: Craig Kimbrel has recorded 33 strikeouts since he last issued a walk. (Daniel Rathman)
2012-01-24 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Can keep 2 of the 3, no salaries or penalties - Asdrubal Cabrera, Brett Lawrie, or Craig Kimbrel. Who ya got? (Vernon from Sioux Falls)	Kimbrel and Lawrie, if for no other reason than because he'll carry higher trade value than Droobs. I also think he'll be pretty good too, but maybe not as good as some others seem to think. (Derek Carty)
2011-09-26 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Based on pure stuff/dominance/command (whatever strikes you), which pitchers are you most looking forward to watching this postseason? (Lucas Apostoleris from Amherst, MA)	Kenley Jansen is the guy that has piqued my interest most recently, but I'll have all offseason to look at him, I suppose. Of the pitchers who look playoff-bound, Craig Kimbrel is just amazing. I'm curious about Verlander's BABIP this year. Doug Fister is an interesting story. I've wanted to look at Alexi Ogando's switch to the rotation. Koji Uehara fascinates me, with his splitter and high flyball/popup rate. Josh Collmenter and Ian Kennedy are interesting. Of course there's no way I'll end up analyzing all or even most of those guys, but those are a few names who grab my attention. (Mike Fast)
2011-09-20 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Has Fredi Gonzalez overused Craig Kimbrel? Coming back to bite the Braves down the stretch? (Trey from Frisco TX)	That's one of the topics I'm looking at for tomorrow's column; in fact I was so absorbed in it that the chat got a late start. I think the answer is yes given that he's second in the league in appearances to only teammate Jonny Venters. Note that his last two appearances, and the tripling of his home runs allowed total, came during a stretch of three consecutive appearances, and that the last three games he's allowed runs have come on zero days of rest. I'd include Venters, whose 82 appearances lead the league, in the overuse pile as well based upon his September struggles. (Jay Jaffe)
2011-08-26 16:00:00 (link to chat)	I'm a huge Braves fan, but I'm frustrated as to why we never spend big money in the draft, like other teams. Is there a reason for that? (Zack from El Paso)	Spending big money doesn't mean you are going to be successful. We are proud of the players we drafted and feel like they will be able to help us accomplish our goal of winning another World Series for the city of Atlanta. In the win on Tuesday night 23-year old Mike Minor got the win, 23-year old Craig Kimbrel got the save, and 22-year old Jason Heyward hit a grand slam. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, since MLB adopted the save rule in 1969, it was the first tim that three teammates 23 years of age or younger had earned a win, notched a save, and hit a grand slam in the same game. All three of those players were signed at or very near to slot recommendations. (John Coppolella)
2010-05-28 14:00:00 (link to chat)	How high are the ceilings for Sergio Santos, Craig Kimbrel, Zack Braddock and Scott Mathieson? Which is most/least likely to end up as a better-than-average closer? (leites from New York)	Kimbrell would be my bet for most future saves, but I like every one of those guys. (Kevin Goldstein)
2010-05-25 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Given that Bily Wagner has indicated this is his last year, when do you expect Craig Kimbrel will first get some save oppotunities for the Braves? (gerrybraun from san diego)	I think it's possible but a lot will depend on what happens this season. If the Braves make the playoffs, they would likely want a veteran closer again to start 2011 and probably acquired a stop-gap for a year while they continue to groom Kimrbel for 2012. (John Perrotto)
2009-05-28 14:00:00 (link to chat)	Whats the word on Craig Kimbrel? Insane K-rate/Groundballer, but had Blass Syndrome in High A before a demotion. (Matt from Work)	Somebody didn't read today's minor league update. (Kevin Goldstein)

BP Roundtables

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PITCHf/x Pitcher Profile

A Collaboration between BrooksBaseball.net and Baseball Prospectus - Pitch classifications provided by Pitch Info LLC

Craig Kimbrel has thrown 14,457 pitches that have been tracked by the PITCHf/x system between 2010 and 2024, all of them occuring in Spring Training. In 2024, he has relied primarily on his Fourseam Fastball (94mph) and Curve (84mph). He also rarely throws a Slider (86mph) and Change (88mph).