January 1, 2019

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen did not resemble the elite closer that people expected when he was drafted as the top closer in 2017. He finished 2018 with 38 saves, which ranked him second in the National League, but his supporting stats left him looking rather mortal. Jansen had a career-worst 3.01 ERA and yielded 13 homers, which was more than his two previous seasons combined. A couple of primary causes of his ineffectiveness were a skyrocketed walk rate (5.9%) and a strikeout rate that plummeted to a level he’s never seen before (28.4%). Additionally, Jansen also experienced some loss in velocity, although this isn’t the first time his fastball was sitting around 92. Jansen also dealt with more issues this season as he missed some time during the season due to a heart condition, but pitched much better upon his return. He underwent offseason heart surgery to fix the issues and hopefully will start 2019 fully healthy. Jansen is still the fifth-ranked reliever because he plays for a team that will provide plenty of save opportunities in 2019. He will likely remain one of the better closers in the game; he just will not be at the top of the food chain. Jansen is still a solid closer, even in the 70-75 pick range as there are few solidified closers in the game.--Ellis Canady - RotoBaller