Closing time: Kimbrel back in familiar role

Cubs manager David Ross was deliberate in how he danced around the closer label throughout last year. Even with one of the game's historically elite stoppers in Craig Kimbrel, the manager avoided applying that specific job title.

Ross has changed gears this spring.

"Craig's going to be our closer," Ross said in his initial Zoom press conference earlier this week. "He worked his way back into being himself. Talking to him, he feels great this offseason."

Ross was justified in how he handled the situation last year with Kimbrel, who was a mechanical mess when baseball resumed in July. But as summer approached fall, Kimbrel showed the form that helped him become one of the game's most dominant arms and baseball's active saves leader.

So as camp opens now for the Cubs, who are preparing for a normal 162-game slate after last year's abbreviated campaign, they are ready to trust Kimbrel with the ninth inning. That is also what he is prepared to do, and Kimbrel said Friday he hoped he showed last year that he can put ego aside for the betterment of the team.

"Hopefully I showed some guys that it doesn't matter what you've done," Kimbrel said in a Zoom discussion. "Anything can happen. Everyone can go through hiccups. But, with hard work and paying attention and the relationships around you, you can get through it.

"I think that's kind of a lot of what I got out of last year, was understanding that I can make a difference, even if I'm not the best I can be on the field. I can still make a difference with the guys around me, while working through certain things."

Overall last season, the 32-year-old Kimbrel posted a 5.28 ERA in 18 appearances, which does not look great on the surface. After the swift Summer Camp ramp-up period, though, the righty allowed seven runs on six hits with five walks, two homers, one hit batsman and just two strikeouts in his first 2 2/3 innings.

Kimbrel's fastball was erratic and lacked its usual zip. He could not command his curveball. Hitters were able to pick up pitches quickly and pounded them with authority, forcing Ross to lean more on Jeremy Jeffress (currently a free agent) as the primary option for save situations.

The Cubs had to buy time for Kimbrel to sort through delivery troubles, while dealing with the urgency of a shorter season.

"Obviously, I pitched myself into that situation," Kimbrel said. "We had a guy who stepped in and did the job, so I was forced to pitch in different situations and help the team out in a different way."

The patience with Kimbrel did pay off in the end.

He turned in a tidy 1.42 ERA in the 14 outings that followed that rough start, and his overpowering showing culminated in a spectacular September. In the final month, the reliever's average fastball velocity climbed to 97.3 mph (per Statcast) and he registered 13 strikeouts against no walks in a run-free 7 1/3 innings.

From Aug. 14 through Sept. 11, Kimbrel recorded at least two strikeouts in 10 consecutive games, surpassing the previous club record of eight such relief outings in a row (Lee Smith in 1983). He also had two strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series against the Marlins.

Kimbrel looked more like the pitcher who turned in a 1.91 ERA over 542 games before his career encountered the past two turbulent seasons in Chicago.

"I definitely had to put in some work physically and mentally," Kimbrel said, "to get back to where I needed to be, and was able to do that. So, going into this offseason, it wasn't, 'Oh, I need to do this better. I need to get stronger. I need to get faster. I need to work on a new pitch.' It really was, 'OK, what did I do last year to get back to being successful? And how do I stay there?'"

Ross said the feedback throughout the offseason was promising.

"The videos he's sent in, he looks really polished already," said the manager. "He's a veteran guy -- knows how to prepare himself for Spring Training. We'll give him a pretty long runway to get ready."

Like a handful of key players on the Cubs, this could be Kimbrel's final year with the North Siders, too. The contract he signed mid-way through the 2019 season includes a $16 million team option (or $1 million buyout) for 2022.

Kimbrel is just focusing on being back in his familiar role.

"I've stood on the mound and closed out a lot of games," Kimbrel said. "So, I don't think the mental aspect of going out there and doing it's going to be any different."