(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Henk Seppen)
   Kenley Jansen to pitch for Atlanta Braves
Nederlands
  ATLANTA, Georgia / NORTH PORT, Florida (USA) -
Curaçao-born Kenley Jansen will be the closer this season for Atlanta Braves, which last year won the World Series.
Late Friday-evening (March 18), it was announced that Atlanta had signed the righthander to an one-year contract, worth 16 million dollars.
The signing came one day after longtime Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman has signed a 6-year contract with Los Angeles.
...Kenley Jansen with the Netherlands...
...Team during the 2017...
...World Baseball Classic...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Jansen is the second Free Agent-player with a Dutch passport who signed a new contract within a week.
Last Tuesday, short stop Andrelton Simmons agreed to an one-year contract with Chicago Cubs.
As both Jansen and Simmons are signed for only one year, it means that they will be a Free Agent again after the end of the season.
At Atlanta, Kenley Jansen joins three other Antillian players, who are currently in Spring Training with the team, being Ozzie Albies, Hendrik Clementina (both also from Curaçao) and Chadwick Tromp (from Aruba).
Albies plays in the Major League since 2017 and always has played for Atlanta.
Tromp made his Major League-debut in 2020, playing in 24 games for San Francisco Giants for whom he also played in nine games last season.
In September last season, he transfered to the Braves-organization.
Clementina never played in the Major League.
He played in the Minor Leagues for Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds, but was released in August 2020.
The catcher was then signed in February 2021 by Atlanta and played in Double-A last year.
Last weekend, he was added to the Braves-team as a non-roster player for Spring Training.
He earlier played in two Spring Training-games in 2019 when he was with Cincinnati.
The 34-year old Kenley Jansen has always played for Los Angeles Dodgers in his Major League-career, that began in 2010.
At Los Angeles, Jansen became the team's prime and successful closer, who set several club-records.
In his twelve seasons with Los Angeles, Jansen pitched in 701 games, all as a reliever.
He won 37 games, lost 26, earned 350 saves and has a career-ERA of 2.37.
In 705 innings pitched, Jansen struckout 1,022 batters.
The righthander led the National League in saves in 2017 (41).
His 350 saves are a Dodger-record.
In 2016, Jansen broke the club-record of Éric Gagné, who had earned 161 saves.
Jansen set a Major League-record during the 2017 season when he struckout 51 batters without giving up a walk.
The previous record was 35 accomplished by Adam Wainwright (St. Louis Cardinals) in 2013.
Last season, Jansen pitched in 69 games (38 saves in 48 opportunities).
It marked the eighth time in his career that he pitched in 60 or more games in one season.
He made his most appearances in 2013 (75) and 2016 (71).
Jansen was selected for the All Star Game three times (2016, 2017, 2018), was the National League Reliever of the Year twice (2016, 2017) and won the World Series with Los Angeles in 2020.
In 2019, Jansen became the 30th pitcher in history with 300 saves in a career and in 2021, he became the twelfth reliever in history with 1,000 strikeouts.
Kenley Jansen initially was an infielder/outfielder when he started playing baseball, but then became a catcher.
He was the catcher for the Netherlands National Baseball Team during the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
During the following Minor League-season, Jansen was converted into a pitcher.
Later in 2009, Jansen again played for the Netherlands Team during the World Championship, but then as a pitcher.
Jansen was added to the Orange-roster for the World Baseball Classic Semi-Final in 2013, but then didn't play.
In 2017, he appeared in one game for the Netherlands Kingdom Team in the next Classic when the team again reached the Semi-Finals.
For Kenley Jansen, it will mark the first time in his career that he will prepare for a new season in Florida instead of Arizona.
Through 2008, Los Angeles also had its Spring Training-facilities in Florida (Vero Beach), but then moved to Phoenix in Arizona.
Atlanta has its Spring Training-camp in North Port, Florida.
While playing for Atlanta, Jansen of course will again wear his familiar uniform number 74.
(March 18)
|
