Starting with his introductory press conference, Alex Cora has insinuated Craig Kimbrel's usage might be a bit different this season, introducing the idea of bringing in the reliever earlier than the ninth inning to face a key part of the batting order at a key part of the game. The plan would then be to not overextend Kimbrel, allowing another reliever to close things out.
But because of an abbreviated spring training due to a family emergency, Kimbrel and Cora never got a chance to finalize a plan heading into the season.
Now, speaking on the Bradfo Sho podcast, Kimbrel explained that while he isn't averse to pitching prior to the ninth inning -- which he did five times last season -- he isn't banking on not coming back out to get the final three outs in save situations.
"If I'm coming in the game, I'm coming in trying to finish the game," he said. "So if I do come in the eighth inning I have full expectations to go back out there for the ninth and close it out."
When presented with a scenario where he might be needed to face a middle of the order to eliminate a possible threat as early as the seventh inning, Kimbrel quickly responded by offering, "I don't think I'll be pitching in the seventh inning."
Cora recently said that he was hoping to get together with Kimbrel to present the closer some data supporting the idea that there is value to not adhering to the traditional closer's role. But to this point, the pair's discussion has been limited to early on in spring training.
"Our conversation was pretty basic and straightforward," Kimbrel said. "We talked about situations. It's nothing I haven't been accustomed to, coming in and getting out of a situation. Or we have a game that's close and it's a big game, coming in and getting guys out of the situation in the eighth inning. The conversations we've had haven't been too different than what I've always known.
"You want to be on the same page as the guy making the decisions of how the game is going to roll. I think as long as the whole team is on the same page everything works better and flows better."
Thus far, Kimbrel has pitched in five games, all ninth-inning appearances. At some point, however, another inning besides the ninth is undoubtedly going to be introduced.
"I think a lot of it comes down to analytics, looking where the lineups swing around and who is coming up in the eighth and if it's more important to get through the eighth inning to get to that ninth inning," Kimbrel said. "I think analytics are great but you still can't measure what it takes to get the last three outs of the game.
"My view of it is that it's very important in the eighth inning if the middle of the lineup is coming up. But if the bottom of the lineup is coming up in the ninth inning and those guys get on, well before you know it the middle of the order is back up with runners on in a lot tighter ballgame than maybe it was in the eighth inning."
In the podcast, Kimbrel also discusses his evolution as a pitcher since arriving in Boston.
To listen to the entire podcast, click below:
