Braves' cast of former closers bring experience, shared mentality to support Kimbrel
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Jim Johnson glanced across the clubhouse toward a locker at the back of the room where a No. 46 jersey hung. In the hierarchy of the Braves bullpen, there is no questioning who sits on the throne.
"Obviously he's the best in the business," said Jim Johnson of closer Craig Kimbrel. "There's no doubt about it."
Kimbrel, who has 26 more saves than anyone in history through the first four seasons of their career may not have an equal in his own bullpen, but he is no longer alone on this roster in knowing what it takes to finish a game.
This offseason, Atlanta brought in Johnson, Jason Grilli, Jose Veras and Matt Capps, a group that has combined for 339 saves and three All-Star Game appearances.
Only Grilli and Johnson are on major league deals and as such guaranteed to make the club, but manager Fredi Gonzalez finds solace in having that a collection of players that can do something he says isn't as easy as some believe.
"It's nice to be able to have (multiple) guys that have been able to closer back ends of games," he said. "Not everybody can close games. I know there's a mentality out there that anybody can get those last three outs. No, there isn't. It doesn't happen. We've seen it over and over again that guys can't do it."
John Hart never set out to infuse the bullpen with former closes when he took the newly created position of president of baseball But in dealing Jason Heyward to the Cardinals for Shelby Miller, they included Jordan Walden and then acquired Manny Banuelos from the Yankees for David Carpenter and Chasen Shreve.
While they received the kind of starting pitching they were seeking in those trades, they also lost 178 innings of relief, which includes moving Anthony Varvaro to the Red Sox.
"I think in an effort to get young starters we had to sacrifice a little bit there in the bullpen," Hart said. "I felt that it would be important for us to add the right types of guys into that bullpen."
They would add perceived value, both from a financial and philosophical sense.
Johnson saved 51 games in becoming an All-Star in 2012 with the Orioles and another 50 the following season. But after being traded to the A's receiving a one-year $10 million contract to avoid arbitration he imploded, posting a 7.14 ERA over 40 1/3 innings before he was released.
He ended the season with the Tigers with a 6.92 ERA over 13 innings in 16 appearances.
Likewise, Grilli, 38, got off to a rough start in '14 after an All-Star '13 in which he saved 33 games for the Pirates, but he did rebound slightly after being sent to the Angels. He had a 3.48 ERA over 33 2/3 innings with 9.6 walks per nine innings.
Veras, who had 21 saves in '13 for the Astros and Tigers, signed with the Cubs, but by April the 34-year-old lost that job after blowing two leads and would end the year back in Houston.
Capps saved 90 games between 2008-10 with the Pirates, Nationals and Twins, but hasn't thrown in the big leagues the past two seasons due to recurring shoulder problems.
But where many might have seen trouble, Atlanta swopped in and inked Grilli for one year at $4.25 million and Johnson for one year at $1.6 million before giving Capps and Veras minor-league deals to add experience behind Kimbrel.
"All of these guys understand where they are at this particular stage," Hart said. "Jim Johnson, back-to-back 50-plus saves, this time last year the guy was making $10 million bucks and they thought Oakland had stolen the guy from Baltimore. He had a down here, tough year. We were, if you will, able to buy low and we're going to help this guy get back."
This isn't the first set of changes Kimbrel has experienced. He saw the Braves revamp their bullpen in '13 due to injuries to Eric O'Flaherty and Jonny Venters and the a new group of young pieces responded by tying for the lowest ERA since 1990.
Now, he's doing it again only the difference is he'll be surrounded by players who have been there before .
"They're experienced. They've played the game for a while and to bring those guys in, I think ... you know, (with) (Varvaro) and Carp and Walden, and those guys (gone), the bullpen is going to be a little different," Kimbrel said. "But different's not always bad. We've done well down there the last few years and been successful and we don't expect that to change."
The Braves won't go through their first full-squad practice for two more days, but so far Gonzalez has been most impressed with Johnson, especially the sinker/two-seam fastball that he wielded for 6.9 wFT (runs above average) in '12 but was at minus-13.3 last season.
"His sinker is going and it really has some good depth to it," Gonzalez said. "Again, it's only the second bullpen ... but it really looked good. That's good to see that."
While it gives the Braves an impressive collection of power arms, it's unlikely they all make the big league roster.
If they carry six relievers, which would include Kimbrel, Grilli, Johnson, left-handed specialist Josh Outman, likely long reliever James Russell and holdover Luis Avilan -- who himself may be fighting for a job -- it may leave just one spot remaining.
At the very least, Gonzalez knows he's going to have more than one option in the bullpen that has succeeded in high-leverage situations.
"I think it will be fun. I'm really looking forward to it," he said. "You can sit there and go 'OK, today Johnson throws the seventh, Grilli the eighth or Johnson throws the seventh and the eighth.' That kind of stuff. It will be fun to work that."
From pitching coach Roger McDowell's perspective, while the focus is on the actual save, the Braves now have the opportunity to closer the door on opponents long before Kimbrel's fire and Guns N' Roses entrance.
"I think we've all seen it, is that you can close games early in the game," McDowell said. "You can close games in the sixth inning, seventh inning, eighth inning and to have those guys with the backend of the bullpen experience, I think, is great for us to be able to have those guys down there and be able to trust those guys."
When Grilli was in Pittsburgh he remembers changing the focus on nights when he recorded some of his 33 saves. It was what his setup men did that was often times more crucial than when he took the mound.
"I said 'Hey, look at (Justin) Wilson or (Tony Watson) or whoever was in that role, I said 'They got the save that game,' because they came in a tough spot and we just carried the baton after that," he said.
Now, Grilli, like Johnson and the other former closers pushing for roster spots will follow suit with mentalities that have saved games before.
"Whatever your job is you have to go out there and close that inning," Grilli said. "So you have to have that closer's mentality.
Follow Cory McCartney on Twitter @coryjmccartney
