Craig Kimbrel
Kimbrel's peak was nothing short of historic — his 2012 season produced a 1.01 ERA with an absurd 397 ERA+, making him nearly four times better than the average pitcher. That wasn't a fluke either. His career 227 ERA+ ranks among the best for any reliever with substantial innings, and his 1.6 strikeouts per inning rate has terrorized hitters for over a decade.
The concern now is sustainability at 38. Kimbrel's stuff remains elite, but the margin for error shrinks with age for closers who live in the strike zone's dangerous areas. His three Rookie of the Year awards speak to immediate impact wherever he's landed, but nine All-Star selections tell the story of sustained excellence.
The question isn't whether Kimbrel belongs among the game's great closers — the numbers settled that years ago. It's whether that signature pre-pitch pose will still be freezing hitters when he's pushing 40.
Career · Pitching
16 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | ATL | 21 | 20.7 | 4 | 0 | 0.44 | 925 | 40 | 1.210 |
| 2011 | ATL | 79 | 77.0 | 4 | 3 | 2.10 | 188 | 127 | 1.039 |
| 2012 | ATL | 63 | 62.7 | 3 | 1 | 1.01 | 397 | 116 | 0.654 |
| 2013 | ATL | 68 | 67.0 | 4 | 3 | 1.21 | 319 | 98 | 0.881 |
| 2014 | ATL | 63 | 61.7 | 0 | 3 | 1.61 | 232 | 95 | 0.908 |
| 2015 | SD | 61 | 59.3 | 4 | 2 | 2.58 | 153 | 87 | 1.045 |
| 2016 | BOS | 57 | 53.0 | 2 | 6 | 3.40 | 123 | 83 | 1.094 |
| 2017 | BOS | 67 | 69.0 | 5 | 0 | 1.43 | 304 | 126 | 0.681 |
| 2018 | BOS | 63 | 62.3 | 5 | 1 | 2.74 | 151 | 96 | 0.995 |
| 2019 | CHC | 23 | 20.7 | 0 | 4 | 6.53 | 69 | 30 | 1.597 |
| 2020 | CHC | 18 | 15.3 | 0 | 1 | 5.28 | 84 | 28 | 1.435 |
| 2021 | CHC | 63 | 59.7 | 4 | 5 | 2.26 | 188 | 100 | 0.905 |
| 2022 | LAD | 63 | 60.0 | 6 | 7 | 3.75 | 106 | 72 | 1.317 |
| 2023 | PHI | 71 | 69.0 | 8 | 6 | 3.26 | 133 | 94 | 1.043 |
| 2024 | BAL | 57 | 52.3 | 7 | 5 | 5.33 | 77 | 73 | 1.357 |
| 2025 | HOU | 14 | 12.0 | 0 | 1 | 2.25 | 185 | 17 | 1.417 |
| Career | 851 | 821.7 | 56 | 48 | — | — | 1282 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.