just a glimpse

It was mid-August 2009. For most of that season, the Mississippi Braves had been using a closer-by-committee approach to finishing games. But that seemed to be changing with the arrival of a certain rosy-cheeked right-hander from Alabama. “Kimbrel has sort of taken over the closer’s role, I guess?” an intrepid reporter asked M-Braves manager Phillip Wellman after watching another dominant outing. “Uh, yeah,” Wellman responded. “When you throw 98 with command, you get the job.” Craig Kimbrel, now the Atlanta Braves closer, was with the M-Braves for just a brief time. In 12 appearances (11 2/3 innings), Kimbrel posted a 0.77 ERA, a 2-1 record, six saves and 17 strikeouts. Kimbrel has the look of a rising star in Atlanta, the real deal as a big league closer. He notched his third save in as many nights (and 11th of the year) tonight, striking out the side in the ninth inning in a 3-2 win over Houston. If you saw him in Mississippi, you saw a glimpse of this stuff. And you remember.