Unlike in the movies, throwing to a plywood silhouette of a batter in your barn isn’t actually a good way to get prepared for the season. Nor is sitting out for four months because teams don’t want to forfeit a draft pick to sign you. Thus went the opening act in Craig Kimbrel’s 2019 campaign, a halting performance that saw him post a 6.53 ERA that was nearly 1.5 runs below his FIP. For the less metrically inclined among you, just know that’s terrible.
“Terrible is kind of an understatement for what I felt like I did last year,” Kimbrel said Thursday.