Kenley Jansen has been one of the best things to happen to the Dodgers in a long time. And that feels weird to say given the ridicule that he has endured since the 2017 World Series. But the truth is that he has actually been much better than pretty much any closer around the league.
Closing games consistently for a very long time in an MLB career is tough. Just look at Yankee’s pitcher Mariano Rivera, who has almost 200 more saves than the 3rd place Lee Smith. So the fact that the Dodgers have had Jansen stick around in that role for years is amazing.