Comparison articles are usually rife this time of year, wherein the harried sportswriter “compares” special new players to older ones. It’s one item in their bag of tricks — like writing a “Top 5 Reasons Yadda Yadda” article — used to fill up the insane amount of words they have to write. (Really, I don’t blame them.)
The last few years, the comparison has been Clayton Kershaw and Sandy Koufax. Of course, as a Dodger fan it’s hard not to wish for Kid K to rise to the lofty heights of famous Dodger lefties of the past. (Not many Fernando comparisons for some reason.)
A new comparison, and an intriguing one, is this from Ken Gurnick today, “Jansen’s fastball cut from same cloth as idol”, in which we find out Kenley Jansen has the makings of a crazy cutter.
So the closer of the future — sooner or later — is Kenley Jansen, who is already drawing comparisons to his idol and the best closer ever, the 11-time All-Star [Mariano] Rivera, because of something that can’t be taught, explained or intentionally duplicated.
“My ball naturally cuts,” Jansen said of the darting sideways movement of his fastball that makes it difficult for hitters to square the bat barrel on the ball. “It just has life on it. I throw a four-seam fastball, and when I want to throw a cutter, I spin the ball around and spread the fingers just a little and press with my middle finger and I know it’s going to cut.[...]“
That would be interesting enough, but he has been picking the brains of catchers Dioner Navarro and Mike Borzello, both of whom have caught Rivera.
“The similarities start and stop with what his ball does naturally,” said Borzello. “Kenley throws a four-seamer and tries to throw it straight and it has late cutting action that you just don’t see often. I don’t think he even realizes what it does, he’s so new to pitching.
“Mariano can pinpoint that pitch now, but not at the beginning. Kenley’s pitch has the same action. Where he goes from here will be fun to see. He asks me about Mariano. I told him everything — how he prepares, his routine during a game, his demeanor. I gave him a video of Mariano that he’s watched a lot. I’ll say this — there isn’t a better person to mold himself after.”
With that cutter, a “loopy” slider, and a burning desire to keep improving, the catcher-turned-reliever might have Dodgers fans loopy very soon. “Sooner versus later” if Jonathan Broxton’s season starts out like his second half last year. And if not, we have two devastatingly talented relievers to shut down the end of games.
Navarro said he’ll get Rivera’s cell number and set up a conversation between the 11-time All-Star and the closer-in-training that idolizes him.
“I hope to meet him one day,” said Jansen. “I’d just sit with him and talk and pick his brain.”