Atlanta Braves pitcher Craig KimbrelKISSIMMEE, Fla. — Craig Kimbrel is excited about his new locker in the Atlanta Braves’ spring-training clubhouse.
Instead of being relegated to the side of the room that is largely for rookies, backups and obscure minor leaguers, Kimbrel has switched to a prime location right next to the Braves’ top starting pitcher, Tim Hudson.
“I’m on the cool side of the locker room now,” Kimbrel joked Monday. “I’m more in the middle of everything.”
That’s only fitting, because he was in the middle of a lot of key moments during his first full season in the big leagues.
Unleashing a fastball that approaches 100 mph, Kimbrel buckled the knees of big-league stars and left others flailing at pitches they had no chance of actually hitting. He set a rookie record with 46 saves. He didn’t give up a run for nearly three months. He was a unanimous choice for National League rookie of the year, anchoring a Nasty Boys-like bullpen that also included fellow All-Star Jonny Venters and Eric O’Flaherty.