The 2020 baseball season may have just been announced, but players have been keeping themselves in game-shape throughout the extended layoff. Dodgers players, in particular, have looked ready to go based on the various clips they’ve shared on social media from their workouts.
Dodgers’ closer Kenley Jansen, who is coming off of a less than stellar 2019 season, was spotted yesterday putting in some work at a local high school here in So Cal.
How do you like this, Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen getting in some work at Baldwin Park HS about a week before players return to MLB. https://t.co/PnfUGFCWQA
— Fred J. Robledo 👨🏻💻 (@SGVNSports) June 25, 2020
This is a welcome sight for LA fans, as Jansen figures to be the team’s main closer once again in 2020. With a career-high 3.71 ERA last season, he will have to show both fans and Dave Roberts that he still deserves the role.
Kenley has spoken at length about how his workouts with Driveline this offseason improved his overall performance, and it showed during his few spring outings this year. Not only did he appear to have a smoother path to the plate, but it looked like he regained about 4-5 MPH on his cutter as well.
In a shortened season, the closer role will be scrutinized even more than usual. A blown save will count more than ever, and a save against a division rival would mean a full game gained in the standings. We’re about to witness baseball as we’ve never seen before, and a healthy, motivated Kenley Jansen could go a long way in helping the team on their march to October.
