Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes improved by watching Craig Kimbrel

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 26: Matt Barnes #32 of the Boston Red Sox delivers the pitch during the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Three of the 2018 World Series at Dodger Stadium on October 26, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 26: Matt Barnes #32 of the Boston Red Sox delivers the pitch during the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Three of the 2018 World Series at Dodger Stadium on October 26, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Boston Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes explains how witnessing the work ethic of Craig Kimbrel helped prepare him to potentially be the next closer.

We’re less than a week away from the first official workout for Boston Red Sox pitchers and catchers. Barring a last-minute change of heart, Craig Kimbrel won’t be joining them but one pitcher in camp may bear a resemblance to the free agent closer.

Matt Barnes hasn’t been told that he’ll be the team’s new closer but he appears to be the frontrunner at the moment. The right-hander is ready to step into the role if called upon and credits the time he spent as a teammate of Kimbrel’s for helping him prepare for the opportunity.

In an interview with The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo, Barnes explains how witnessing Kimbrel’s work ethic first-hand pushed him to alter his own preparation.

“The first time I ever played catch with him was after we acquired him,” Barnes said. “We were in Montreal for exhibition games, and watching him play catch, he was so meticulous and knew everything he was doing. If something was a little bit off, he was all over it and working on correcting it.“And I had always been lackadaisical while playing catch, because I always took it as a chance to get loose and nothing else” Barnes added. “But the concentration he put into playing catch was so mind-boggling to me because we’re talking about the greatest closer in the game.”

Barnes was a former first-round pick selected by the Red Sox 19th overall in the 2011 MLB draft. This is a pitcher with pedigree, not a diamond in the rough. Yet for all his talent, it took an introduction to Kimbrel’s routine for Barnes to realize what it takes to succeed at the major league level.

While other factors certainly played a part in the evolution of Barnes’ career, it’s noteworthy that he improved in each season that he was a teammate of Kimbrel.

The Red Sox traded for Kimbrel prior to the 2016 season. Barnes was coming off a disappointing rookie campaign at the time but showed some progress the following year with Kimbrel in town. Barnes continued to improve each season, culminating in a career year in 2018.

Barnes 2015-2018

2015: 5.44 ERA, 5.23 FIP, 1.65 WHIP, 8.2 K/9, 2.60 K/BB, -0.3 WAR
2016: 4.05 ERA, 3.72 FIP, 1.39 WHIP, 9.6 K/9, 2.29 K/BB, 0.3 WAR
2017: 3.88 ERA, 3.33 FIP, 1.22 WHIP, 10.7 K/9, 2.96 K/BB, 0.7 WAR
2018: 3.65 ERA, 2.71 FIP, 1.26 WHIP, 14.0 K/9, 3.10 K/BB, 1.1 WAR

Compare Barne’s production last season to Kimbrel’s (perhaps) final season with the Red Sox.

Barnes: 3.65 ERA, 2.71 FIP, 1.26 WHIP, 14.0 K/9, 3.10 K/BB, 1.1 WAR
Kimbrel: 2.74 ERA, 3.13 FIP, 0.99 WHIP, 13.9 K/9, 3.10 K/BB, 2.3 WAR

The ERA was significantly higher for Barnes, although FIP disagrees. The truth is somewhere in between so we should assume they were far closer than the ERA suggests even we refuse to believe in FIP claiming Barnes was better. The strikeout rate and strikeout-to-walk ratio were nearly identical so it appears the primary difference pushing FIP in Barne’s direction is that his home run rate (0.7 HR/9) was lower than Kimbrel’s (1.0 HR/9).

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Kimbrel has the far superior track record and his peak was more dominant than Barnes could ever hope to be. However, if Barnes pitches as well as he did in 2018 then he’s capable of being a suitable replacement without much of a drop-off from what the Red Sox received from Kimbrel last season.

There is more that goes into being a successful closer than the numbers. It takes a certain mentality to handle the pressures of the ninth inning. Barnes has proven he can thrive under the pressure of the postseason but being the closer would be a new role he’s yet to be tested in. That’s where shadowing Kimbrel for three years comes in. Seeing how he prepares, how he makes adjustments and being able to pick his brain on anything related to pitching out of the bullpen was an opportunity that has helped Barnes grow as a reliever.

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Barnes arrived in Fort Myers to begin working out well ahead of the deadline to report, showing Kimbrel’s work ethic has rubbed off on him. He’s ready to prove he’s the best option to be Boston’s next closer because he learned from the best.