Joe Jiménez Stats

The Detroit Tigers have optioned relief pitcher Joe Jimenez to Triple-A Toledo. Jimenez had a rough spring. He pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed six hits, three walks and five runs (three earned) while striking out six. Jimenez had two solid years in a row for the Tigers in 2018 in 2019, earning an All-Star bid in the former season. He averaged 11.2 K/9 in 2018 and 12.4 K/9 in 2019, but his K/9 dropped to just 8.7 last year. His ERA also blew up to 7.15 last year. The Tigers will open the year with Gregory Soto as the team's primary closer. If Jimenez gets back on track at Triple-A, he could still find himself in a key role amidst the Tigers bullpen down the stretch this year.

over a year ago

Detroit Tigers relief pitcherJoe Jimenez was officially named the team's primary closer by manager Ron Gardenhire on Tuesday. This is not surprising news. Jimenez took over as the closer last season after Shane Greene was traded to the Atlanta Braves. He performed well, picking up nine saves and a career-high 82 strikeouts. We would not expect him to replicate his 2018 pre-All-Star ERA of 2.72, but he is locked into the closer role and should receive the majority of the Tigers save opportunities. However, those opportunities will be limited in Detroit. Jimenez should be rostered in most leagues and is a nice late-round pick as a low-end closer if you need saves.

over a year ago

Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Joe Jimenez pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his seventh save of the season Monday against the Orioles. Jimenez got the first two outs effortlessly before making things interesting by allowing three straight singles to bring Trey Mancini to the plate as the go-ahead run. Fortunately for Jimenez, he was able to strike out Mancini and nail down the win for Detroit. He won't get many saves pitching for one of the worst teams in baseball, but Jimenez is the clear-cut closer for the Tigers and his elite 31.7 percent strikeout rate make him a must-own option in any league where saves are a category.

over a year ago