LAKELAND, Fla. — Joe Jiménez had to believe in himself before the metrics did.
He had gone from All-Star reliever in 2018 to Tigers closer by the end of the next season to the Triple-A Toledo bullpen to open last season before getting called back. Then he had walked seven of his first 10 batters after returning.
“It was tough,” Jiménez said of last year, “but I still remembered to myself that I belong here. Maybe a lot of people forgot how good I can be, but I didn’t forget that. So I’m just going to compete, try to go out there every time that I can and do my job.”
The way Jiménez has prepared for this spring, and the way the Tigers need bullpen stability, he could be set up for the rebound. The metrics suggest he can do it. Now he has to get the results.
Jiménez has already cleared the hurdle of making the Opening Day roster. The way he prepared made sure he wouldn’t deal with that again.
“To be honest, it was a roller-coaster for me overall last year,” Jiménez said.
His manager saw the impact.
“Being very candid, Joe Jiménez had a difficult end to the spring,” A.J. Hinch said. “I think the shock of being sent down last year was tough for him to overcome emotionally and mentally as he was back in the Minor Leagues for the first time in a long time. …
“Once he was sent down the first time, I think it — not to his fault — created some self-doubt. And as he then felt like he had to be perfect to stay, the cycle just continued.”
Across his first three big league outings last year, Jiménez gave up more runs (eight) than he recorded outs (five) and walked nine of 16 batters. From there, he settled down, allowing a .203 batting average while striking out 53 batters over 43 2/3 innings. His season numbers were doomed, but his metrics showed he could pitch.
“We didn’t really see a relaxed Joe Jiménez until the second half of the season,” Hinch continued, “and that’s when his fastball started playing inside the zone, he started throwing more strikes. The confidence started to grow. Even when he gave up some hits or some homers, he would bounce back a lot better.”
Jiménez’s fastball spin rate was in the top six percent of Major League pitchers. His velocity was just outside the top quadrant. His expected batting average — based on exit velocity, launch angle and placement — was among the stingiest one percent of pitchers in the game.
He had the stuff to attack hitters. He needed to harness it.
Jiménez wanted to build off that. Moreover, he didn’t want to repeat his Spring Training struggles, knowing camps could be shortened. So he went to Orlando to work out, and he went back to his native Puerto Rico to pitch in winter ball for the first time in six years.
“It was just work this offseason,” he said. “It was really important for me to be ready.”
While his winter ball pitching coach, Jose Santiago, worked on Jiménez’s delivery, he connected with another instructor, Giants pitching assistant coach J.P. Martinez, to harness the metrics.
“I was really impressed with how he approached me,” Jiménez said. “He didn’t know me at all. This was the first time that we met, and [in] the first two days, he went to me with a computer saying, ‘Hey, this is what you should do to be successful.’”
Once camps opened last month, the difference was significant.
“Completely different, rejuvenated person and player,” Hinch said. “That’s why [pitching coach Chris Fetter] and I met with him the first week of Spring Training, to let him know the work that he had done — put himself in good shape, revamped his delivery just a little bit, tweaked his delivery times a little bit, small, subtle improvements — we wanted to thank him for his attention to detail and let him know that the end of camp wasn’t going to be controversial for him, and give him the confidence that we have in him so he could go along in his work this spring. He’s earned that.”
The way Jiménez has pitched this spring, he could earn more. He had five swings and misses in 14 pitches in his second outing this spring, and his fastball averaged just under 96 miles per hour while maintaining his high spin rate, according to Statcast.
The stuff, in a small sample size, has garnered results. Jiménez has four scoreless innings, allowing only four hits and two walks with four strikeouts this spring.
With Kyle Funkhouser and Andrew Chafin expected to start the season on the injured list, and others looking to ramp up for Opening Day, Jiménez has an opportunity to regain a role.