Kenley Jansen Reaches Majors

32 players have appeared in Cal League games in 2010 that also have some Major League experience. However, Kenley Jansen stands out. He is the only one of those 32 that started this season in the Cal League and didn't have that ML experience prior to this season. In fact, he is one of just two players to start the season in A ball and reach the majors this season, the other being Florida pitcher Jhan Marinez. Jansen's rise through the Dodgers' organization has been incredible, but it wasn't always so easy.

Kenley Jansen was originally signed by the Dodgers as a catcher from the Netherlands Antilles in the 2004 offseason. In 2005, he reported to the Gulf Coast League where he played with fellow future major leaguers in Josh Bell and Carlos Santana. As a 17 year old, Jansen showed promise at the plate, posting a .755 OPS in 102 AB. He would return to the GCL Dodgers in 2006, and despite a better plate approach, suffered from a severe drop in production.

2007 saw Jansen continue to scuffle at the plate in short season leagues, and 2008 would be the first year he started and stayed in a full season league. That season, he hit nine of his career 15 minor league home runs, but he batted just .227. His OPS was right at the league average, but it would be the last full season he would spend behind the plate.

Noted for his defense, Jansen threw out 37% of base stealers in stints with A Great Lakes, A+ Inland Empire and AAA Albuquerque in 2008 and 2009. He burst onto the international stage in the 2009 World Baseball Classic as the Netherlands' starting catcher. In the team's opening game against heavily favored Dominican Republic, Jansen threw out the speedy Willy Taveras attempting to steal 3rd as the tying run in the 9th inning. He didn't hit well at all at the plate, but that throw was key to the Dutch run to the second round and shocking the Dominicans not once, but twice.

However, just four months later, Jansen found himself moving to the mound. The Dodgers felt he had a great arm, and his development as a catcher had continued to stagnate. He was unsure of the move at first, but after experiencing success early in his stint as a reliever, Jansen was on board with the Dodgers' plan. Although he had just a 4.63 ERA in 11.2 IP with Inland Empire in 2009, Jansen struck out 19 batters and showed a lot of promise. The Dodgers added him to the 40 man roster to make sure they didn't lose him in the rule 5 draft.

Jansen struck out nine batters in 4.2 IP in the Arizona Fall League after the 2009 season, but he still didn't show much command and got hit around a little bit. Crediting Inland Empire pitching coach and former Major Leaguer Charlie Hough, Jansen began to gain a feel for pitching. The stuff was always there, but of course there is more to pitching than stuff, and Hough helped him learn the finer points of pitching and refine his game.

That time working with Hough paid off big time in 2010. Returning to Inland Empire to start the year, Jansen worked in middle relief and completely overpowered Cal League hitters. Perhaps more importantly, Jansen showed improved command, walking just six batters in 18 innings. Discussion about whether or not Jansen could make an impact in a major league bullpen began. He struck out 28 batters, and the Dodgers rewarded his progress with a promotion to AA Chattanooga.

At AA, Jansen became even more of an unhittable force. His BAA dropped from an already very good .231 with Inland Empire to an incredible .151 with Chattanooga. His K/9 also improved from 14 to 16.7, both of which would lead the league if he had enough innings to qualify. Although his BB/9 rose dramatically to 5.7, no one could deny his dominance, becoming the Lookouts' closer and posting a 1.67 ERA.

With a bullpen that had more questions than answers and two division opponents emerging as contenders, the Dodgers needed a spark. On July 23rd, Jansen was promoted to the big leagues. To make room on the active roster, the Dodgers designated Justin Miller for assignment. Miller was having a solid season and could land another job, but it's difficult to keep a player like Jansen in the minors when he was dominating the way he was.

The next day, Jansen entered the 7th inning of a tied game against the Mets. Using 14 pitches, he struck out Angel Pagan and David Wright, and then got Carlos Beltran to weakly ground out to shortstop. The next day, lacking late inning options due to some struggles and a long game on the 24th, manager Joe Torre turned to Jansen to record a save. He pitched another 1-2-3 inning, including two more strikeouts of Jason Bay and Ike Davis.

Jansen features a mid 90's fastball that can be dialed up into the high 90's, but his secondary stuff is a work in progress. He can throw a slider and changeup, and the development of those pitches are going to be the keys to continued development and success in the majors. He was able to retire minor league hitters without top notch secondary pitches, but of course the majors are a whole new ball game. With his great work ethic, I'm sure Jansen will make the necessary improvements and adjustments to be successful.

Congratulations to Kenley Jansen for reaching the majors. It's a tremendous story, and hopefully fans are exposed to the path he took to make it. Position player to pitcher conversions are becoming more common, and it's definitely not easy to do. It certainly appears that Jansen is well on his way to completing a successful transition and helping the Dodgers at the back end of the bullpen for a long time.