While Kevin Ginkel is among the possible solutions to solving the Diamondbacks’ closer predicament, he said his personal ambitions aren’t going to get in the way of the team’s goal to play October baseball.
“To be honest, I mean, you work (to be the closer) but I’m not someone who’s actively like pursuing it and like bragging about it,” Ginkel said Friday at Salt River Fields on Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke. “I’m just going to be the guy that comes in every day willing to work.
“But I think, you know, there’s goals and stuff. For me, it’s like can I get through a full season and continue to build on that pedigree for myself.”
In 2024, Ginkel accomplished his health goal by making a career-high 72 mound appearances, a majority of which came after he absorbed a hard-hit ball to his left leg on June 1 against the New York Mets. Despite exiting the game after just eight pitches (Arizona pulled out a 10-5 win), Ginkel didn’t miss any time on the injured list.
Those outings produced Ginkel’s second-best WAR value of 0.8 (1.3 in 2023) and his 1.9 rate of walked batters per nine innings was by far his career-low, compared to his next-best value of 3.2 in 2023.
An added bonus for the now-seventh year vet: his body is feeling fresh.
Ginkel said he is entering spring training at 255 lbs., in context, a much more sustainable weight for the 6-foot-4 high-leverage pitcher than early in his career. He said he tries to average around 250 every week throughout the 162-game marathon, as weight naturally fluctuates with the wear and tear of long road trips.
“For me today, I woke up, had a coffee and I’m like ‘I don’t really want to have breakfast,’ Ginkel said. “So it’s like, I eat when I’m hungry. I’m not going to try and put three meals in if I don’t need to. I just try to listen to myself and what I’m taking in.”
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Arizona reportedly signed right-handed reliever Kendall Graveman on Friday, taking a step toward supporting its bullpen, but the closer position remains in limbo. The Diamondbacks 2023 World Series run was partly due to a trade deadline acquisition in Paul Sewald, so the closer hole is clearly not always filled this early in a season’s timeline.
Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen told Arizona Sports on Wednesday that team skipper Torey Lovullo would prefer to name a closer earlier than later. Lovullo, however, said his stamp of approval before Opening Day is not an “absolute necessity” because forcing a major decision like this will not help the club win ball games.
For Ginkel, he said having a designated closer does help with the bullpen’s flow and shoring up mentality.
“It’s nice to know because it kind of puts everyone else in a spot where like, OK, I need to be ready for the fifth,” Ginkel said. “Obviously Torey tries to situate it and play match-ups at times, so for me it’s like, ‘how can I be the best version of myself.’
“Whoever the closer is, I know they’re going to do a great job.”
What does Kevin Ginkel think of the Diamondbacks’ addition of Corbin Burnes?
Arizona managing partner Ken Kendrick pulled off arguably the biggest surprise of the MLB offseason by signing Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes. Hazen on Wednesday said he wasn’t sure how financially realistic a deal would be, but the eventual six-year, $210 million contract was ultimately a byproduct of ownership being committed to winning.
Personally, Ginkel said Burnes’ calm demeanor and matching body language stands out to him.
“I mean, the guy’s a horse,” Ginkel said. “I feel more calm with that guy on the mound. You know, when we get into those big games, those NL West games and those games against the (Philadelphia) Phillies and (Los Angeles) Dodgers and whatever, that’s a guy I’m like, ‘we have a really good chance of winning today.’
“I’m excited to pick his brain a little bit as we go.”
How else is Kevin Ginkel approaching a fresh start?
Whether he wakes on the wrong side of the bed or not, Ginkel said his pitching mentality is a “fire and ice thing,” in which he has to lock in his focus regardless of physical feeling.
Physical recovery and his ability to produce, day-in and day-out, are always on his checklist with each mound session.
If those two aspects are indeed in working order, Ginkel has shown in just one postseason run that he is more than capable to elevate the Diamondbacks to championship contention. In 10 postseason appearances in 2023, Ginkel struck out 15 and didn’t surrender a single run while facing 46 total batters.
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