Career Timeline of Kenley Jansen: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Kenley Jansen made an impact.

Kenley Jansen is a Curaçaoan professional baseball pitcher currently playing for the Los Angeles Angels in MLB. Prior to joining the Angels, he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, and Boston Red Sox. Known for his cutter, he established himself as one of the premier closers in baseball during his tenure with the Dodgers.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

November 17, 2004: Signed by Dodgers Organization

On November 17, 2004, Kenley Jansen was signed as an undrafted free agent catcher by the Dodgers organization and was assigned to the Rookie Class Gulf Coast Dodgers.

2004: Signed by the Dodgers

In 2004, Kenley Jansen was signed by the Dodgers as an undrafted free agent.

2007: Played for Raptors and Loons

In 2007, Kenley Jansen split time between the Raptors and the Class-A Great Lakes Loons of the Midwest League, hitting .207 in 73 games. After the season, he again played in Hawaii Winter Baseball, this time for the West Oahu CaneFires

2008: Midwest League All-Star

In 2008, Kenley Jansen played with the Loons, hitting .227 and 9 home runs in 79 games, and was selected to the mid-season Midwest League All-Star game.

November 19, 2009: Added to Dodgers 40-Man Roster

On November 19, 2009, Kenley Jansen was added to the Dodgers 40-man roster.

2009: Experimented with Changeup

In 2009, Kenley Jansen experimented with a changeup.

2009: World Baseball Classic and Minor League Season

In 2009, Kenley Jansen was the starting catcher for the Netherlands team in the World Baseball Classic and also played for the Inland Empire 66ers and the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes.

2009: World Baseball Classic

In 2009, Kenley Jansen was the starting catcher for the Netherlands team in the World Baseball Classic and threw out Willy Taveras on an attempted steal of third base.

2009: Conversion to Pitcher

In the second half of the 2009 season, Kenley Jansen made the conversion to pitching at Inland Empire, under the tutelage of Charlie Hough, after being convinced he had no future as a catcher due to his poor offensive numbers. He pitched 11+2⁄3 innings for the 66ers, allowing six earned runs, and continued the conversion in the Arizona Fall League for the Peoria Javelinas.

May 15, 2010: Promoted to Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts

On May 15, 2010, Kenley Jansen was promoted to the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts, where he was selected to the mid-season Southern League All-Star Game.

July 23, 2010: Promoted to the Dodgers

On July 23, 2010, Kenley Jansen was promoted to the Dodgers.

2010: MLB Debut

In 2010, Kenley Jansen made his Major League Baseball debut.

2010: First Major League Hit

In 2010, Kenley Jansen recorded his first major league hit, a single off Kyle Kendrick of the Philadelphia Phillies, and his first win against the Houston Astros on September 11th. He appeared in 25 games with the Dodgers, saving four.

2011: Key Member of the Bullpen

In 2011, Kenley Jansen became a key member of the Dodgers' bullpen, recording a 2–1 record with a 2.85 ERA and saving five games. He also set a new Major League season record with 16+1⁄3 strikeouts per nine innings.

2011: Experimented with Changeup

In 2011, Kenley Jansen experimented with a changeup.

May 2012: Dodgers' Closer

In May 2012, Kenley Jansen became the Dodgers' closer after Javy Guerra struggled in the role.

2012: Dodgers' Closer

In 2012, Kenley Jansen became the Dodgers' closer.

2012: Used Cut Fastball

In 2012, Kenley Jansen used his cut fastball about 93% of the time and debuted a four-seam fastball at the end of the 2012 season.

2012: Strikeout Rate

Through the 2012 season, Kenley Jansen had recorded 14.6 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched, the second-highest total in history among pitchers who have thrown at least 140 innings.

2013: Resumed Closer Role

In 2013, Kenley Jansen began as the setup man but resumed the role as closer when Brandon League struggled, pitching in 75 games with a 4–3 record, 1.88 ERA and 28 saves. He did not allow any runs in three appearances in the 2013 National League Division Series (NLDS) against the Atlanta Braves.

2013: Addition to Netherlands Team

In 2013, Kenley Jansen was a late addition to the Netherlands national baseball team for the World Baseball Classic, added to the roster for the semi-finals but did not appear in the game.

February 11, 2014: Signed $4.3 Million Contract

On February 11, 2014, Kenley Jansen avoided arbitration by signing a $4.3 million contract with the Dodgers.

2014: Pitch Velocity

In 2014, earlier in his career, Jansen was able to throw the pitch at 98 mph, and he exceeded 100 mph.

January 16, 2015: Signed $7.425 Million Contract

On January 16, 2015, Kenley Jansen avoided arbitration by signing a one-year $7.425 million contract with the Dodgers.

January 15, 2016: Signed $10.65 Million Contract

On January 15, 2016, Kenley Jansen signed a one-year, $10.65 million contract with the Dodgers.

January 10, 2017: Re-signed with Dodgers

On January 10, 2017, the Dodgers announced they re-signed Kenley Jansen to a five-year, $80 million contract.

2017: Joined Team Netherlands

In 2017, Kenley Jansen joined Team Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic, pitching a scoreless 9th inning against Team Puerto Rico but lost on a walk-off sacrifice fly in the 11th inning.

2017: NL Saves Leader

In 2017, Kenley Jansen led the National League (NL) in saves.

2017: World Series Appearance

In the 2017 World Series against the Houston Astros, Kenley Jansen allowed two runs, including a solo homer by Marwin González in Game Two, which was his first blown save in the postseason and snapped his MLB record of converting his first 12 post-season save opportunities. The Dodgers lost the series in seven games.

June 2018: Five-out save

Kenley Jansen had his first five-out save since June 2018 in Pittsburgh during a series against the Mets

2018: 2018 World Series Struggles

In the 2018 World Series, Kenley Jansen struggled, blowing two save opportunities as he allowed game-tying home runs to Jackie Bradley Jr. in Game 3 and Steve Pearce in Game 4, as the Dodgers lost the series to the Boston Red Sox in five games.

April 7, 2019: Four-Out Save against Rockies

On April 7, 2019, Kenley Jansen recorded a four-out save against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver.

June 15, 2019: Debuted Intentional Balk

On June 15, 2019, Kenley Jansen debuted the intentional balk in the top of the ninth against the Chicago Cubs, an idea he came up with bench coach Bob Geren to prevent runners from stealing signs.

2019: 300 Career Saves

In 2019, Kenley Jansen reached 300 career saves.

2019: NLDS Appearance

In the 2019 NLDS, Kenley Jansen pitched to five batters and did not allow any of them to reach base.

2020: 2020 Season

In 2020, Kenley Jansen had a COVID-19 infection, affecting his conditioning. He pitched 24.1 innings over 27 games with a 3–1 record, a 3.33 ERA, and 11 saves. He led the National League with 24 games finished. Jansen also blew his fourth career World Series save in Game 4 of the 2020 World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, setting a new World Series record.

2021: 2021 Season

In 2021, Kenley Jansen recorded his 1,000th strikeout on August 25, against Austin Nola of the San Diego Padres. He finished the 2021 season with 38 saves, a 2.22 ERA, and 86 strikeouts in 69 innings. He also recorded a win in the National League Wild Card Game against the St. Louis Cardinals.

March 18, 2022: Signed with the Atlanta Braves

On March 18, 2022, Kenley Jansen signed a one-year, $16 million contract with the Atlanta Braves.

December 13, 2022: Signed with the Boston Red Sox

On December 13, 2022, Kenley Jansen signed a two-year contract with the Boston Red Sox.

2022: Signed with Braves

In 2022, after 11 years with the Dodgers, Kenley Jansen signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Braves and would then sign with the Red Sox.

May 10, 2023: Recorded 400 Saves

On May 10, 2023, Kenley Jansen became the seventh pitcher in MLB history to record 400 saves.

2023: 400 Career Saves

In 2023, Kenley Jansen reached 400 career saves.

2023: Represented Netherlands at World Baseball Classic

In 2023, Kenley Jansen represented the Netherlands national baseball team at the World Baseball Classic.

2024: 2024 Season

In 2024, Kenley Jansen earned his 425th career save on April 20, passing John Franco for fifth place on the major-league all-time list. He finished the 2024 season with 27 saves, a 3.29 ERA, and 62 strikeouts.