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The path that led Kintzler to the ninth inning in Minnesota might be worthy of its own biopic; a former 40th-round draft pick who spent parts of multiple seasons playing independent ball (including a stint with the St. Paul Saints), washed out in Milwaukee due to injuries, and joined the Twins as a low-key minor-league signing.
The right-hander fell into closer duties last summer because the two top guys lined up for the job were unable to get it done. Glen Perkins pitched in only two games before succumbing to shoulder issues that would require surgery. Kevin Jepsen was a mess as his replacement. Kintzler, pitching as well as anyone in the bullpen, started seeing save chances in mid-June and handled them well enough to keep getting more.
One year later, he has not only earned a tight grip on the role with the Twins, but has in fact blossomed as one of the game's most effective closers.
Though he wasn't credited with a save for wrapping up Sunday's sweep-clinching 4-0 victory over Cleveland, Kintzler had pulled into a tie for the American League lead in saves with his 20th on Saturday. In a bullpen besieged by turmoil, and constantly in flux, he has been an incredibly steady presence at the back end.
His importance to the success of the Twins, back in first place, can hardly be overstated. The relief unit has let a number of games get away, but rarely has it happened under Kintzler's watch. The 32-year-old has converted 20 of 23 save opportunities, posting a stellar 2.70 ERA and 1.08 WHIP through 32 appearances – nearly all of them high-leverage. It wouldn't be shocking to see him named to the All-Star team when rosters are announced.
One might say he's doing it against all odds.
Of course, there is the aforementioned improbable career journey leading up to this point, but there is also the basic arithmetic of baseball. I'll admit that I've been skeptical of the veteran's ability to succeed as a closer, because his contact-heavy recipe often proves hazardous when the stakes are so high and the margin for error so thin.
He is a rare breed. His 16.2 percent strikeout rate ranks among MLB's bottom 20; no other closer is even in that vicinity. You just don't see ninth-inning men in today's game with a pitch-to-contact profile, and for the most part, even a moderate K deficiency tends to be a bad harbinger (see: Sam Dyson and Jeanmar Gomez).
The math tells us more balls in play means more opportunities for rallies to unfold. Few pitchers can run away from these basic realities forever, as Ervin Santana has learned this month while watching his BABIP rapidly normalize. Kintzler's 4.14 xFIP makes it tough for the analyst in me to get excited about his long-term outlook as closer. Yet, I can no longer find it in me to get apprehensive when he takes the mound.
He's been doing this for long enough – more than a calendar year now – that it's hard to view his excellence as any kind of fluke, regardless of what the peripherals might say. If his knees are weak or his palms are sweaty as he readies in the pen, then Kintzler shows no sign of it whatsoever.
His poise is tremendous. He doesn't get flustered, and executes pitches in almost every spot. His signature power sinker is almost always on. He rarely issues a walk (in fact, he hasn't handed out a single one in 11 June appearances) and this helps offset the infrequent whiffs, as does his propensity for limiting loud contact.
I still would not plan around Kintzler as my permanent closer going forward, but his performance since taking over the role has been nothing short of amazing. With big shoes to fill and with immense pressure bearing down on him every time he takes the mound to protect a narrow lead for a team that can ill afford to let any extra games slip, he is thriving.
Providing reliability on a pitching staff with a dire shortage of the same, Kintzler has been a godsend. His continually remarkable work is finally turning me from skeptic into stan.
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