Cubs Trends to Monitor: Craig Kimbrel’s Unusually Low Release Point Got Even Lower

We recently looked at how Craig Kimbrel’s release point in his 2020 debut was its lowest in four years, a trend that continued in his second outing. In fact, Kimbrel’s four-seam release point dropped an additional 5% against the Pirates Friday night.

Perhaps a result of his unusually low release point is a “flatter” curveball, one with less movement that Kimbrel has generated in the past. In his first two outings, we have seen that his curve is breaking more horizontally without that vertical dropping action.

We’ll continue to monitor Kimbrel’s peripherals going forward. So far, it’s not looking encouraging.