Craig Kimbrel: How to Train as a Closing Pitcher

In this baseball training video, closing pitcher and 2011 NL Rookie of the Year Craig Kimbrel completes a full-body, off-season workout designed specifically to meet his performance needs as a closer.

Kimbrel has learned the value of training properly to meet the demands of his position as a closing pitcher. "The [exercises] we do aren't with a lot of weight," Kimbrel says. "I'm used to going into the weight room, throwing up the dumbbells, putting a bunch of weight on the Squat machine." Now, according to Kimbrel, the focus is on improving balance, flexibility and power while also addressing muscle imbalances to prevent injury. Kimbrel says, "As a pitcher, you have to have a strong core. It seems like every exercise, even if it's upper-body or lower-body, will have our core working." It all plays into Kimbrel's outlook on improving his performance. "There's always something you can do to make yourself better. As long as you have that mentality, you're going to go a long way."