Joe Jimenez

Joe Jimenez

29-Year-Old PitcherRP
Atlanta Braves
Out
Injury Knee
Est. Return 7/1/2025
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Jimenez is in line to help set up for closer Raisel Iglesias again in 2024 after recently signing a 3-year, $26 million contract extension with Atlanta. The 28-year-old is coming off an excellent 2023 campaign that saw him compile a career-best 3.04 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 73:14 K:BB over 56.1 innings. The contact Jimenez allowed was often hit hard (45%) while his average exit velocity allowed (91.1 mph) and barrel percentage (11.4%) both were in the bottom 6% of the league. However, the right-hander continued to miss plenty of bats, as his 30.7% strikeout rate and 32.2% whiff percentage were both in the 88th percentile or higher. Jimenez has closing experience with 20 career saves, but don't expect many chances to arise in 2024 as he's currently 3rd or 4th on Atlanta's depth chart behind Iglesias. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Rest of Season
From Preseason
#382
ADP
$Signed a three-year, $26 million contract extension with Atlanta in October of 2023.
Undergoes knee procedure
PAtlanta Braves
Knee
November 4, 2024
Jimenez is expected to mis the next 8-to-12 months while recovering from surgery to repair damaged cartilage in his left knee, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
This news came out of the blue for Jimenez, who was one of Atlanta's top relievers during the 2024 campaign. A timeline for his return should come into focus as he begins to progress in his rehab, but it appears he'll be sidelined for the first half of the 2025 season if not longer.
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Pitching Stats
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2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
16
Last 10 Games
15
Last 5 Games
16
How many pitches does Joe Jimenez generally throw?
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
What part of the game does Joe Jimenez generally pitch?
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-5%
BAA vs RHP
2024
 
 
-4%
BAA vs LHP
2023
 
 
-4%
BAA vs RHP
2022
 
 
-19%
BAA vs RHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2022vs Left .219 319 95 21 64 12 0 9
Since 2022vs Right .207 427 137 29 81 18 3 6
2024vs Left .177 128 37 10 20 3 0 2
2024vs Right .185 149 45 13 25 6 0 0
2023vs Left .239 94 26 5 21 3 0 5
2023vs Right .229 144 47 9 30 9 1 4
2022vs Left .253 97 32 6 23 6 0 2
2022vs Right .206 134 45 7 26 3 2 2
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-29%
ERA on Road
2024
 
 
-26%
ERA on Road
2023
 
 
-23%
ERA on Road
2022
 
 
-34%
ERA on Road
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2022Home 3.54 1.18 89.0 3 4 3 10.9 3.2 0.6
Since 2022Away 2.53 0.97 92.2 1 6 2 12.0 1.7 0.9
2024Home 3.03 1.10 32.2 1 2 2 9.6 3.9 0.3
2024Away 2.25 0.89 36.0 0 3 1 11.8 2.3 0.3
2023Home 3.46 1.23 26.0 0 1 0 12.1 3.1 1.0
2023Away 2.67 1.09 30.1 0 2 0 11.3 1.5 1.8
2022Home 4.15 1.22 30.1 2 1 1 11.3 2.7 0.6
2022Away 2.73 0.95 26.1 1 1 1 13.3 1.4 0.7
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Joe Jimenez compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
3.57
 
K/9
10.7
 
BB/9
3.0
 
HR/9
0.3
 
Fastball
94.6 mph
 
ERA
2.62
 
WHIP
0.99
 
BABIP
.278
 
GB/FB
1.06
 
Left On Base
70.6%
 
Exit Velocity
80.8 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
2.9%
 
Spin Rate
2284 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
18.6%
 
Swinging Strike
15.8%
 
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Joe Jimenez See More
Mound Musings: The Endgame Odyssey Continues – National League
137 days ago
Brad Johnson examines NL Bullpens with possible changes on the horizon, and in the case of the Mets, current closer Edwin Diaz can't seem to protect leads.
Mound Musings: A Look at Pitching in the NL East
228 days ago
Brad Johnson concludes his deep dive into pitching staffs with the National League East, where in Atlanta, Spencer Strider is at the top of his game.
Farm Futures: Relief Pitching Prospect Rankings
255 days ago
James Anderson goes team-by-team to highlight which pitching prospects could ascend to the closer role in the coming years, including A's righty Mason Miller.
The Z Files: Projecting Pitcher's BABIP
296 days ago
Todd Zola considers a new approach to regressing a pitcher's BABIP, which suggests better days should be ahead for Hunter Greene.
Closer Encounters: The Importance of a Good Bullpen
June 29, 2023
Ryan Rufe looks at the behavior of contenders in the reliever trade market in recent seasons and predicts who might get moved this year.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
After scaling back on his fastball in 2021, both in terms of pitch usage and velocity, Jimenez threw his 4-seamer more often (64% usage) last season at a career-high 95.7 mph. He mixed in an effective slider (31%) and occasional changeup (5%) to left-handed batters for an arsenal that yielded career-best strikeout (33.3%) and walk (5.6%) rates. Jimenez's 27.7% K-BB% was 8th-best among qualified relievers and he also set personal marks with a 3.49 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. The right-hander's .328 BABIP was a bit unlucky, while his 1.99 FIP and 2.90 xERA indicate his ratios could have been even better. With 20 saves and 58 holds on his big-league resume, Jimenez has enough high-leverage experience to make do on his "closer of the future" tag from long ago. Don't expect an abundance of saves now that he has been traded to Atlanta, who has a deep bullpen with plenty of capable arms for the ninth inning.
Jimenez was once considered a potential future closer in Detroit, but after posting a 7.15 ERA in the condensed 2020 season and a 5.96 ERA last year he's become an afterthought. He's been passed up by the likes of Gregory Soto and Michael Fulmer in the Tigers' bullpen. Jimenez could pitch himself back onto the fantasy radar, but fantasy managers should take a wait-and-see approach until he displays more consistency.
In 2019, Jimenez held opposing hitters to a .243 average and had a 23.0 K-BB%. There were some flaws, most notably 13 homers allowed in 59.2 innings of work. This past season was a dumpster fire; Jimenez's velocity was way down early, he quickly lost his role as the closer and continued his charitable ways with the long ball while pitching into too many deep counts. Jimenez has a terrific slider, and one would think Detroit would tell him to throw it more often and dump his terrible changeup. He only throws the changeups to lefties, but they're 18-for-29 off the pitch over the past two seasons with four homers. If he were to dump the changeup and come to camp with a splitter or a cutter, he could take a much-needed step forward. He will need to separate himself in the eyes of new manager AJ Hinch.
Jimenez mostly struggled through the first half of the season while Shane Greene pitched effectively, resulting in Greene remaining in the closer role until he was traded at the end of July. After taking over as the stopper, Jimenez converted nine of his 14 save opportunities, posting a 31.9 K% with a 15.2% swinging-strike rate, pitching better than the surface numbers would indicate. The long ball was a problem and there is no getting around that -- his 1.96 HR/9 rate ranked eighth-worst among qualified relievers last season. However, the 24-year-old finished the year strong, recording a 1.00 ERA with a 12:1 K:BB and five saves over nine appearances in September. Jimenez should have decent job security as the closer heading into 2020 and has an above-average strikeout rate, but he has largely underperformed given his skill level and the saves will likely be scarce on what projects to be a 100-loss team.
Last year was supposed to be the year that Jimenez finally took over as the Tigers' closer. However, that never happened as Shane Greene pitched well enough in the first half to stave Jimenez off, and then Jimenez went on to struggle after the intermission. He was among the most heavily used relievers in baseball over the first three and a half months, making 46 appearances before the All-Star break. This was after Jimenez made a total of 51 appearances in 2017. It's fair to wonder if all that early work caught up to him, as Jimenez limped to the finish line with a 7.78 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 4.6 BB/9 in his final 22 outings. That poor run inflated Jimenez's ratios and masked just how good he was throughout the bulk of the season (2.91 FIP, 29.2 K%). It's taken longer than many expected for Jimenez to fulfill his destiny as the closer-in-waiting, but it seems likely that he wrestles the job away from Greene relatively early on.
Being tabbed "closer of the future" doesn't carry quite the same doom and gloom as the Madden curse, but the number of those who have succeeded is a short list. Jimenez is being groomed for ninth-inning duties, picking up saves at every level since he started in rookie ball in 2013 at the tender age of 18. The fire-balling rookie had a rather inauspicious major-league debut in 2017, recording an unsightly 12.32 ERA and 2.11 WHIP in 19 innings for the Tigers. Jimenez surrendered 15 of his 26 earned runs allowed in just four efforts. In the other 20 appearances, Jimenez recorded a still poor but more palatable 4.86 ERA and 1.40 WHIP. Obviously, Jimenez is still a work in progress, but fanning 241 with only 52 walks in 167.1 minor-league innings portends patience yielding a fruitful payoff. With Detroit in rebuilding mode, stashing Jimenez has potential long-term rewards, and who knows -- short-term benefits aren't out of the question.
More Fantasy News
Secures third save
PAtlanta Braves
August 2, 2024
Jimenez picked up the save in Friday's 5-3 victory over the Marlins, allowing one hit and one walk over one scoreless inning with three strikeouts.
ANALYSIS
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Nails down save Monday
PAtlanta Braves
July 8, 2024
Jimenez earned a save against the Diamondbacks on Monday, allowing one walk and striking out one batter in one scoreless inning.
ANALYSIS
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Secures first save
PAtlanta Braves
June 17, 2024
Jimenez struck out one batter in a perfect inning to earn a save over the Tigers on Monday.
ANALYSIS
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Tagged with loss in matinee
PAtlanta Braves
May 21, 2024
Jimenez (1-1) blew his first save of the season and took the loss in the first game of Monday's doubleheader against the Padres, coughing up four runs on three hits and two walks in one inning. He failed to strike out a batter.
ANALYSIS
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Grabs second hold
PAtlanta Braves
April 8, 2024
Jimenez struck out two over 1.2 perfect innings Sunday to record his second hold of the season in a win over the Diamondbacks.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Great fit for Giants
PDetroit Tigers
July 22, 2022
If the Giants are buyers at the trade deadline, they should pursue Jimenez, opines Grant Brisbee of the Athletic.
ANALYSIS
Jimenez is having the best year of his career, posting a 3.28 ERA and 49:8 K:BB while allowing three homers in 35.2 innings. He's cut his career walk and homer rates nearly in half while striking out a career-best 34.8 percent of batters faced. The 27-year-old goes to arbitration one more time before reaching free agency and should still have an affordable salary next year even after receiving a raise over his current $1.79 million contract. Giants relivers have the second-lowest strikeout rate in baseball and, with the recent addition of Trevor Rosenthal, a trade for Jimenez could revamp the back end of the team's bullpen as it pushes for a spot in the postseason.
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