Josh Collmenter. Jim Johnson. Ian Krol. Eric O’Flaherty. Chaz Roe. These are the names of members of the 2017 Opening Day relief corps that will not be in the 2018 version. Regardless of who takes up those final spots, they should as a group be younger and have more upside potential.
Also, there may be Peter Moylan.
ALSO IN THIS SERIES:
First Base
Second Base
Third Base
Shortstop
Catcher
Left Field
Centerfield
Right Field
Starting Pitching – Atlanta/Gwinnett
Starting Pitching – Lower Minor Leagues
ATLANTA BRAVES
High-Leverage:
RHP Arodys Vizcaino
There many be no more underrated pitcher on the Braves than Arodys Vizcaino, which is an odd thing considering that he’s the team’s closer and closers tend to be the most overrated players in baseball. Granted it may be that his career since coming back to the Braves before the 2015 season has been broken up in fits and starts by first the 80-game PED suspension and then by a series of injuries that ruined the second half of his 2016 season and cost him the closer’s role. Even in 2017, a very good season where he regained the closer’s role saw him miss two weeks with a finger injury. Vizcaino’s stuff is beyond reproach — a fastball that regularly touches 99 mph with nasty armside run, backed up by a hard curveball that falls off the table late. Perhaps 2018 will be the year that Vizcaino’s health and performance will allow him to finally be recognized as one of the game’s top relievers.
LHP A.J. Minter (See Also: Prospect Analysis)
The first member of the Braves 2015 draft class to make it to the major leagues, Minter has the drive and arsenal any team would look for in a Closer-of-the-Future. Like Vizcaino however, he also has an unfortunate injury history, stretching back to the TJS he was recovering from when the Braves made him a 2nd-round pick. Forearm and groin issues delayed the start of his 2017 season, but he finally made it to Atlanta in late August and was pretty much as advertised, striking out 26 batters in 15 innings pitched while only walking 2. Minter’s high-90s fastball combined with one of the filthiest sliders anyone will see give the Braves, along with Vizcaino, potentially one of the best lefty/righty late inning combos in baseball. If they can stay healthy.
RHP Jose Ramirez
Ramirez lead the Braves in appearances by a pitcher in 2017, and he earned that distinction with a blistering April and May that saw him limit opposing batters to a .162/.222/.257 batting line against. On June 2 however, Ramirez lost a game in Cincinnati after not being able to retire a batter in the 10th, which started a rough patch that saw his ERA rise from 2.38 to 3.09 by the end of the month. Ramirez would regain his footing, but he never pitched quite as well as he did those first two months of the season. Peripheral stats give mixed reviews of Ramirez’s true talent, but 2017 saw improvements in both his fastball and slider velocity. If these trends continue, Ramirez could continue to be a solid high-leverage option for Atlanta.
Middle Relievers:
LHP Sam Freeman
Freeman had been up-and-down with the Cardinals, Rangers, and Brewers before signing a minor league free agent contract with Atlanta before the 2017 season. Freeman looked pretty bad in spring training, but steadily improved while with Gwinnett, earning a call-up in May. Freeman reversed some career trends with the Braves, getting slightly more velocity and movement on both his four-seam and his split-finger fastball and also pitching well against left-handed hitters. He did his best work late in the year as well, only allowing 1 earned run over the final two months of the season. In short, Freeman was the Braves biggest pleasant bullpen surprise of 2017 and will be counted on as the primary middle-innings lefty again in 2018.
RHP Peter Moylan
Peter Moylan ranks as one of the best all-time relief pitcher in Braves franchise history, powered by a run with the club 2006-2012 that saw him post a 2.60 ERA in 260 relief innings, thanks in large part to a 63.9% ground ball rate before shoulder problems derailed him 2011. After various injuries and his second TJS surgery, Moylan found himself back with the Braves in 2015 after bouncing around in the Dodgers and Astros systems. Moylan got into 22 games with Atlanta in 2015, pitching to a 3.48 ERA. Moylan parlayed that success into a two-year stint with the Kansas City Royals, including a 2017 season that saw him lead the American League with 79 appearances. Now at the age of 39, the venerable sidearmer from Down Under has signed on for a third tour of duty with Atlanta. These days Moylan has a specialized role, as he is essentially death to right-handed batters, but a gift to lefties. This does have value in a division that has right-handed sluggers like Giancarlo Stanton, Yoenis Cespedes, Anthony Rendon, and Rhys Hoskins. What remains to be seen is if manager Brian Snitker and his staff and manage Moylan’s use as effectively as he was handled in Kansas City so not to expose him to any kind of serious left-handed hitters.
RHP Josh Ravin
Acquired this offseason in a cash transaction with the Dodgers, Ravin is a hard-thrower who uses a 97 mph rising fastball along with a hard slider and an occasional change-up to generate strikeouts. Unfortunately he also generates walks, and combined with a myriad of injury issues and a PED suspension, he has limited him to 36 big league innings to date. Now 30 years old and out of options, the Braves will see if they can unlock Ravin’s potential, and he’ll likely be given a long look this spring.
RHP Chase Whitley
Whitley was claimed by the Braves off waivers from the Rays, where he had pitched in 41 games at the major league level in relief. It was his first full season back from UCL surgery, and perhaps understandably he seemed to run out of gas in the second half of the season. In the first half, he held hitters to a .186/.260/.271 line; in the second half it was .265/.311/.439 and he was even briefly optioned back to AAA for a few weeks in August. If Whitley can maintain his command longer into the season, he could be a key middle reliever for Atlanta in 2018.
RHP Dan Winkler
Winkler returned to Atlanta after recovering from a gruesome elbow fracture suffered while pitching in April of 2016 and was sharp, only allowing 4 earned runs in 14 innings while striking out 18 and walking 6. Winkler’s whip-like arm motion will always cause injury concerns, but there’s nothing indicating he can’t get major league hitters out with his unusual delivery and plus slider. Winkler needs to remain on the major league active roster for 15 days to satisfy Rule V roster requirements.
OTHER OPTIONS:
LHP Rex Brothers
If the Braves opt for a third left-hander in the bullpen, the favorite for that spot would probably be Brothers. He does still have an option remaining however, so he can be safely stashed in Gwinnett until needed. Brothers had an ugly major league stat line for Atlanta last season, but he’s a lefty that throws hard and was still fairly effective against left-handed hitters, two main reasons why he’ll still be given a long look.
LHP Grant Dayton
Dayton has already been placed on the 60-day DL and will likely miss the entire 2018 season recovering from UCL surgery. I am including him for completeness sake, and because a lot of people ask about him.
LHP Max Fried (See Also: Prospect Analysis)
There’s a possibility that Fried pitches well enough in spring training to force the Braves to bring him with them to Atlanta, but still still not be able to break into the rotation. Fried was more successful as a starter for Atlanta last season, but in extremely small sample sizes. There’s no reason to think Fried couldn’t be successful out of the bullpen, and he’s probably battling Chase Whitley for that long/middle-reliever role, with Whitley having the advantage since he’s out of options.
RHP Anyelo Gomez
The 24-year-old Gomez stormed up the Yankees minor league organizational ladder in 2017, going from low-A to AAA in the space of a year and posting a combined 1.92 ERA in 70 innings. If any team’s farm system can be said to be deeper than the Braves it’s the Yankees, and Gomez was not protected from the Rule V draft because of this volume. The Braves will take a look this spring to see if his mid-90s fastball and slider/change-up mix can get major league hitters out. Even if so, carrying a Rule V draftee all year is a challenge, and if he looks good he could also part of a spring training deal with a team not so far along in a rebuild process.
LHP Scott Kazmir
Kazmir has been a starting pitcher his entire career, but after an entire season missed due to hip issues and parts of the prior three seasons with a variety of injuries it’s not unreasonable to think lowering the number of innings by pitching him out of the bullpen may be the best thing for both Kazmir and the club.
RHP Lucas Sims
It wasn’t that long that Sims was at or near the top of Braves prospect lists. Sims hasn’t really done that much wrong, but has been surpassed by the waves of talent brought into the organization during the rebuild. Sims has good stuff and has an idea what to do with it, and he should be able to get hitters out. Many observers, including yours truly, think Sims could be a quality high-leverage reliever if groomed for that job, but for now I expect the Braves to continue finding opportunities to have him start in order to maintain his value.
GWINNETT STRIPERS (CLASS AAA)
High-Leverage:
RHP Shane Carle
Like Josh Ravin, Carle is a hard-throwing righty the Braves acquired from a team that needed to make room on its 40-man roster, in this case the Pittsburgh Pirates. Unlike Ravin, Carle has an option remaining and will likely have to prove himself at AAA Gwinnett before getting to throw in Atlanta.
RHP Akeel Morris (See Also: Prospect Analysis)
Morris has been with the Braves and on the 40-man roster since coming over in one of the Kelly Johnson trades in 2016. Morris has pitched to a 2.50 ERA while striking out 112 batters in 90 innings. He also had good results in an 8-appearance stint with Atlanta. Morris should be on the short list for a quick promotion when a reliever is needed, and with his plus change-up he’s effective against hitters standing in either batter’s box.
LHP Phil Pfeifer
The alliterative lefty had a solid season split between AA Mississippi and AAA Gwinnett, with his time with the M-Braves constituting the best strikeout percentage of his career. Pfiefer has three solid pitches, good deception, and an idea of what to do with them, and the Braves have noticed. He received a big league spring training invite. Major league teams are hungry for competent left-handed relievers.
Middle Relievers:
LHP Jesse Biddle
The former Phillies first round pick is entering his third season in the Braves organization. Biddle spent 2016 recovering from UCL surgery, and last season he pitched well in relief for AA Mississippi before getting shut down when he reached 50 innings. In those 50 innings, Biddle had his best walk and strikeout rates since he was in the rookie leagues, so the early returns on the Braves investment of a 40-man roster spot for Biddle is promising.
RHP Caleb Dirks (See Also: Prospect Analysis)
Dirks had an abbreviated season due to an undisclosed injury, but pitched some in the Dominican Winter League so hopefully he will be healthy this spring.
RHP Jason Hursh
Hursh’s stuff has gotten him on the 40-man roster and some time in the major leagues. His inability to get outs in the majors however has had him mostly at the AAA level the last three seasons, but last year he did post the best strikeout rate of his pro career.
RHP Evan Phillips
The big right-hander and 2015 draftee has had a quick rise through the minor league system, but stumbled last year when he reached AAA Gwinnett. Phillips has an intriguing fastball/slider combo however which should allow him to be successful at this level with experience.
RHP Matt Wisler
While the door may not be completely closed to Wisler starting, all signs have been pointing to his transition to a bullpen role, where it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he could be successful with a high-90s fastball and above average slider.
OTHER OPTIONS:
RHP Aaron Blair
Blair has come to camp having shed 40 pounds and is reportedly recommitted to his slider, a pitch that has tantalized the Braves and fans, as when he struck out 10 Tigers in his last start of 2016. Everything between the lines since then has gone backwards for Blair since then, but it wasn’t that long ago that he was a consensus top 100 prospect in baseball. That’s both a reason for hope, and a warning that top 100 prospects lists aren’t sacred texts.
RHP Mauricio Cabrera
The Braves designated Cabrera for assignment, but he was able to pass through waivers and remains in the system. Despite having good results in a half-season call-up in 2006, Cabrera didn’t pitch at all in the majors last season, first due to an injury and then to chronic control problems. Cabrera still has his 100+mph fastball, but is still looking for a credible breaking ball to pair with it.
RHP Luke Jackson
Jackson was acquired from the Rangers last offseason with a reputation for a zippy fastball and poor control. In 43 appearances with Atlanta, Jackson showed that his control issues were overstated, but so was his fastball. Jackson was designated for assignment this offseason, but cleared waivers and was invited to big league camp, so he has a second chance to make an impression.
RHP David Peterson
Peterson was acquired in the 2012 draft and will be a minor league free agent next season unless he makes the show. Peterson throws strikes, but at least so far has been hit hard by AAA batters. A tick up in strikeouts could make the organization give him a long look.
The Braves may be trying to catch lightning in a bottle twice with former Cardinals relief prospects after last year’s unexpected success with Sam Freeman. Socolovich has had some success at the major league level with St. Louis prior to 2017, and the Braves have him in big league camp.
OFR TOP 10 RELIEF PITCHER PROSPECT RANKINGS:
- A.J. Minter
- Jacob Lindgren
- Anyelo Gomez
- Akeel Morris
- Devan Watts
- Corbin Clouse
- Thomas Burrows
- Wes Parsons
- Caleb Dirks
- Jesse Biddle
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