Atlanta Braves’ Kris Medlen Not Doing It Yet

Compared to the second half of 2012 when he starred, Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Kris Medlen has been up and down in 2013 and needs to regain his sharpness to help his team. Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Leading up to the 2013 season a baseball fan might think that Kris Medlen was the new Warren Spahn. He was so hyped that Atlanta Braves supporters talked about him in hushed tones, as if he was a rare and valuable antique too delicate to even touch.

Because he had a 10-1 record last year with a 1.57 earned run average Medlen was being pumped up as the new ace of the Braves’ deep and talented pitching staff. If you read enough about Medlen you might have thought that the Cy Young Award was about to have its name changed to the “Kris Medlen Award.” While the Braves started out strongly this season, it was not because of anything Medlen did. At one point he was 1-6. After perhaps righting himself, he is now 3-6.

Given how deep the Braves are in pitching a 3-6 mark is lucky to get you a spot start. Manager Fredi Gonzalez is sticking with Medlen, though, and he has won two in a row. In fact, after being out of kilter much of the spring, his earned run average has dropped to 2.87.

The Braves have been somewhat of an enigma. They started out on fire, yet have several hitters that have been swinging the bat below par. They anointed Medlen as an ace, yet were winning games without his help. As of Monday they sat on a 39-24 record that is good enough to lead the National League East Division. Yet they don’t seem to even have scratched the surface of their potential.

To this point in the season the Braves’ leading member of the rotation has been Mike Minor with an 8-2 record and a 2.44 earned run average. Minor was nobody’s idea of an ace back in spring training, yet he is on an All-Star pace. Minor has been major and Medlen has been completely overshadowed.

What has been working on all cylinders for the Braves is the bullpen. The pen is extraordinary. The anchor in relief is closer Craig Kimbrel. He has 18 saves and a 1.85 ERA and he is not alone. In 2013 a team is nowhere without a gem of a closer and Kimbrel is at least as important to the Braves as any member of the starting rotation.

This entire episode just illustrates the dangers of premature hype. Medlen showed great potential with the way he pitched in 2012, but a good stretch, even a great stretch, didn’t turn him into an instant Hall of Famer. So many times this is seen. Guys have got to build more substantial resumes before the world calls them The Next Great Thing. Consistency and longevity still count.

What’s been impressive is how the Braves shrugged off Medlen’s mediocrity without suffering one bit. As we hit mid-June he may be starting to regain his swagger and some of the struggling hitters may be snapping out of their funks. Put that all together with those who have performed so well so far and the Braves could really become the NL’s most dangerous team during the second half of the regular season and in the playoffs.