Atlanta Braves Finally Have a Healthy Tyrell Jenkins
By David Hill
With the plethora of arm injuries and the spate of Tommy John surgeries over the past few years, it is understandable that teams are more reluctant to place a heavy toll on their young arms. Frequently, we see teams ease their prospects into the rigors of the professional game. Teams have slowly moved their prospects along, increasing that work load incrementally each season.
For Atlanta Braves pitching prospect Tyrell Jenkins, that buildup has been slower than usual. Hampered by surgery on his right shoulder over the past two seasons, Jenkins, the former top 100 prospect for the Cardinals, finally reached the 100 inning threshold in a season for the first time in his career. He did so in grand style, pitching seven shutout innings in his AAA debut with the Gwinnett Braves.
That may not seem like a lot. After all, it only took until the middle of July for Jenkins to reach that mark. Yet, it is a true accomplishment for the righty, who had never pitched more than 82.1 innings prior to this year. There are relievers that approach that total.
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There is certainly no disputing Tyrell Jenkins’ potential. When he has been able to get on the mound, Jenkins has posted a solid 3.92 ERA and a 1.390 WHiP, numbers that have been affected by those shoulder woes. In fact, with a bit of luck, those numbers could be a bit better, as Jenkins has a 3.68 FIP, a number that would appear to be more in line with the decent prospect that he is considered to be.
Perhaps the biggest concern for Jenkins is his control. Over his career, Jenkins has 3.4 batters per nine innings, and walked 41 batters in his 93 innings at AA this season. With his lack of strikeout ability, as Jenkins has a career 6.8 strikeouts per nine innings, and struck out 59 batters at AA, those control issues are concerning.
Yet, if Jenkins can get his control under….control….then the Atlanta Braves could have a solid middle of the rotation starter, especially if his shoulder and arm can hold up. Jenkins has posted a career 50.7% ground ball rate, with his sinking fastball virtually impossible for minor league hitters to square up. This is further illustrated by an impressively low 12.7% line drive rate over his career, as Jenkins just does not get hit hard.
If Jenkins is unable to overcome those shoulder issues and continues to have difficulty pitching an extended number of innings, his style may work well as a middle reliever. Pitchers that can come in and generate a ground ball to get out of a difficult situation are always in demand, and having a cost effective option in that department, like Jenkins, could be exactly what the Braves need in the bullpen.
Tyrell Jenkins may finally be over his injury issues, but even if he is not, the Atlanta Braves could still have quite the interesting piece for their pitching staff.