The Future Is NOW for the Atlanta Braves
Waiting in the wings are two dynamite fireballers. A.J. Minter, taken 75th overall in the 2015 draft, will be the X-factor. Climbing from A ball to the majors in 2017, Minter struggled with command throughout the minors. However, once he arrived in Atlanta, he was nothing short of lights out. The young lefty struck out 15.6 batters per 9 while only walking 1.2 per 9.
In 15 innings, Minter posted a 0.6 WAR and 1.63 xFIP. He has a fastball-slider combo that sits in the 96-90 range and dominated right-handed batters to the tune of 16 strikeouts of 38 hitters. He gives the Braves three viable lefties in the pen, allowing Freeman and Brothers to evolve into lefty specialists. Freeman walked 21 RHB in 33 IP while Brothers allowed a .848 OPS to RH.
Anyelo Gomez, taken in the 2017 Rule 5 Draft, pitched across four levels in 2017. He struck out 87 in 70.1 IP with only 21 free passes. More importantly, those 70.1 IP came in 38 appearances, giving the Braves a viable hard-throwing swingman option. The expectations are that Gomez will be placed in low leverage situations to start the season. 2080 Baseball has a good write-up on his repertoire, describing his fastball as “double plus.”
In With the New
The Atlanta Braves acquired Chase Whitley from the Tampa Bay Rays off of waivers. He may become organizational depth at AAA but also slots in nicely as a veteran utility man, in case some of the young starters struggle. Whitley’s 0.7 WAR out the Rays pen would have tied him for the Braves team lead.
Peter Moylan returns to Atlanta after two solid seasons in the Kansas City pen. The fan favorite posted a 61% ground ball rate in KC and would provide excellent veteran leadership.