Atlanta Braves Newcomer Review: Gabe Speier What Should We Expect
Sep 10, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; A tarp covers the field during a rain delay before a game between the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
New Atlanta Braves Lefty Gabe Speier
Who Is He?
Gabe Speier was drafted in the 19th round of the 2013 draft by the Boston Red Sox out of high school in California. The 6′, 175 pound lefty was then traded last offseason to Detroit as part of the deal that moved Yoenis Cespedes and Alex Wilson to Detroit and Rick Porcello to Boston. He is now a member of the Atlanta Braves after he and Ian Krol were acquired by the Braves in exchange for Cameron Maybin.
The Red Sox started Speier in the Gulf Coast League, and he made only 3 appearances, totaling 4 innings in that first season. He only allowed one earned run and struck out 6 over those first four innings, however. That short season was due to Speier succumbing to Tommy John surgery to end his 2013 season and eat significantly into his 2014 season. The Red Sox sent Speier back to the Gulf Coast League in 2014, and he pitched in 9 games, 6 of them starts. He pitched very well in that limited action, accumulating a 1.55 ERA and 0.79 WHIP over 29 innings while amassing a 1/26 BB/K ratio.
After acquiring him in the offseason, the Tigers moved the slight Speier to the bullpen in 2015 and moved him to full-season low-A West Michigan of the Midwest League. He appeared in 33 games, throwing 44 innings. His final numbers were a 2.86 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 12/36 BB/K ratio.
Next: Speier's scouting report
Speier is the nephew of longtime major league infielder Chris Speier and the cousin of long time reliever Justin Speier.
May 14, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Bruce the pitching robot throws out the first pitch as students who built the machine from Paradise Valley High School watch during the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Washington Nationals at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Gabe Speier Scouting Report
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I watched the last 3 appearances of Speier’s that were available on milb.tv (not every game at the low-A level is carried on milb.tv), which were 3 of his last 7 games. Over those 3 appearances, Speier pitched 5 innings, allowing 0 runs, 3 hits, 3 walks, and striking out 3.
The first thing you’ll notice in watching Speier after just glancing over his Baseball Reference page is that Speier looks to have grown and definitely filled out since his height and weight were placed into the B-R database. Without the ability to have him stand next to anyone, it’s hard to judge, but he certainly doesn’t appear an even 6′ on the mound. I’d wager he’s probably a couple of inches taller, but the notable thing is that unless he’s wearing about four layers of clothes underneath his uniform each game, he’s about 200 pounds, which is a good thing for him as far as holding up over the long haul.
Speier has a very easy delivery that has a slight delay and extra lean back as he gets to the peak of his motion before he moves forward. His arm action is just a touch below 3/4, but he’s fairly consistent in that location with each pitch, to his credit. That tick of delay seems to hide the ball for just a moment from right handed hitters and throw off the timing for all hitters.
Speier does feature a four pitch mix, and even coming out of the bullpen in 2015, he featured all four pitches. He throws a four-seam fastball in the lower 90s, touching 93-94 at the top end. The four-seam has some good late movement. He also throws a two-seam fastball in the upper 80s, touching 91, with good sink, specifically arm-side sink. His curveball is very effective in the lower part of the zone. The real wild card in Speier’s future role is his changeup. He has very good arm speed to match his fastball, but his changeup has some wicked movement with it, and he frequently struggles to control it. When he has a hold on the pitch, it’s a plus pitch, and if he can find a way to make that a consistent plus pitch for him, he could move into the rotation and have a chance to become a legit prospect from the left side.
Next: 2016 outlook
Speier does seem to fall in love with the top of the zone, and his stuff simply does not have the velocity to play well in the upper parts of the zone. He needs to keep the ball low to be effective with his combination of pitches.
Sep 26, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; MLB home plate umpire Tom Hallion (left) talks with Atlanta Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell (right) during the fifth inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Gabe Speier 2016 Outlook
The initial reports were that the Braves essentially acquired two LOOGY relievers for Cameron Maybin. That’s simply not true of Speier. In fact, when you correct BABIP to average, his OPS allowed to each side were right in line with natural same-handedness advantage (.502 OPS/.270 BABIP to lefties, .649/.319 to righties), but he was certainly still effective against right handed hitters.
Speier turns 21 in April next season. Whether the team sees his future as a starter or a reliever determines a lot about how he’s set up going forward. He throws well and could certainly make the transition back to the rotation. I believe the move the bullpen was to help his transition to the higher level and back from surgery, but if he is going to work as a starter, it’d probably be best to return Speier to the same level, which would be Rome in the Braves system. As a reliever, he certainly could make the move up to Carolina and high-A and probably could move quickly with his four-pitch mix from the left side in the bullpen.
What Speier has to work on is really predicated on what his role will be going forward for the team. Staying in the bullpen, his two fastballs and curve would be an excellent combination to be successful going forward, and his biggest thing to work on would simply be command within in the zone as he has good control and keeps the ball around the plate, but he has a habit of leaving the ball up in the zone rather than down in the zone. If Speier is going to return to the rotation, that changeup is going to be instrumental to his success or failure in that role. He has the possibility of developing an above-average changeup if he works at it, but that all depends on what the Braves see his future role in the organization as being – reliever or starter. Either way, there’s more here than a simple LOOGY, and while he’s not a upper-90s velocity guy, even in the bullpen, Speier could bring significant value to the Braves down the line.