Atlanta Braves 2016 Bullpen Shaping Into Form…Who Benefits?
Braves Bullpen Re-vamp Essentially Complete
The Atlanta Braves had a relief staff that was putrid at times, and cost a struggling club a great deal of games in which were close to being wrapped up in the late stages. The bullpen was a revolving door throughout the season, as the Braves set a record in the 2015 season with the greatest amount of transactions in franchise history. The lack of experience and skill available throughout the season led to the second worst relief staff in baseball, posting a 4.69 ERA.
The Braves trust consisting of general manager John Coppolella has been actively trying to make moves in order to solidify the bullpen and bring enhanced talent in order to help the Braves finish out more games. Rather than signing a big name free agent such as Darren O’Day, the front office has a goal of acquiring cheaper, younger relievers with a great deal of upside who can help the Braves compete in the 2016 season. Although, this could be the beginning of the quest for a big name reliever, as the Braves don’t believe they will be title contenders until the 2017 season at the soonest.
Along with the acquisitions made in order to help in the 2016 season, the Braves relief core will also be boosted as many of the injured relievers will be able to return early into the season. The key relievers injured include closer Jason Grilli who went down with an Achilles injury at the all-star break and setup man Shae Simmons who is recovering from Tommy John Surgery. Grilli is expected to return by Spring Training while Simmons is expected to return by early May. An injured reliever who has yet to see the field is Chris Withrow, he was acquired from the Dodgers in the Juan Uribe trade, and is recovering from Tommy John Surgery. Withrow is known for having a high-velocity fastball and was a key part of the Dodgers success in recent years.
These two aspects will lead to more experience and a great deal of improvement from last season’s bullpen. Let’s take a look at how it may be setup on Opening Day, barring any further acquisitions. There are many options, but there are seven relievers that can fit into an optimal bullpen.
Long Relievers:
- RHP Ryan Weber (2015: 5 starts, 28.1 IP, 4.76 ERA)
Middle Relievers:
- RHP David Carpenter (signed to minor league deal, previously with NYY and WSH in 2015)
- LHP Ian Krol (acquired from Detroit in Cameron Maybin deal)
- LHP Evan Rutckyj (Rule 5 draftee, must be offered back to NYY if not kept on roster)
- RHP Jim Johnson (2015 with ATL: 49 appearances, 48 IP, 2.25 ERA)
Setup:
- RHP Arodys Vizcaino (2015: 36 appearances, 33.2 IP, 1.60 ERA)
- RHP Jason Grilli (2015: 36 appearances, 33.2 IP, 2.94 ERA)
The shocker… Closer:
- RHP Mike Foltynewicz (2015: 15 starts, 86.2 IP, 5.71 ERA)
The bullpen will return some of the players from last year, but many new faces have appeared. As you’re reading through this, you are probably shocked as to why I’m placing Foltynewicz in the closer role. I believe he will have better success when pitching in shorter stints. This way he can blow hitters away with the fastball more effectively, rather than facing hitters numerous times and having to implement his breaking ball. We will have to see this take shape in spring training, but we should definitely expect improvement from last season. Shae Simmons will be a lock for the bullpen when he returns in May, so shuffling of the staff will be imminent, but should be more solidified than in 2015. As we are less than 100 days from Opening Day, it becomes more intriguing to see the Braves club form day-by-day.