Atlanta Braves Scouting Report on LHP A.J. Minter

Future Outlook

So, I was trying to find a good comp for Minter, and frankly, they’re quite difficult. To find a guy who really focuses on two pitches the way Minter does with such a heavy focus on his fastball, you start to narrow down to a very few guys. As I looked at the lefties in the game currently, two stuck out with their focus on their fastball – Zach Britton and Tony Watson. However in watching them, Watson uses a true sinker/change/slider combo (in that order) while Britton works with a two-seam fastball and slider mix.

Then I got out some video of Britton. The two of them could play games of mirror with each other as far as the effects of their pitches. Britton’s also not a big guy, like Minter, going 6’1 and about 200 pounds. Britton actually gets more of a straight sink on his fastball rather than the arm side run that Minter gets, but they both work with sliders that get more horizontal movement than vertical.

Of course, we’re talking about a guy who’s one of the rare closers in competition for a Cy Young Award this season due to his dominance on the mound, and I’m by no means saying that he’ll be that guy immediately, but if you want an idea of where Minter could get as a reliever, peak value, Britton would be a good guy to look at.

Next: Braves Minor League Database

I’d imagine Minter will start at AAA next year, but he’ll certainly be given every shot to open 2017 in the Atlanta bullpen. I do know that one thing that Minter stated to teams before the draft was that he wanted to be allowed the opportunity to start if he so chose, and the Braves were willing to allow him to do so after his first season back.

If he does return to the rotation, that would likely put him at least back down to AA, if not high-A to get his feet under him in using that change again, but I would imagine that he’s gotten a taste of how close he is to the big leagues at this point from the bullpen and will stay there.