The Atlanta Braves have more than just a fill-in closer in AJ Minter

With Atlanta’s go-to closer dealing with a throwing arm injury, the Braves have gotten a solid effort out of the next man up.

The Atlanta Braves lost their No. 1 closer to the 10-day disabled list in mid-July, but have since gotten a good audition period out of another player in the role.

Arodys Vizcaino was shut down on July 14 with right shoulder inflammation, having returned on July 3 after missing eight games on a prior DL stint. Meanwhile, Atlanta has gotten a stellar effort out of their No. 2 man A.J. Minter.

Other than a bad three-hit, four-run (three earned) performance back on July 10 in a loss to the Blue Jays, Minter had a solid month. He earned four saves in four save opportunities. Aside from the aforementioned bad outing, Minter gave up no runs on only three hits, issuing a single walk and striking out 13 batters.

Continued Domination

Minter got the month of August off to a nice start as well,  earning a save in game one of Atlanta’s road trip to New York Thursday night. He went one inning, and besides issuing a walk, Minter fanned two without giving up a hit or a run. It was his sixth consecutive outing without letting a runner cross the plate.

Friday night was much the same:  a pop-out, routine fly out, a groundball error, and a groundout.  So make that 7 for him.  A 1-2-2½-3 inning with no real drama in a 2-1 victory.

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A 2015 second round pick by the Braves, Minter had a rapid rise through Atlanta’s farm system. A Texas A&M baseball alum, the 24-year-old pitched at every level from single-A Rome to triple-A Gwinnett in 2017. He made his major league debut in late August… still just 49 weeks ago.

Minter pitched only 59 innings in the minor leagues, earning two saves in five opportunities, finishing 2-2 with a 2.14 ERA. Since his big league debut, the Texas native has seven saves in as many opportunities – all in 2018. In 63 MLB appearances, he has recorded 77 strikeouts in 58.1 innings and carries a 2.93 career ERA.

Especially good on the road this season, Minter is carried a 1.74 ERA in 23 away games into Friday, with now a win and 7 saves in 7 opportunities, counting the most recent – and 24th – road outing.

Yes you read that right: oddly enough, 7 of his 8 saves have been away from Atlanta!

Though he hasn’t been bad against right handed batters (.238 and .308 slugging), Minter has been exceptional against left handers (.196 and .236!) . He has also worked well behind in the count this season.

Consistency

In Minter’s last 15 games (14.1 IP) before Friday night, he has posted a 1.88 ERA with three runs on seven hits, three walks and 17 strikeouts.

He had also earned five saves in as many chances during that stretch. For a player who started last season at the low-A level and hasn’t yet seen the first anniversary of his MLB debut, those are really solid numbers.

When discussing Atlanta’s recent surge of young players from a stacked farm system making a big league impact, it’s easy for Minter’s name to get lost in the mix.  Make no mistake that he has the potential to be as valuable a piece as any other recent call-up.

As Atlanta continues to battle for the N.L. East title or a wild card slot down the stretch, a dependable closer – or two – will be an absolute necessity.

If Vizcaino can get healthy and/or Minter can stay on track as a reliable closer, Atlanta will have one more piece to the playoff puzzle in place.

Even if Vizcaino cannot return, though, Brad Brach (11 saves) and Dan Winkler (1 save) can support AJ in this new role.