Atlanta Braves 2018 Minor League Review: Left-handed starters

A-ball

The Atlanta Braves second pitch in the 2016 draft out of high school in Kansas, Joey Wentz got a lot of predraft concern due to his velocity not being what he had shown in showcases, though he had never pitched full-time until his senior year. He’s not picked up a ton of velocity from his draft season, but he’s learned to be a tremendous pitcher, and that could be huge for him going forward.

Wentz battled around injuries this season, but when he was on the hill, he was tremendous, posting a 2.28 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and a 24/53 BB/K over 67 innings. Wentz will get his first taste of the upper minors next season at 21 years old.

Coming into 2018, Tucker Davidson was getting plenty of note for his performance in the 2017 season, when he moved into the rotation to finish the season and posted a 2.60 ERA over the season. Davidson struggled out of the gate in 2018, but if you take out his disastrous April, Davidson’s numbers began to look very much like 2017.

From his first May start on May 4th through the end of the season, Davidson made 19 starts, tossing 100 2/3 innings, with a 3.31 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and 40/85 BB/K. He finished out the year even stronger in the final month as most guys are usually wearing down, posting a 2.33 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 11/32 BB/K ratio over 27 innings in August.

The small Nicaraguan lefty, Dilmer Mejia has spent four seasons in rookie ball before finally busting out in 2018, though his performance in full-season leagues was not exactly what the team would hope. Still just 21 when the 2019 season opens, Mejia looked very good with Danville before struggling with Rome and Florida. Overall, he posted a 3.99 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and 33/71 BB/K ratio over 90 1/3 combined innings.