Atlanta Braves newest reliever: Anthony Swarzak in depth
By Fred Owens
Projection rejection
Swarzak appeared in 11 games for the Twins rookie league team in 2004 and pitched well as a starter. They bumped him to A then A+ ball in 2005 and sent him to the AZ fall league. He performed well at every level and continued that work in high A. The Jump to AA in 2007 slowed him a bit, and he didn’t reach AAA until August of 2008.
The Twins added him to their 40 man roster prior to the 2009 season to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He made 12 starts for the Twins that season, throwing 59 innings with a 6.25 ERA, 1.627 WHIP. They decided he wasn’t ready for prime time as a starter and sent him back to AAA for the 2010 season.
He struggled as a starter there as well posting a 6.21 ERA and 1.621 WHIP in 111-1/3 IP. Although he started his career with good strikeout numbers, by this point his strikeouts plummeted to 5+ per nine innings. His control remained solid, and his walks-per-nine low.
The Twins began using him as a part-time reliever in 2011 and he continued in that role when promoted to the majors in 2012.
In July of that season, he spent 20 days on the DL with a strained rotator cuff. He missed a few days right after spring training in 2013, but had a successful season as a full-time reliever, appearing in 48 games, throwing 96 innings, striking out 69, and walking 22 while posting a 2.91 ERA.
Swarzak appeared in 50 games for the Twins in 2014, and the first 25 were pretty good, He finished June with a 3.96 ERA in 38 2/3 IP, striking out 21.
However, he also walked 16, and for the first time, his walk rate nearly matched his K-rate. Over 47 1/3 innings in his next 25 games, he walked fewer batters, but his ERA climbed to 5.13.
The Twins designated him for assignment in November and Swarzak elected free agency.