House That Hank Built
Fansided

3 Atlanta Braves to watch for in a 60-game season

By Daniel Rasmussen

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 30: Ozzie Albies #1 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after their 10-7 win over the Chicago White Sox at SunTrust Park on August 30, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 30: Ozzie Albies #1 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after their 10-7 win over the Chicago White Sox at SunTrust Park on August 30, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
Will Smith #13 of the San Francisco Giants. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
Will Smith #13 of the San Francisco Giants. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) /

Atlanta Braves reliever Will Smith has a track record to suggest he could make an impact on a short season.

There’s no question that Atlanta Braves fans were excited to see veteran left-handed relief pitcher Will Smith acquired through free agency this past (or should I say this “current”?) offseason.

The Georgia native was excellent in 2019 with the Giants, putting together an All-Star campaign as one of the game’s elite bullpen arms.

As terrific as his overall numbers look, the reliever’s career reputation is that of a strong “starter” – not starter of games, but starter of seasons.

The difference is pretty incredible.

Per Will Smith’s baseballreference “career splits” category:

  • Career first half – 190 IP, 2.70 ERA, 1.08 WHIP
  • Career second half – 220 IP, 4.37 ERA, 1.38 WHIP

Additionally, Smith has allowed just a .212 BA and a .626 OPS to hitters in the first months of seasons (compared to a .257 BA and a .740 OPS allowed in the later months).

It’s fair to say that the Atlanta Braves bullpen was an Achilles’ heel for the team for a large part of 2019, with its unit putting out a reliever WAR of 1.1, “meh” enough for 21st in MLB.

The bullpen, however, was certainly enhanced by the July trades for Mark Melancon, Shane Greene, and Chris Martin.

Those players are all set to return to the Braves in whatever 2020 would have to offer, and adding Smith into the fray could transform the once-middling Atlanta ‘pen into one of baseball’s best.

For whatever reason, Will Smith has proven himself as one of those players that just seems to be at optimal performance in the season’s early-goings, making him an ideal candidate for success in a hypothetical 60-70 game affair in 2020.

Home/Braves News