Dylan Lee has turned into quite the weapon out of the bullpen for the Atlanta Braves, and one that Brian Snitker needs to rely on even more.
It was understandably hard for the Atlanta Braves to move Spencer Strider from the bullpen where he was such a great weapon to the starting rotation, but it’s a move that has paid off.
That move looks even better now because they have a guy in Dylan Lee who has pretty much replaced the production Strider was given you in the bullpen — and he’s maybe even done it a little better.
The comparison is interesting considering those were the two arms the Braves were considering for the postseason last year and they actually picked Lee over Strider.
It wasn’t a great postseason for Lee, but it showed the confidence the organization has in him.
The Miami Marlins drafted Lee in the 10th round of the 2016 draft out of Fresno State. They released him before the 2021 season and the Braves scooped him up.
He was highly impressive at Gwinnett last year with a 1.54 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in 46.2 innings with 54 strikeouts to just 6 walks.
The 27-year-old lefty didn’t break camp with the Braves, but since being re-called he’s taken off.
Braves: Lean More on Dylan Lee
Since coming back up on May 23, Dylan Lee has allowed just 1 earned run on 11 hits and 2 walks over 15.1 innings with 13 strikeouts across 11 appearances.
What’s wild is that his velocity is down 1.5 MPH from last year, but batters still aren’t touching his fastball as they’re hitting just .167 aginst that pitch this year.
And his 83 MPH curveball has a whiff% over 50.
The thing that makes Lee so valuable is his ability to come in and eat multiple innings.
He’s gone more than an inning in five of his outings and two or more innings in three.
And still, it feels like Brian Snitker isn’t using him enough.
A lot of times Lee is coming in during the middle of a game, and more often than not he tends to settle the game down.
But just as he’s cruising along eating up innings, Snitker decides to pull him out. Its’ happened at least three times in the last two weeks and it’s baffling.
Why take out a pitcher who is on a role and hasn’t shown any signs of struggle.?
A couple of times he’s sent Lee back out to start an inning against a lefty and then pulled him for Darren O’Day — that needs to stop. It’s not like righties are crushing him.
Who knows how long this hot streak will last — he doesn’t have the typical stuff for a lights out reliever.
But he throws strikes and has shown he knows how to get big league hitters out. Now it’s just time for Snitker to utilize him in a way that’s best for a team.