The Atlanta Braves built a pretty solid bullpen this offseason, and they have performed pretty well so far. Atlanta's relief core carries a 3.08 ERA, which is the third-best in baseball. That shows just how great of a job the front office has done.
While the results have been mostly positive, there are a few pitchers who are teetering on the edge of disaster. Right-hander Tyler Kinley unfortunately fits that bill a little too well. Kinley was a nice surprise after he was acquired from the Rockies last season. Atlanta brought him back on a one-year, $4.25 million deal after initially declining his $5.5 million option.
It made a lot of sense to bring him back after he amassed a 0.75 ERA over 25 innings with the Braves. The righty walked six and struck out 22 over that time frame as well.
Tyler Kinley's lowly chase rate could spell disaster if things don't turn around soon
Kinley's numbers are decent to start 2026, with a 1.38 ERA over 13 innings with six walks, 13 strikeouts, and a 2.73 FIP. His advanced analytics are extremely impressive. However, there is one thing that sticks out as a red flag. Kinley's chase rate is down significantly from where it was at 25.9%. For context, this ranks in the 22nd percentile among all of baseball. His chase rate last season was in the 81st percentile at 31.2%.
The difference may lie with his slider not baiting opponents enough. His slider is his pitch of choice and has been used almost 70% of the time this season. If we take a deeper look, opponents are only batting .161 against it, and a whiff rate of 32.4%.
It's clearly an effective pitch, but if opponents aren't chasing it. This can lead to disaster for Kinley since he uses the slider so often. Luckily for him, it hasn't effected him too badly yet. But it's something that really needs to improve before things implode for he and the Braves.