When the Atlanta Braves claimed Joey Wentz off of waivers, few thought much of the move. While reuniting with a former top draft pick was a fun narrative, the move looked like just another desperate swing by the Braves to cover innings lost by the sheer number of injuries in their rotation. However, what has transpired instead has exceeded even Atlanta's wildest expectations.
After mediocre showings with the Pirates and Twins this season, Wentz has looked like a completely different pitcher with the Braves. In his seven starts since being claimed off of waivers, Wentz has posted a 2.60 ERA and 3.12 FIP and that is with a rough start against the Brewers (who have been beating up everyone) back on August 5.
Wentz himself has claimed that a change to his cutter grip has played a big role in his turnaround. While there is some truth to that as the pitch has been significantly better and allowed his other offerings to play up, there seems to be a bigger change that is likely to be playing an even bigger factor in his success and that is his newfound elite extension.
Joey Wentz had 6.5 feet of extension before 2025.
— Nick Pollack (@PitcherList) August 17, 2025
He had 7.3 feet of extension last night.
Joey Wentz's new elite extension may have allowed Braves to get a steal
For the uninitiated, a pitcher's extension is essentially the distance between the front of the pitching rubber and when a pitch releases a pitch. Typically, larger framed pitchers (Wentz is 6'5 for reference) have a built-in physical advantage as larger wingspans increase extension. Pitchers can improve their extension with changes to their stride and release point during their delivery, but it doesn't happen often with guys already in the big leagues. The longer a pitcher's extension, the shorter the distance to the plate and the harder it is for hitters to react to the pitches being thrown to them.
In Wentz's case, it appears he is both taking advantage of his physical gifts AND has made some changes to give his extension a boost. Before this season, Wentz's extension (a 6.5 foot average as per Pitcher List's Nick Pollack above) generally ranked as below average to mediocre when compared to his peers around baseball. In 2025, Wentz has an average of 7 feet of extension which is in the top 7% in baseball and he has been touching higher than that.
As with any adjustment, the question now is if it will stick and can hitters adjust to what Wentz is doing. Increasing one's extension should, in theory, always make your pitches harder to pick up for opposing hitters. However, pitch sequencing and stuff still matters and it is on Wentz to stay ahead of hitters mentally. Thankfully, it does seem like he has the right tools available to him now to actually be able to do so.