What Did the Atlanta Braves Acquire in Chris Withrow?
March 4, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Chris Withrow (44) pitches in the fifth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Now that the dust has settled on the Callaspo/Uribe trade, there’s another question that we should investigate: who is this Chris Withrow and why is he now a Brave?
Chris Withrow is a 26 year old right-hander who stands 6-4/215 that was drafted out of Midland high school (TX) as the 20th overall pick in 2007. In 2011-2012, he was positioned in the middle of some Dodgers’ top ten propsects lists, though that was while still a starting pitcher. He made the majors in June of 2013 as a reliever and stuck around in the Dodgers bullpen for long enough he’s no longer considered to be a rookie.
Overall, Chris has thrown 56 major league innings, giving up just 30 hits and 17 runs for a 2.73 ERA. His walks are a bit high – 31 of those, but he’s also striking out well more than one batter an inning (71). That’s been consistent with critiques of his pitching, that he’s still developing ‘pitching’ over ‘throwing’. If there’s any significant improvement to be made in his game, it’s all about control.
The Road Thus Far
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In the minor leagues, Withrow was mainly a starting pitcher under converting to relief in 2012. That got him to the majors as he had an excellent 2013 in AAA (1.71 ERA in 25 appearances). Still, control seems to be an issue as he’s typically in the range of 4-6 walks per 9 innings… which seems to account for his move to the bullpen.
As a reliever, Withrow relies mainly (60%) on a 95-96 mph fastball (who wouldn’t?) with a cutter or slider (30%), and curve (10%). This basically gives him pitches at 95, 90 and 78 mph. Batted ball results are suggest a few more fly balls than grounders with a few of the former finding the seats, but not egregiously so. His major league BABIP numbers averaged .209 with a hitters average against of .156. That’s pretty stout, though hard to say if sustainable.
2014 Breakdown
Apparently Withrow is too tall for the camera. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
In 2014. Withrow started very well, but then slipped into the familiar pattern of control issues. From his game logs, it almost appears that if he gets off to a poor start, it continues. Twice each he had appearances with 2 and 3 walks.
He last pitched for the Dodgers on May 20, 2014 against the Mets. He was actually optioned to the minors on the 21st, but before heading there, asked the trainers to check on some elbow discomfort he was having. Ultimately there was a surprise: Dr. Neal ElAttrache – the same doctor who performed Brandon Beachy‘s second TJ operation – found a UCL tear. Withrow had the surgery in early June of 2014.
Prognosis and Forecast
Given that timetable, it is likely the Withrow is getting close to the point of being ready to throw again. He is now at 11-1/2 months post-op and early August would have him at 14 months… roughly the time that many TJ patients resume normal baseball competition. So there is some reason for optimism that he could contribute to the Braves’ bullpen in the August/September time frame – perhaps enough time to get he feet wet again before having a full, regular off-season to prepare for 2016.
Speculation was that Withrow was heading for the Dodgers’ 8th inning job before getting hurt. That would be an open job available for 2016, as Jim Johnson is on a 1-year deal and might not be around by then.
So while he is yet another member of a contingent of acquisitions that are Tommy John Recovery Victims, it is evident the The Braves targeted him as a player who could perhaps be counted on for a significant role in the next several years… and that beginning fairly soon, if all finishes well with his rehab.
And by the way: Withrow is not even arbitration-eligible until 2017… under team control through 2019.
Curiously, the Braves could end up with guys named Wood, Wisler, Withrow, and Winkler all pitching for them in 2016. It would be nice to get a bunch more W’s out of that group.