Atlanta Braves Newly Acquired Pitcher, Jhoulys Chacin, Impressing Already?

Newly Acquired Pitcher Jhoulys Chacin May Find A Home In Atlanta

The Atlanta Braves signed seven-year veteran pitcher Jhoulys Chacin on Monday, December 14 to a minor league contract with an invitation to the Braves Spring Training.  He’ll have an opportunity to start the season on the big league roster as we’ve seen this before from Atlanta (i.e., bringing in vets who impress at AAA and get promoted).

If you’ve followed baseball throughout recent years, you’ve probably heard the name Chacin.  He was a top of the rotation pitcher for the Colorado Rockies, but multiple injuries caused his career to hit the brakes.

During the spring of 2015, he lost his job in the rotation with the Rockies and was cut.  He would then hook up with the Cleveland Indians for a short period, but opted out in June so that he could sign with the Arizona Diamondbacks…better chance at pitching in the bigs again.

Chacin impressed many in the DBacks minors system so they brought him up.  He started four games for the DBacks in 2015 and went 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA.  On the mound he had a 19% strikeout% and a 47% groundball%.  The reports I read said the he threw more sinkers than ever before, had a newly designed cutter, a curve, changeup and his known slider.

He became a non-tendered free agent on November 6, 2015 when Arizona didn’t want to commit a roster spot or the approximate $1.8 million he was set to make through arbitration.  Just over a month later, the Braves scooped him up.

Winter League Play

Born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Chacin went home this offseason to play in a few Winter League games.  The Braves may have noticed him pitching there while paying attention to Adonis Garcia. Chacin is currently playing for the Leones del Caracas and has started six games on the mound.  Wednesday night was his first being a part of the Braves organization.

He’s pitched 30 innings this winter, giving up 33 hits, 13 earned runs, three homers, 11 walks and totaled 18 strikeouts.  Chacin has a 2-3 record with a 3.90 ERA.  From looking at his split stats, he’s pitching very well against left-handed batters compared to his stats against righties.  You can see his full stats here.

Last night, he picked up the victory pitching five innings, giving up nine hits, two runs, two walks and two strikeouts.

2016 Outlook for Chacin

Is he the sexiest pick up for the Braves?  No. But he can add veteran leadership to a very young rotation.  He’s proven throughout his career that when he’s healthy, he can be a very good pitcher.  Sounds simple…stay healthy, pitch well, stay in the rotation.

It’s difficult to predict the rotation for the Braves in 2016 because everyone has the thought that some more moves are in the works.  Chacin and other veteran addition, Bud Norris, could be fighting for a rotation spot during Spring Training.

To read more about Chacin, take a look at Alan’s thoughts from earlier this week.