Atlanta Braves Sign Another Right-Handed Bullpen Guy

The Atlanta Braves signed right-handed relief pitcher Rob Wooten on Friday afternoon, reported by AJC’s David O’Brien.

The 30-year-old from Goldsboro, North Carolina has pitched in 71 MLB games during his three-year career in the pros.  He has a 5.03 ERA in the 68 innings pitched with 53 strikeouts compared to 22 walks.

In 2015, Wooten’s fastball velocity dipped to 87.9 mph, but did have decent numbers including a 48.1 percent ground-ball rate, a 3.21 FIP and a 3.61 SIERA.

Wooten’s main pitch is his sinker pitcher which sits around 89 mph and generates a high number of swing and misses.  He also has a slider, curve and splitter that he likes to throw.  With being a non-flamethrower, ground balls are Wooten’s friend.

Don’t get too excited over this signing, as O’Brien pointed out this is a minor-league contract with no invitation to the 2016 Spring Training.

So what can we expect from Wooten?

He’ll be relied on to carry some weight for the Gwinnett Braves bullpen.  With the Braves in their “rebuilding” stage, the turnover for Gwinnett will probably be the same as it was in 2015.  Pitchers will get their shot for the big league team if they perform well in Gwinnett.  Injuries are a part of the game of baseball and Wooten could be one of the guys next-in-line if things work themselves out for him.

Wooten has pitched on the Milwaukee Brewers Triple-A team since 2012 so the experience is there.

If you’re a fan of college baseball, you may remember the name Rob Wooten from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.  He graduated after the 2008 season with UNC as he was part of the most successful senior class in the history of UNC.  He graduated with guys like Chad Flack, Mike Facchinei, Kyle Shelton, Tyler Trice, Seth Williams and also played with Andrew Miller, Dustin Ackley, Alex White, Adam Warren, Matt Harvey and Kyle Seager.

During his senior year, always acting as a relief pitcher, he had a 1.87 ERA in 44 appearance.  He totaled 73 strikeouts to 33 walks.

This video explores Wooten’s pitching mechanics

The talent is there, but can that talent ever prosper into MLB worthy?

This move by the Braves is okay with me…stockpile pitchers with potential especially in the minor league system with a proven capability to be a solid relief pitcher.