Atlanta Braves Bringing Back Relief Pitcher Eric O’Flaherty
By Jeff Schafer
Braves Sign EOF, Could Compete For A Bullpen Job
Big news coming out of the Winter Meetings for the Atlanta Braves!! — Braves bringing back left-handed relief pitcher Eric O’Flaherty. EOF gets a minor league deal with the Braves and will get a Spring Training invite.
Unfamiliar with the O’Flaherty name? Probably not, but let’s go over who were getting. The Braves selected him off waivers on November 20, 2008 from the Seattle Mariners. That’s when his career took off. In 2009, Fredi Gonzalez pitched the hell out of him. He appeared in 78 games while posting a 3.04 ERA.
From 2009 to 2013 EOF was one of the best relief pitchers in the game. 295 appearances within those five years and then on May 18, 2013 he was place on the DL with a left elbow strain. The MRI revealed a torn UCL in his left elbow, he had Tommy John surgery and he was done for the year.
In a contract year, it was an awful time for EOF to hear the TJS news. At seasons end, he was granted free agency by the Atlanta Braves.
In 2014, the Oakland A’s picked him up as a free agent and he was able to get back on the field on July 4th, about 13 months after his surgery. Then, in 2015 the A’s traded him to the New York Mets. He appeared in 16 games, but only pitched 8.2 innings with the Mets. After the 2015 season, the Mets cut EOF.
The Pittsburg Pirates added EOF prior to the 2016 season, but never pitched for the team. The Braves purchased the contract from the Pirates on March 27 and he started his second tenure in Atlanta.
In 2016 with the Atlanta Braves, he appeared in 39 games, posted a 6.91 ERA giving up 39 hits, 22 earned runs, three homers, 11 walks and had 22 strikeouts in 28.2 innings pitched.
Look at these stats from 09-13 and then post-Tommy John Surgery.
| Year | Age | Tm | W | L | ERA | G | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | FIP | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 21 | SEA | 0 | 0 | 4.09 | 15 | 11.0 | 18 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 6.06 | 2.182 |
| 2007 | 22 | SEA | 7 | 1 | 4.47 | 56 | 52.1 | 45 | 26 | 26 | 1 | 20 | 36 | 3.55 | 1.242 |
| 2008 | 23 | SEA | 0 | 1 | 20.25 | 7 | 6.2 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 8.53 | 3.000 |
| 2009 | 24 | ATL | 2 | 1 | 3.04 | 78 | 56.1 | 52 | 23 | 19 | 2 | 18 | 39 | 3.45 | 1.243 |
| 2010 | 25 | ATL | 3 | 2 | 2.45 | 56 | 44.0 | 37 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 18 | 36 | 3.33 | 1.250 |
| 2011 | 26 | ATL | 2 | 4 | 0.98 | 78 | 73.2 | 59 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 21 | 67 | 2.54 | 1.086 |
| 2012 | 27 | ATL | 3 | 0 | 1.73 | 64 | 57.1 | 47 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 19 | 46 | 3.27 | 1.151 |
| 2013 | 28 | ATL | 3 | 0 | 2.50 | 19 | 18.0 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 4.10 | 0.944 |
| 2014 | 29 | OAK | 1 | 0 | 2.25 | 21 | 20.0 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 4.48 | 0.950 |
| 2015 | 30 | TOT | 1 | 2 | 8.10 | 41 | 30.0 | 47 | 30 | 27 | 2 | 18 | 21 | 4.60 | 2.167 |
| 2015 | 30 | OAK | 1 | 2 | 5.91 | 25 | 21.1 | 29 | 17 | 14 | 1 | 13 | 15 | 4.17 | 1.969 |
| 2015 | 30 | NYM | 0 | 0 | 13.50 | 16 | 8.2 | 18 | 13 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 5.67 | 2.654 |
| 2016 | 31 | ATL | 1 | 4 | 6.91 | 39 | 28.2 | 39 | 25 | 22 | 3 | 11 | 22 | 4.33 | 1.744 |
His 2016 stats weren’t terrible, but obviously not great. After the 39 games he appeared in, EOF and the Braves learned that once again he would need to go under the knife. He had surgery for neuritis (inflammation) in his left elbow.
UPDATE: O’Flaherty didn’t have inflammation in his throwing shoulder. He told DOB it wasn’t arthroscopic surgery and that he’ll begin throwing next week. That’s good news out of his camp as from this report, he’ll definitely be ready for the 2017 Spring Training season.
Just heard from O'Flaherty and it wasn't arthroscopic surgery; they cut open arm again. Said it was easy rehab, starts throwing next week. https://t.co/6hMObhJZo0
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) December 7, 2016
O’Flaherty should be ready for the 2017 season and like I said above, will be at the Braves Spring Training competing for a job.
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In my opinion, this is a huge (okay, maybe decent) signing for the Braves. Right now, the Braves have six left-handed pitchers on their 40-man roster. Let’s go over who we have…
- Jaime Garcia – starting pitcher
- Max Fried – hasn’t pitched above Single-A, won’t make team out of ST
- Jacob Lindgren – had TJS, won’t play in 2017
- Paco Rodriguez – has been out for 17 months (in Feb), no telling what we’ll get
- Ian Krol – locked in the bullpen
- Jesse Biddle – had TJS, missed all of 2016. no telling what we’ll get
So right now, we’re looking at crossing our fingers with Biddle and Paco. If they don’t ban out or aren’t ready to face MLB hitters, the Braves might have to fall back on EOF. I don’t see us going into the 2017 season with only one lefty in our bullpen.
I’ll also throw in one more name that many folks have been talking about – A.J. Minter. The Braves 2nd round pick in 2015 out of Texas A&M can really throw the baseball from the left side. In 2016, he returned from having TJS and came out firing. He had 47 strikeouts in 34.2 innings pitched while only giving up five runs. He’s on the way and will be in ST, but probably won’t make the team in April. We’ll most likely see him in Atlanta in 2017, but he hasn’t pitched above Double-A ball.
Next: Braves and Mariners Make Trade: Who Won?
O’Flaherty’s main pitch is his sinker, which he throws in the mid to low 90’s and a pretty nasty slider (at times). If EOF is healthy, he could return to his pre-2013 TJS stuff.
As Grant McAuley referred to, EOF has always been a great teammate and will be a good influence on the Braves younger relievers. O’Flaherty is still only 31-years-old (will be 32 in February) and has 11 years experience in the MLB. He has a lot to offer still whether it’s in Atlanta or Gwinnett.