Atlanta Braves Bring Back Right-Handed Relief Pitcher Blaine Boyer

Today the Atlanta Braves brought back Georgia native Blaine Boyer for another tour.

Sixteen and a half years after selecting him in the third round of the 2000 rule four draft, the Atlanta Braves signed RHRP Blaine Boyer – @btboyer81 – to a minor league deal.

I’m not sure Bowman’s optimism is well founded as the Braves pen looks to be well stocked already but Boyer will get a chance to prove his worth during spring training.

Backtracking Boyer

Boyer signed with the Braves at 18 years old and made him major league debut with other ‘Baby Braves’ in June of 2005.  Former Braves manager Bobby Cox leaned heavily on Boyer running him out of the pen 43 times in the 113 days after he arrived. Boyer did good work in his 37 2/3 IP posting a 3.11 ERA – 3.13 FIP –  striking out 33 and walking 17. The price for all of that work was a balky shoulder that limited him to two appearances in 2006.

At the beginning of the 2007 the Braves sent him back to Gwinnett to work as a starter. He appeared 21 times for the G-Braves including 12 starts and finished with a 4-3 record and 4.30 ERA – 1.718 WHIP – in 43 1/3 innings. He had also had a cup of coffee in Atlanta in June making five one inning appearances.

In 2008 Boyer returned to the pen for Atlanta and became a guy Cox called on regularly.  He made the trek from the pen 76 times throwing 72 innings, striking out 67 and walking 25 to finish with a 5.88 ERA, 4.20 FIP and 1.361 WHIP.

Boyer  made just three appearances for Atlanta in 2009 before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for Brian Barton.  The Cardinals used him 15 times for 16 1/3 innings before putting him on waivers where he was grabbed by the Diamondbacks.