September 16, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Mike Minor (36) has been lights out so far this year.
Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

With Brandon Beachy sidelined until at least the All-Star break, Braves fans were hoping to just get decent, quality starts out of the rotation, especially the bottom part of it. Outside of Julio Tehran giving up 9 runs in his first two starts, the other 4 guys have been scored on only 9 times total. No team has a lower ERA among their starting pitchers (1.99), with Boston being the closest (2.09). The starting rotation for the Braves also hold the following spots in rankings: 2^nd in wins (8), 1^st in losses (only 1), T-1 in shut-outs (3), T-1st in earned runs (18), and 1^st in batting average against (.209).

But where has the production came from? Where hasn’t it came from is the better question. Julio Tehran and Tim Hudson have been giving up quite a few hits (14 and 13 respectively), but it has been the veteran Hudson that has been able to pitch around his trouble with a 2.50 ERA. Kris Medlen has also kept up his stingy ways of last season, even though he took the tough loss in the opening series. The only thing that glares at me from Kris is the fact that his walk number is really close to his strikeouts. I feel like he is going to figure out the mechanics there, but for the moment he is still getting guys out.

Then there are two guys that have been the anchors of the rotation to this point: Paul Maholm and Mike Minor. I want to say I’m surprised by Maholm being so good but I’d be lying. He ended 2011 with a 3.66 ERA and followed in 2012 with a 3.67, so there’s no reason to really be surprised with his performance so far. Mike Minor though, carrying over from the second half of last season, is throwing it like a seasoned veteran. Atlanta isn’t a notorious home run haven, so he can get away with a 0.64 ground ball-to-fly ball ratio. If he can get that ratio to around 0.75, I believe he could become among the elite pitchers in the National League and would definitely stop giving up so many home runs (26 last season).

So far the pitching has been quite lovely for us. We have had 10 very good starts out of 12, but there eventually will be a few games where the starters lose it. That is when the bats have to step up. So Heyward, Uggla, B.J., and Andrelton, while you guys get started, Huddy, Paul, Kris, Mike, and Julio will still be holding it down.

Apr 12, 2013; Washington, D.C., USA; Pena and Chris Johnson score in the 9th inning of the game in Washington Friday. The Braves defeated the Nationals 6 – 4 in ten innings. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

Pena is the son and nephew of Alfonso and Paulino Pena, who played professional baseball for the Monterey Sultanes. In 2004, the 19 year-old Pena signed a minor league deal with the New York Yankees to fill in the organization’s depth at shortstop. He was never supposed to hit for power at all, but at the time was described as having an above-average glove.

In 2005, his first season as a minor leaguer in the Yankees farm system, he spent time in both A+ and AA leagues where he hit around .249 with 2 total home runs. Since that 2005 season, he went from one minor league team to another in every season since, excluding the 2007, 2008, and 2012 seasons. However, in those 3 season where he was not moved around, he hit .252, .266, and .258 (which were among the highest of his batting averages in the minors).

Then came 2009. Filling in for the Yankees as a utility player, Pena hit .287 in 115 at-bats, and also hit one of his three career home runs. Since that year, Pena only hit .227, .100, and .250 (only 4 at-bats). In the total for those years, his WAR and RAR were negative.

At the “prime age” of 27 years old, the Yankees granted free agency to Pena on November 3, 2012.  Then, on December 20, 2012 the Atlanta Braves scooped him up as a free agent and gave him a one year $550,000 contract.  He competed in spring training and won a spot on the 2013 opening day roster with the Braves after hitting a slash line of .320/.414/.440 while playing multiple positions and solid in the field.

Now, as of Sunday April 14, 2013, Ramiro Pena is hitting .333 with 6 RBI. His glove has been as good as advertised, as he is yet to make an error. It is simply his bat that has opened eyes. His current Runs Above Replacement sits at 3 for this year, and his total WAR is positive (0.6) for the first time since 2010 when it was (0.3). On Friday night, Pena put the Braves on the winning track in a big game in Washington with a big 2 run home run, and finished the weekend 4 for 9 with a homer and two walks.

For the price the Braves are paying him, he has been a steal at this point in the season. Looking forward, I do see Pena cooling down at the plate, and his average to creep down into the .260’s. However with his glove, I see him keeping his job as the utility infielder for the near future at least. Maybe he can keep on not missing that one pitch….

The criteria that I am using is: 1. They must have played more than one season with the team. 2. They must have played in at least 100 games with the Braves. 3. No less than 370 at bats. 4. Maintain an average above .250. I’ll be using other statistics, but those 4 things narrow the categories.

The position that I am starting with will be a position that has been quite populated since 1990 – Catcher. Here goes nothing!

First, under-appreciated players aren’t the face of teams. With that, we eliminate Javy Lopez and Brian McCann with ease. The criteria also eliminated the likes of Jarrod Saltalamacchia (one season), Paul Bako (games played), and Charlie O’Brien (at bats). After working through all of the catchers since 1990, my final two under-appreciated guys were Eddie Perez and David Ross.

Sept. 17, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Now the bullpen coach, Eddie Perez was once a great back-up catcher for 9 seasons.
Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The final two, David Ross and Eddie Perez, are guys from totally different eras that were pure class for the Braves. As far as the numbers go, Ross has the advantage by far: (Ross to Perez) WAR 4.9 to 1.6 for Perez, Runs Above Replacement 48 to Perez’s 18. Ross also hit 16 points better than Perez in his time with Atlanta (.270 to .254) while hitting almost as many home runs in four years than Perez did in nine. The only thing that Perez really holds over Ross is a very small .993 fielding percentage to Ross’ .992.

So here it is: As much as I LOVE Eddie Perez, I’m giving the most under-appreciated catcher since 1990 to David Ross. He was able to step into the lineup on any day, and still had a .270 average as a back up with no promised at-bats. He bolstered the Braves’ bench for his four years with the team, when Perez was primarily a defensive guy.

It was definitely a hard decision between two classy players, and I’m proud to say that they both wore the Atlanta Braves uniform.