Atlanta Braves Sign Michael Kirkman
By Fred Owens
Last night the Atlanta Braves added bullpen depth by signing Michael Kirkman to a minor league deal.
Early last night John Heyman tweeted the Atlanta Braves had signed Michael Kirkman to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. His contract is worth $600K should he be called to Atlanta.
Who is Michael Kirkman
Kirkman was a fifth round selection of the Texas Rangers in the 2005 draft. He was a starter in the minors and made 22 starts in Oklahoma City posting a 3.07 ERA but has always been a bullpen arm in the majors.
He made his debut with the Rangers in 2010 and posted a 1.65 ERA in 16 1/3 innings. After that he seemed to have a good year followed by a bad one and in March of 2015 the Rangers released him.
The Brewers signed him in April and sent him to AAA Colorado Springs. He pitched to a very respectable 2.81 ERA there but had control issues and walked 28 men in 31 IP; in August the Brewers released him.
Atlanta Braves
The Padres picked him up last February and but put him on waivers in May. The Brewers claimed him again and sent him back to Colorado Springs. He replicated his previous season posting a 2.81 ERA and cut his walks down to 17 in another 32 IP.
As you may have guessed, control has always been as issue for Kirkman. He’s survived because hitters have trouble squaring him up – me misses the sweet spot on their bats. That’s allowed him to generate those low ERA numbers.
The Future
Kirkman’s invite to spring training means he joins Ian Krol, Paco Rodriguez, Eric O’Flaherty, A.J. Minter and John Danks – bringing to six the number of lefties fighting for a spot in the bullpen this spring.
That’s the theory anyway, the reality is he and some of the others are real long shots.
O’Flaherty is well past his sell by date, Danks’ shoulder makes his success problematic at best and Minter probably gets to start in Gwinnett as the Braves build up his innings slowly. Minter‘s a one inning guy with potential closer stuff so I don’t expect him until one of the setup men or
Jim Johnsonfalters.
Kroll did enough last season to earn a spot alongside, Johnson, Arodys Vizcaino, Jose Ramirez, Josh Collmenter, rule 5 guy Armando Rivero and Daniel Winkler who still has mandatory rule 5 time to serve. That would make Krol the only lefty and I don’t see the Braves doing something like that.
If healthy Paco Rodriguez would be the obvious first choice provided he has a good spring with Minter next in line from the left side. That leaves Mauricio Cabrera without a chair when the music stops and gives heft to the 8 man bullpen idea Bowman wrote about.
That’s A Wrap
Perhaps the Braves new pitching program can help him find the strike zone and become a useful piece. For now Kirkman looks like a depth piece who might get a call late in the season.
Next: Carlos Salazar Scouting Report
The idea of an eight man bullpen makes me cringe. I understood it last year when we had young arms making starts that lasted five inning or so most nights. This year’s rotation should not have the need for such depth.
A four man bench – particularly a bench configured with all those AAA ceiling bats – is not good enough for an NL team that has to make double switches and use pinch hitters. Depth is needed and that depth should be something that opposing managers and pitchers respect. In a few weeks we’ll know whether the front office feels that way too.