Atlanta Braves closer options

The Atlanta Braves most obvious weakness reared it’s ugly head on Tuesday when they blew a one run lead in the ninth inning and lost to the Cubs. Finding a  dependable closer is  essential for this year and into the future.

Earlier today I wrote that the Atlanta Braves are pretenders not contender because the roster isn’t  deep enough in key positions. In particular, there’s a long-standing need for a genuine closer.

While Arodys Vizcaino was okay when the team was headed nowhere, that time is past. The Atlanta Braves need a closer if they intend to challenge for titles consistently.

The Atlanta Braves struck gold by holding on to Jesse Biddle and Dan Winkler throughout their post surgery rehabs. Both could assume closer duties at some point but Winkler looks like he’s ready to close now.

Dan Winkler

The Braves grabbed Winkler as a rule five guy still recovering from TJ surgery. He returned briefly in 2015 and started 2016 with the Braves but 2 1/3 innings into the season suffered a broken elbow

Surgery on the elbow cost him the rest of 2016 and most of 2017. He returned in time to tease us with a  2.51 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 18 strikeouts in 14 1/3 IP.

This season’s been more of the same from the big righty.

That works out to 13.25 K/9 and a 40% K rate.

Brooks Baseball describes his pitches like this.

• His cutter with string cutting action that generates a lot swings and misses
• His four seam fastball gets a lot of swings & misses even though it doesn’t move as much as most
• He has a sweeping slider with a lot of depth that cause lots of swings and misses
• A two seam sinker thrown hard that generates a lot of swings & misses but also produces more fly balls
• He has a change he rarely uses

Charts show his four-seam fastball sitting around 94 and his two-seamer at about 93 with a slider at around 81.

Watching him pitch this season, it’s easy to tell he has no fear on the mound. In his mind every batter is an out waiting to be recorded.

Jesse Biddle

Jesse Biddle came to Atlanta via the Phillies and Pirates. The Phils selected him in the first round of the 2010 draft and he moved up their system at an average rate until TJ Surgery in 2015.

The Pirates took him in a trade four months later, then placed him on waivers a month after that. The Braves claimed him immediately and kept him throughout 2016, signing him to a new year contract in February of 2017.

That season he appeared in 27 games for the M-Braves throwing 49 2/3 innings with a 2.90 ERA. After four games at Gwinnett this season he got the call to Atlanta.

Brooks Baseball describes his arsenal like this.

• A four seam fastball at 94.5mph with heavy sink, “a real worm killer” generating a lot of  ground balls and more whiffs/swing than most.
• A slider he throws hard with a short glove-side cut
• he has a curve but rarely uses it

While Biddle’s slider isn’t a double plus pitch, it is good enough to keep batters honest.

Currently Biddle looks like a seventh or eighth inning guy who could close if needed. he may develop into a full-time closer in time.