Atlanta Braves need a left-handed bench bat: Curtis Granderson fits
By Fred Owens
The Atlanta Braves entered this season with an eclectic selection of bench players that included only one left-handed hitter. As the probability of a postseason run comes closer to being a reality that needs to change.
The Atlanta Braves planned to use Ryan Flaherty and Charlie Culberson as plug-in utility players while building towards 2019. Along the way, the team forced itself into first place. That, in turn, forced GM Alex Anthopoulos to revise his plans on the fly and at the deadline he added a right-handed power hitter along with the pitching.
Culberson’s career year keeps him in on the manager’s list to play often. Adam Duvall gets starts when they decide to rest/platoon/keep him fresh. For some reason, Flaherty became the invisible man when Manager Brian Snitker made out the lineup card. It wasn’t as if he played badly, in fact, he played very well.
From March 29 through May 2, Flaherty started 23 of 26 games, posted a .310/.406/.437/.846 line, walked 13 times, struck out 21 and delivered two homers in his 101 PA during that stretch and led the NL in hitting. Yet over the past 89 days, he’s had just 50 PA and posted a .109/143/.130/.273 line, with .114 wOBA and –38 wRC+.
At his best Flaherty posed little power threat off the bench; without significant PA he poses none. This leads to the use of right-handed hitters when a lefty should be the choice. That won’t work in postseason play, every PA must count. That means a replacement for Flaherty is needed.
Enter the Grandy-man?
When adding a player for a postseason push, a veteran with playoff experience makes the most sense. In this case, he should be inexpensive, offer power and still be able to man a position should the need arise. Curtis Granderson among others meets that criteria.
The now 37-year old outfielder has played sparingly for the Blue Jays this season, mostly in a platoon against right-handed pitchers. In that role, he hit .238/.337/.423/.760 with 10 homers, 16 doubles, and a triple among his 62 hits in 300 PA. He walked 37 times, struck out 82 and managed a .331 wOBA with 108 wRC+.
No longer the fleet-footed centerfielder from his days with the Tigers and Yankees, Granderson is best used as a pinch-hitter or DH, though he wouldn’t hurt you for a few innings in left if the need arises.
The Grandy-man signed a one-year, $5M deal with Toronto that has around $1.1M remaining through the end of the year. Granderson already cleared waivers, so I suspect the Jays would take a little cash or perhaps some international slot money in return; he’s not part of their future and moving him saves them the remainder of his salary.