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Atlanta Braves free agent profile: Jeurys Familia

By Benjamin Chase

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 11: Jeurys Familia #27 of the New York Mets celebrates a strikeout of Yasiel Puig #66 of the Los Angeles Dodgers to end the game with a 4-3 win at Dodger Stadium on May 11, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 11: Jeurys Familia #27 of the New York Mets celebrates a strikeout of Yasiel Puig #66 of the Los Angeles Dodgers to end the game with a 4-3 win at Dodger Stadium on May 11, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Braves
OAKLAND, CA – AUGUST 18: Jeurys Familia #32 of the Oakland Athletics pitches against the Houston Astros in the top of the eighth inning at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on August 18, 2018 in Oakland, California. The Athletics won the game 7-1. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

The Atlanta Braves are looking for a veteran for the back end of their bullpen. Could a former NL East rival be the right fit?

The Atlanta Braves are looking for an anchor at the back end of their bullpen. Could former New York Mets closer Jeurys Familia be a good target?

Player profile

The New York Mets signed Jeurys Familia in 2007 out of the Dominican Republic for $100,000. At 6’3″ with an athletic build, the thought was that Familia could turn into a frontline starter. His pro debut in 2008 was impressive, as he showed well in the Gulf Coast League, with a 2.79 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a 13/38 BB/K ratio over 51 2/3 innings.

Bumped up to low-A in 2009, 19-year-old continued showing well as a starter, with a 2.69 ERA and 1.16 WHIP over 134 innings, with a 46/109 BB/K ratio. He struggled in 2010 in his first go at high-A, but in 2011, he excelled in repeating the level, and then he showed well in advancing to AA, posting a combined 2.90 ERA over 124 innings with a 1.20 WHIP and a 43/132 BB/K ratio. He made the top 100 of MLB Pipeline and Baseball Prospectus after the season.

Though he wasn’t great in AAA in 2012, the Mets still promoted him to the majors for a late-season call-up. He seemed primed to compete for the Mets rotation in 2013 before injury limited him to a total of less than 20 innings between the majors and minors.

The Mets brought Familia to the majors as a reliever in 2014, intending to have him eventually move back into the rotation, but he’s never made another start.

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