Atlanta Braves: Why I’m Thankful for Luke Jackson

Luke Jackson stepped up when we were desperate for a closer. Ultimately replaced via trades, Jackson gave it his all when he was asked, leading the Atlanta Braves with 18 saves.

Last season, Luke Jackson was thrust into the closer’s role out of necessity for the Atlanta Braves. Arodys Vizcaíno appeared in four games before suffering a season-ending injury. A.J. Minter stepped in as the closer-in-waiting…and we are still waiting.

Minter struggled all spring with shoulder inflammation and was rendered completely ineffective. The back-end of the bullpen was in disarray.

The Braves ended the season with 11 pitchers earning a save. The most stable option we had for a very important chunk of the season was Luke Jackson.

Jackson ended the season as the team leader in saves. As many white-knuckle performances as he had, he was our guy.

Jackson brought a plus fastball and an almost 12-6 slider. Jackson sported an elite13.1 K/9 and an unbelievable combination of facial hair/haircut.

Not only was he wiping people out with his slider, but he looked like the love-child of Uncle Rico and my fifth-grade lunch lady.

Yes, Luke Jackson was tied for fourth in blown saves in the NL with seven. If you look back at all seven of his blown saves, you will find that many of them were the result of an error, or ground balls just out of reach of an open piece of leather.

While he walked a reasonable 3.2 per nine, he wasn’t helped by luck on balls in play. Jackson’s BABIP was an unfortunate .388.

Jackson posted a respectable 3.84 ERA with an even better 3.24 FIP. Jackson’s violent 12-6 slider helped him rack up a 60.5% ground ball rate. That is Dallas Keuchel territory, guys.

Ultimately, Alex Anthopoulos traded for three other closers to supplant Jackson, but he remained a key cog in the back-end part of the pen for the NL East Champions

So, I’m thankful he was there when we needed him last year. I’m thankful for the effort he put forth when we were desperate for someone to step up.

I’m not upset about all the seeing-eye singles that led to blown saves.

Heading into 2020, I’m very thankful to have Luke Jackson and his awesome hair as a part of a very deep bullpen.

Which Braves are you thankful for? Am I totally wrong being thankful for Luke Jackson? Let me know why I should or shouldn’t be thankful for Luke Jackson. Happy Thanksgiving!