Atlanta Braves Rejoice! There’s a LOT to like about LHP Tommy Milone

The Atlanta Braves are contenders. There’s no doubt, the team is winning despite it’s starting pitching. Today, we break down the move to keep them cruising toward the postseason.

The Atlanta Braves are currently first place in the NL East at 18-14, this is despite their starting pitching.

The Braves are routinely rolling out relievers like Huascar Ynoa and Josh Tomlin as starting pitchers, and virtual unknowns like Robbie Erlin (whom I tip my hat to for his efforts thus far). They’ve given opportunities to Kyle Wright and Touki Toussaint. They called up their top pitching prospect Ian Anderson.

And yet, today we have Ynoa scheduled to start a crucial game against the Phillies in an attempt to prevent being swept by the second-place team in the division.

Even worse, tomorrow’s scheduled pitcher is TBD.

That’s how big of a mess the starting pitching is right now.

It’s so bad that despite the fact that Max Fried is leading all of baseball in ERA, the team’s starting pitcher ERA is the eighth-worst in the league with a 5.16…That includes Max Fried and his 1.35 ERA over 40.0 innings.

All Atlanta Braves’ starters not named Max Fried have combined for a 6.75 ERA on the season. 

Atlanta Braves acquire Tommy Milone

I can already hear the complaining or snarky comments about how the Dodgers must be quaking in their cleats. I understand Tommy Milone is not sexy…

Allow me to clarify, he’s not a sexy name as in a headline grabber or a household name. I am really in no position to comment on how attractive his physical appearance is, besides that’s very subjective. 

While he may not be sexy, he is, however, a reliable starting pitcher and the perfect type of trade in this funky 2020 season.

Ian Anderson provided some relief by giving us a second option in the rotation. We hope Cole Hamels can get back in time for the postseason to give us three options at the top.

Tomlin could be stretched out and a contributing four or five by the end of the season.

Milone already is.

Here are some reasons Braves fans should be excited for Tommy Milone.

• 10-year veteran
• 3.99 ERA on the season
• Just 4 BB in 29.1 IP this season
• Over the past three years, he has only walked 1.5 batters per nine
• Career ERA equates to an average of 2.97 runs per six innings.
• Over 10-year career, has only walked 2.2 batters per nine.
• In 2020, of SP w/ a min. 20 IP, Milone is fourth-best in the league with a 3.1% walk rate.

Atlanta Braves – Tommy Milone’s Devastating Changeup

On top of all of that, Tommy Milone made serious adjustments last season and his changeup became his out pitch. In the years prior, his changeup usage would generally sit around 25 percent. Over the past two seasons, the usage is up over 38 percent.

Last season his changeup had a 52.4% chase rate, which was good for third-best in the league (min. 200 pitches). Only two other pitches had a higher chase rate than Tommy Milone’s changeup and those pitches belonged to two Cy Young contenders (Verlander and Ryu).

The changes were real as Milone finished last season in the top 8% in walk-rate and a career-high K% of 20.8.

So far in 2020, he’s improved those numbers, even more, lowering his BB % down to a minuscule 3.1% and his K % has reached an all-time high at an even 24 percent.

He’s not only an arm that can eat up some innings, but he’s having a late-career transformation.

On top of the fact that Milone provides the Braves with exactly what they need, he came at a very low price due to the lack of star power attached to his name and the ambiguity hanging over the 2020 season. The Braves will pay two PTBNL that are not on the current 60-man taxi squad.

So, we’ll send them over a couple of Crash Davises and be on our way.

This is a very smart move by Alex Anthopoulos. If anything, we could stand to make another one of the sort!