Braves Add Big Prospect to Roster Ahead of Rule 5 Draft
With the Rule 5 Draft happening soon, the Atlanta Braves added a big prospect to their roster to avoid losing him in said draft.
Today (Nov. 20) was the deadline for teams to add players who are eligible for the upcoming Rule 4 Draft to their roster. The Atlanta Braves added big, 6-foot-7 left-handed pitcher Kyle Muller to their 40-man roster.
By doing so, the Braves protect the big-time prospect from being taken in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft that is scheduled to take place on December 10 at the end of this year’s Winter Meetings.
Obviously, Muller is not a guy the Braves want to let go. By most outlets, he’s considered a top 10 prospect in the organization and has a ton of upside.
He has a career 3.03 ERA in 362.2 Minor League innings with 336 strikeouts in 326.2 innings.
Muller made his way up to Double-A in 2019 and posted a 3.14 ERA there in 22 starts with 120 strikeouts in 111.2 innings.
Things did not go well for him in spring training, however, with a lot of eyes certainly on him. He gave up 6 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks in two outings.
As is the norm for pitchers his size and with his stuff, he really struggles with his command. Despite his good numbers at Double-A, he still had a BB/9 of 5.5. And that was after posting a BB/9 of 6.8 in the Arizona Fall League — again, despite good numbers there.
His fastball sits in the mid-90s and can reach up to 97 rather easily. He throws a plus curveball to counter-balance that heat, and he’s developing a change-up.
Hopefully he got some good reps in the alternate site during the season as he’s a very promising prospect with a lot of upside.
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The Braves certainly hope his future is in the starting rotation, but with his stuff and mentality he could end up being a lights out closer one day.