Joe Jiménez continues to shine in Atlanta's bullpen

While injuries plague the Braves bullpen, reliever Joe Jiménez has been one of Atlanta's bright spots.

Author:
Thomas Ashworth
Jul 30, 2023 12:04 PM EDT

In January, the Atlanta Braves signed Joe Jiménez to a one-year, $2.765 million deal to avoid arbitration a little over a month after acquiring him in a trade from the Detroit Tigers.

Recently, that money spent has been paying off heavily.

Jiménez, who the Braves acquired in December, has been a key piece of Atlanta's depleted bullpen as the front office looks to add to the roster.

From his first appearance of the season (April 1) until the end of May, Jiménez posted a 4.42 ERA and allowed 20 hits in 18 1/3 innings pitched.

After his lackluster first half, the former All-Star quickly turned his season around.

Since the beginning of June, Jiménez has a 0.98 ERA in his 18 1/3 innings pitched, allowing just four runs (two earned) as he's walked just four batters and struck out 20.

Opposing batters are also hitting just .169 against Jimenez during that span.

His ERA is now down to a solid 2.70, a team-high among pitchers who have thrown at least 30 innings. His WHIP is also down to an impressive 1.12.

For reference, his career ERA is 4.94, and his career WHIP sits at 1.31.

His efficiency has begun to show, with his strikeout percentage sitting in the 82nd percentile of the league, his walk percentage sitting in the 77th percentile, and his whiff percentage sitting among the 90th percentile, according to Baseball Savant.

While he's found a lot of success with all of his pitches, Jiménez's fastball has helped him find a lot of success.

Among all qualified pitchers in the league, Jiménez's fastball spin sits in the 86th percentile, and his fastball velocity sits in the 76th percentile.

His velocity has also improved since the end of May, with his average fastball velocity going from 94.9 mph in May to 95.6 mph in June.

While there's a good chance the Braves will have a new-look bullpen after the trade deadline, it's not to say that Atlanta won't put Jiménez in higher-leverage situations due to his recent success.

Regardless, the improvement from the former Detroit Tiger has been a much-needed point of encouragement for a depleted Atlanta bullpen. As the team awaits the arrival of some relievers off the injured list, it doesn't look like Jiménez will slow down his success anytime soon.