Atlanta Braves Bullpen Roles Once Raisel Iglesias Returns
Raisel Iglesias was one of the best relievers in all of baseball once the Atlanta Braves acquired him at the trade deadline last year, and he's been sorely missed to begin 2023.
(Ed: Jake's not kidding, he was one of the best relievers in baseball after the trade - 28 appearances, 0.34 ERA in 26.1 innings with thirty strikeouts to only five walks)
The righty has made 3 solid rehab appearances with Gwinnett allowing just 1 earned run on 2 hits with no walks and 5 strikeouts and could be back any day.
With the Braves' closer nearing his return, we could see a reshuffling in the bullpen and one that will be a welcome sight. While the bullpen has done an admirable job early on despite not having their top arm available, it's been a bit of a struggle over the past week-plus.
The Braves now rank 15th in all of baseball with a 3.80 from its relievers. They do still hold a very solid WhIP of 1.15, which ranks sixth in MLB.
A.J. Minter looked fantastic in the closer's role early on with 4 saves, a 2.00 ERA, and 0.78 WHIP in his first 9 outings. But he had a rough stretch in late April giving up 10 ER in four outings between April 21 and April 27.
He's been more like himself to start the month of May, but historically he's been much better in the seventh (3.24 ERA) and eighth (2.98 ERA) than in the ninth (4.56 ERA). Moving him back to a setup role should help a lot.
Defining bullpen roles with Iglesias returning
Maybe the Braves ease Iglesias back into the closer's role, but once they deem him fully healthy, he is the Braves closer. At that point, the top setup guys for the Braves in the seventh and eighth innings should be Minter and Nick Anderson.
Anderson has more than earned that opportunity with the way he's pitched.
You want someone in those spots who is going to get strikeouts and not walk batters. Just one walk and eighteen strikeouts in 13.2 innings for Anderson this year fits that profile.
Collin McHugh and Dylan Lee should be the guys to bridge that gap the backend of the bullpen if needed in the fifth and sixth innings -- perhaps the seventh as well. Or if Iglesias, Minter, and Anderson aren't available, those would be the guys you use when leading late.
Michael Tonkin is getting really close to replacing McHugh in that role and would be the next man up, giving McHugh the benefit of the doubt as he comes back from an injury.
That leaves Kirby Yates, Joe Jimenez, and Jesse Chavez for the moment as the Braves likely carry a ninth reliever until May 16. The pecking order for those three is Chavez, Yates, and Jimenez. These are the guys you should use when down by 3 runs or more late or up by 4 runs or more and you're trying to save your top guys.
This still has the makings to be a very good bullpen. And if you take out a couple of blow-ups by Minter, their numbers would indicate it's a top-five bullpen. Getting Iglesias back and sliding Minter into a more comfortable setup role should only make them better going forward.
UPDATE: As expected, Raisel Iglesias was activated on Friday afternoon and is available for this weekend's series against the Orioles.
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