Braves should be better vs. lefty hitters in 2020

The signing of Will Smith instantly improves the Atlanta bullpen for 2020. He’s been a solid left-handed setup man and then developed into an All-Star closer.

There were reports when Smith was first signed that Mark Melancon might still be the closer. Well, that’s for manager Brian Snitker to decide, and he’ll likely go with the hottest hand and, in today’s game, use situational advantages to pick which pitcher closes out the games.

But with several top left-handed hitters in the Braves’ division, how will Smith help in that category? The Braves must worry about Bryce Harper of the Phillies, Juan Soto of the Nationals and Michael Conforto of the Mets.

Let’s see first how the current pitchers on Atlanta’s roster did against lefty hitters in 2019.

Will Smith .157
Luke Jackson .157
Jacob Webb .179
Darren O’Day .200
Mark Melancon .250
Sean Newcomb .250
Grant Dayton .250
A.J. Minter .260
Jeremy Walker .286
Chad Sobotka .295
Touki Toussaint .390
Shane Greene .394

Another pitcher who was successful last year for the Braves in that category was Jerry Blevins, who is currently a free agent. Lefty hitters batted only .180 against Blevins, so you wonder if the Braves could bring the veteran back on a minor league/spring training invite deal if he’s unable to find a guaranteed contract.

Surprisingly, Luke Jackson was practically a lefty specialist last season, limiting lefty hitters to a .157 batting average. Against right-handed hitters, Jackson allowed a .331 batting average. Can the Braves afford to gamble that Jackson can do that again? Jackson could be a non-tender candidate.

The return of O’Day could be crucial, as well. O’Day has limited left-handed hitters to a .229 batting average in his career. If Dayton is healthy, he could help tremendously considering he has limited lefties to a .170 batting average in his three seasons in the big leagues.

Smith will be the key. In his career, lefty hitters have hit only .224 against him. So, whenever Snitker feels the need to match him up against hitters from that side of the plate, whether it’s the eighth or ninth inning, the Braves will have a great chance to succeed.

Listen to The Bill Shanks Show weekdays at 3:00 p.m. ET on Middle Georgia’s ESPN. You can listen online at TheSuperStations.com. Follow Bill on Twitter at @billshanks and you can email him at thebillshanksshow@yahoo.com.