Atlanta Braves Pitchers: 2015 Team Preview
Jul 21, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel (46) runs on the field against the Miami Marlins in the ninth inning at Turner Field. The Marlins won 3-1 in extra innings. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports
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Julio Teheran is quite a talented pitcher, but he does not strike out enough batters to be my SP2. His career 7.72 K/9 and 2014 7.57 K/9 are not very encouraging in an era loaded with strikeouts. His career 3.16 ERA has outperformed his peripherals of his 3.66 FIP and 3.81 xFIP because of the fact that Teheran does not strike out that many hitters for a pitcher of his caliber. As a result, I would look for another arm as my top 20 SP.
Mike Minor was a complete bust in 2014 after having a breakout 2013. I fully expect Mike Minor’s 2015 outlook to fall between his past two seasons. Minor’s regression was also a function of bad luck due to the fact that his BABIP rose from .272 to .323 and his HR/FB rate jumped from 8.8% to 12.9%. While his SIERA jumped from 3.56 to 3.95, his decline in skills should not have seen his ERA fly up from 3.21 to 4.77. That is why he was one of my rebound candidates in this article.
I recently highlighted Alex Wood in my NL Value Picks: Pitchers and made the claim that he will be the top starter on the Braves in 2015. Besides what I highlighted in that excerpt, I just love how Alex Wood pitches. I am truly impressed with his command and three plus pitches. His 18% K-BB% is just the sabermetric icing on the cake.
The best pitcher on the Braves is still their superstar closer, Craig Kimbrel. The ninth inning stud has been the best closer in baseball since he took over the role in 2011. In those four seasons, Kimbrel has recorded 185 saves to go with his career 1.43 ERA, .91 WHIP, and 38.9% strikeout rate. Despite the fact that the Braves will be horrible, Craig Kimbrel is still my #2 closer only after Aroldis Chapman.
Tanner Bell of Smart Fantasy Baseball has created all of the projections seen in this post. You can read about how he develops his projections here. His projections are invaluable to this site. You can also visit his site at www.smartfantasybaseball.com.