Fantastic explanation! Thank you. You’re analyses and discussions are the best in Braves-land and probably all of MLB. Baseball has plenty of keyboard GMs telling teams who to put on the roster. It’s a lot of fun. But you are the rare analyst that looks at how a team gets better by players on the roster improving. And the latter discussion will have a much bigger impact on how far the Braves go this season than the former. Fingers crossed you can write a similar analysis next month on Riley.
Terrific analysis. As a true wanna be pitcher in my youth, the mechanics of pitching has always fascinated me. The data available is overwhelming but you've made more sense out of it than most.
With all of this data about movement and velocity though, pitching still comes down to command.
As great as these stories are, I can't help but question the system here. Dodd is pre-ARB for another two years, through his age 30 season. He's likely missed his chance at a big FA contract. His career earnings will probably be ~a quarter of what they would have been had the breakout happened a couple years ago.
Good for the Braves, I guess. Hopefully he keeps it up, and they can spend $8M+ a year elsewhere. It sure feels like we've struggled to develop relievers internally. Minter was the last big win I can remember, prior to Dodd (and maybe Fuentes).
Yeah, it's definitely been an organizational blind spot for a while, and they've had to spend the money on the pen to make up for it.
Seeing them have Blake Burkhalter (who is absolutely ready for the majors), Rolddy Muñoz, etc in AAA and Atlanta being more willing to put their starting pitching prospects like Fuentes, Ritchie, et al in the pen gives me a bit of hope that it's starting to change.
Lindsay, this is the "nerd stuff" that makes my Braves Today sub a bargain! Thank you, Sir!
Fantastic explanation! Thank you. You’re analyses and discussions are the best in Braves-land and probably all of MLB. Baseball has plenty of keyboard GMs telling teams who to put on the roster. It’s a lot of fun. But you are the rare analyst that looks at how a team gets better by players on the roster improving. And the latter discussion will have a much bigger impact on how far the Braves go this season than the former. Fingers crossed you can write a similar analysis next month on Riley.
Terrific analysis. As a true wanna be pitcher in my youth, the mechanics of pitching has always fascinated me. The data available is overwhelming but you've made more sense out of it than most.
With all of this data about movement and velocity though, pitching still comes down to command.
Great article--and title.
As great as these stories are, I can't help but question the system here. Dodd is pre-ARB for another two years, through his age 30 season. He's likely missed his chance at a big FA contract. His career earnings will probably be ~a quarter of what they would have been had the breakout happened a couple years ago.
Good for the Braves, I guess. Hopefully he keeps it up, and they can spend $8M+ a year elsewhere. It sure feels like we've struggled to develop relievers internally. Minter was the last big win I can remember, prior to Dodd (and maybe Fuentes).
Yeah, it's definitely been an organizational blind spot for a while, and they've had to spend the money on the pen to make up for it.
Seeing them have Blake Burkhalter (who is absolutely ready for the majors), Rolddy Muñoz, etc in AAA and Atlanta being more willing to put their starting pitching prospects like Fuentes, Ritchie, et al in the pen gives me a bit of hope that it's starting to change.