Post by Reddington on May 20, 2024 14:24:58 GMT -5
Welcome to the annual Braves press junket where we discuss the upcoming Braves Rotation and Bullpen. We will get things started with perhaps the strongest rotation in all of baseball. Last season Braves pitching was 1st in ERA, hitting avg allowed, Walks allowed and Runs Allowed. The only thing they could improve on this season is HRs allowed.
Starter 1, Rich Harden: Rich went 26-6 last season with a 1.50 ERA. He was thee most dominant pitcher picking up his second Cy Young with his performance. Over the second half of the season he was 13-2 with a sub 1 ERA. Additionally he made the All Star team last season. Rich is only 31 years old and looks to be set as a Braves starter for years to come.
Starter #2 Bud Smith: Bud is also a former Cy Young winner with the Braves, and last season he went 23 and 7 with a 2.07 ERA. Bud is only 33 years old and looks to be set as a Braves starter for years to come. Bud and Rich will keep the Braves humming for several more seasons.
Starter #3: Ryan Rupe: Ryan is getting long in the tooth but had his 6th straight 20 win season going 23 and 6 with a 2.05 ERA. Ryan also made it to his 4th all star game last season. Ryan is 37 years old and likely only has a couple more seasons as a Brave hoping to get another ring to go with the 2 he already has with the Braves.
Starter #4 Kerry Wood: Kerry joined the Braves mid season last year, brought in hoping to propel the Braves back to the WS. After injuries decimated the Braves, specifically the pitchers, in the playoffs the season before, the Braves thought adding his arm was the way to go. At 35 years old he should be a Brave for a few more seasons.
Starter#5 Victor Alvarez: Victor would be a top 3 starter on just about any other team in the league, alas he is the 5th best on the Braves. Victor came from the Red Sox a couple seasons ago and really has not lived up to the hype that brought him to town, though last season he did win 15 games, and have five complete game shutouts. He has shown he can be a dominant pitcher, he just seems to lack concentration from time to time that leads to opponents piling on runs.
The Bullpen has two of the best relievers in all of baseball floating around to on any given day come in and shut out the opposing team for 2-3 innings. Joel Hanaran is the setup guy and he’s been in the majors with the Braves for 11 seasons. During that time he is 51-16 with 83 saves and a 1.68 ERA. In 2008 he did the unheard of and did not give up a single earned run in the 44+ innings he pitched. Valverde is thee closer and he is 66-30 with 373 saves in the 12 seasons he has been with the Braves. For a career he has a 1.82 ERA.
Well, there you have it Braves fans, the pitchers that should propel the Braves to yet another chase for October glory. Will the Braves be able to once again march through the regular season and onto October?
Starter 1, Rich Harden: Rich went 26-6 last season with a 1.50 ERA. He was thee most dominant pitcher picking up his second Cy Young with his performance. Over the second half of the season he was 13-2 with a sub 1 ERA. Additionally he made the All Star team last season. Rich is only 31 years old and looks to be set as a Braves starter for years to come.
Starter #2 Bud Smith: Bud is also a former Cy Young winner with the Braves, and last season he went 23 and 7 with a 2.07 ERA. Bud is only 33 years old and looks to be set as a Braves starter for years to come. Bud and Rich will keep the Braves humming for several more seasons.
Starter #3: Ryan Rupe: Ryan is getting long in the tooth but had his 6th straight 20 win season going 23 and 6 with a 2.05 ERA. Ryan also made it to his 4th all star game last season. Ryan is 37 years old and likely only has a couple more seasons as a Brave hoping to get another ring to go with the 2 he already has with the Braves.
Starter #4 Kerry Wood: Kerry joined the Braves mid season last year, brought in hoping to propel the Braves back to the WS. After injuries decimated the Braves, specifically the pitchers, in the playoffs the season before, the Braves thought adding his arm was the way to go. At 35 years old he should be a Brave for a few more seasons.
Starter#5 Victor Alvarez: Victor would be a top 3 starter on just about any other team in the league, alas he is the 5th best on the Braves. Victor came from the Red Sox a couple seasons ago and really has not lived up to the hype that brought him to town, though last season he did win 15 games, and have five complete game shutouts. He has shown he can be a dominant pitcher, he just seems to lack concentration from time to time that leads to opponents piling on runs.
The Bullpen has two of the best relievers in all of baseball floating around to on any given day come in and shut out the opposing team for 2-3 innings. Joel Hanaran is the setup guy and he’s been in the majors with the Braves for 11 seasons. During that time he is 51-16 with 83 saves and a 1.68 ERA. In 2008 he did the unheard of and did not give up a single earned run in the 44+ innings he pitched. Valverde is thee closer and he is 66-30 with 373 saves in the 12 seasons he has been with the Braves. For a career he has a 1.82 ERA.
Well, there you have it Braves fans, the pitchers that should propel the Braves to yet another chase for October glory. Will the Braves be able to once again march through the regular season and onto October?
