Tyler Matzek hadn’t thrown a Major League inning since the 2015 season, yet the southpaw has been a huge contributor to the Braves’ 2020 bullpen, posting a 2.79 ERA, 4.30 K/BB rate, and 13.3 K/9 over 29 regular season innings, and adding three shutout innings of work thus far in the playoffs. Matzek’s five-year absence from the big leagues was marked by a 2017 spent entirely out of baseball, and then a stint pitching for the independent Texas AirHogs in 2018 and 2019 that got his career on track. As AirHogs general manager Nate Gutierez told Steve Hummer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about Matzek’s mindset heading to indy ball, “some guys come in defeated….When Tyler came in, we had open and honest conversations with him about where he was, which was a ways away from where he thought he needed to be.”
Some more from around baseball….
- Matzek’s emergence further strengthen a bullpen that was one of the league’s best in 2020. Also instrumental at the end of games for manager Brian Snitker are Chris Martin and Mark Melancon, a pair of relievers originally acquired around the 2019 trade deadline. Those are among a series of moves the Alex Anthopolous-led front office has made to fortify the pitching staff over the past couple seasons, as Buster Olney of ESPN explores. Even more impactful, perhaps, are potential moves Atlanta didn’t make, as Olney notes that opposing teams tried to buy low on Max Fried and Kyle Wright after they started their careers with somewhat mixed results. To their credit, the Braves obviously stood pat on both pitchers, which has proven especially beneficial in Fried’s case.
- There’s a widespread industry expectation teams will curtail spending this offseason in the wake of this year’s pandemic-driven revenue losses. That cost consciousness could manifest itself in plenty of extension offers for teams’ top young players, Olney further reports. The early career extension is hardly a new phenomenon; players like Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies and Scott Kingery have inked different variations of that type of deal in recent years. Olney expects an uptick in those kinds of offers in the coming months, with teams looking to lock in long-term cost certainty wherever possible. The Acuña and Albies deals demonstrate the massive returns on investment teams can reap when they strike early on the right players.
- The Mariners will have some decisions to make in advance of this offseason’s deadline to protect players from the Rule V draft, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times explores. Taylor Trammell, Juan Then and Sam Delaplane are obviously going to be protected, Divish feels, but reliever Wyatt Mills and corner infielder Joe Rizzo present tougher calls. One other key roster decision will involve right-hander Kendall Graveman’s $3.5MM club option, Divish notes. The 29-year-old’s overall season numbers weren’t particularly impressive, but Graveman seemingly found another gear working out of the bullpen down the stretch.
At $3.5M Graveman should absolutely be given a change as a full time reliever. Dude was throwing GAS in relief. Stick him in the game for saves and see if you can flip him in July if he’s been successful.
I have no idea whether Graveman will be a bargain at 3.5M, but I feel like it’s relevant to bring up that he was striking out hardly anyone as a reliever. With some high-BABIP luck, anyone can look great in a small sample size like that. If his “extra gear” brought more strikeouts, it would be a no-brainer, but scouts will need to give him a long look before making the decision.
You’re right, he wasn’t striking guys out. But I’ll take the 15% increase in GB% (along with a tripling of soft contact rate), and the sample of guys hitting .182 against him in relief vs .257 as a starter and hope the strikeouts follow and the velocity increase can be maintained. $3.5M is pocket change in the grand scheme of things and he’s still much better than a majority of the scrap heap the Mariners ran out there in 2020.
$3.5M is a little on the steep end for a RP with very little experience pitching in the late innings of games but as you say he was throwing some heat. The decision to keep him seems like a straightforward one. He’s better than most of the dross in that pen. I could see Jerry lowballing him by restructuring his contract. If his neck allows him to go back into the rotation that $3.5M option could look like a good bit of business.
Until he breaks down, again!!!!!!
Matzek was once a high end prospect. In fact, if I recall, a top 100 caliber prospect. The talent and potential has always been there. The mental part hasn’t (any injury aside). Glad he’s doing well, love to see stories like this
with so many teams facing roster crunches, its very possible that the Rule v draft is actually less active then usual. that said, mass non-tenders could swing things the other direction.
As for extensions, I would love to see the Rangers ink Gallo an extension after not only having a down year, but after every team in the league is having to cut back spending. Might be the perfect chance to get him in a Rangers uni long term. (Though Boras would have something to say about that)
baseballessential.com/news/2018/12/02/athletics-th…
I didn’t know who Juan Then was until now but I want him to succeed.
You didn’t know Juan then but you know Juan now.
It takes Juan to know Juan
FAMILY GUY REFERENCE ALERT!!!
Funny how Evans was an idiot for signing Melancon, but it was a good move by AA despite taking on the full contract.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Getting Tristan Beck and Melancon’s contract off the books was a nice get for SF. Beck always stuck out, if he can stay healthy.
Now where did you read that because all I saw was AA getting slammed for that move when it initially happened.
The Mariners could have Rule 5 issues for the next few years given their young roster and their prospect pool.
Throwinched10- Rule 5 issues? It’s a good problem to have and as you say it’s ‘par for the course.’ As for the (5) Rule 5 players referenced- those are fairly easy decisions imo. Both Wyatt Mills and Rizzo are 2016 draft picks and it feels like they’ve had plenty of time to prove their value-if released I’d be shocked if both of those prospects were claimed by other organizations. The other 3 are keepers.
AA is the best GM in baseball. No way Atlanta is where they are now without him and his astute moves. You look at teams like the Mets and Phillies and see how critically important it is to have a true student of the game as General Manager.
Dude has made a ton of good moves the last two seasons, but sometimes it’s the moves you don’t make that people don’t factor in.
They traded for four pretty good relievers last deadline in Melancon, Martin, Smith and Greene. They stuck with Minter when they could’ve let him go like they did Biddle. They picked up Matzek out of nowhere. Resigned O’Day when he was coming back from an injured season. Back-to-back seasons he struck gold on one year deals with Donaldson then Ozuna, plus the two year signing of d’Arnaud is playing out just as well.
But the biggest thing is going to Anderson and sticking with Wright. Everyone was shouting for the Braves to trade for one or more starters to make a push. AA had faith in the young guys and it’s paid off. They didn’t lose any prospects and mortgage the future and everything has panned out thus far. I know the Hamels signing didn’t work out, but he didn’t resign Teheran, so that’s about a wash.
I’m excited for this Dodger series, but I’m more excited for the future. They have a great core of position players and young affordable pitchers.
agreed. he’s better then he gets credit for.
Yup. I think you gotta win a WS before you can be the best though lol
oh yeah im not going to say that. i just agree to the extent that he doesnt get the credit he deserves.
Apologies. I said the Braves traded for Amtih at the deadline but just remembered they signed him in the off-season.
Braves have to lock up Freddie this season, and should seriously start considering locking up Fried, Swanson, and possibly Soroka, though they may want to see how his rehab goes first. If Anderson and Wright can continue their success next season they will be extension candidates as well. I know they can’t keep everybody, but gosh I’d like to see them try.
The cool thing is matzek isn’t even arbitration eligible. He comes with multiple seasons of control. I hope the braves pick up the 3.25m option on Darren oday. He’s been good this year too!
The 90s Braves had one major weakness, bullpen, except the 95 season where the pen peaked. Hopefully, this new version of the Braves will continue their focus on the pen, not just having a great rotation.