Written by Tom Gieryn | 26 March 2010

We looked at the spring training position battles on offense yesterday, so today we turn to the open slots on the pitching staff.  The rotation is set, and four bullpen slots will obviously go to Billy Wagner, Takashi Saito, Peter Moylan and Eric O'Flaherty.  There was an argument to be made that Kris Medlen needed to show up strong in order to solidify his role as Bullpen Guy #5, but it's safe to say he's made more good impressions and will be on the roster.

If there's a civilized duel brewing between Brooks Conrad and Joe Thurston--both regarded as high-character players--for the final spot on the bench, there's an no-holds-barred free-for-all going on in the bullpen. Jeff Lyman, Mike Dunn and Mariano Gomez were shown the exit in the last round of cuts, leaving six guys competing for the final two spots in the 'pen. It's time to meet the contestants:

The Tease...Manny Acosta. Acosta's name was mentioned in trade whispers early this week, which can't be a good sign for the rail-thin righty's chances of making the Opening Day roster. Acosta has the stuff to succeed in a major-league bullpen, with mid-90s heat that touches 98, and two worthwhile breaking pitches. But the annals of minor-league baseball are littered with hundreds of those guys, who for whatever reason just couldn't find the consistency to turn stuff into success. Acosta struggles mightily with his location sometimes, which leads him to walk hitters and serve up meatballs that major-league hitters regularly deposit in the stands. The Braves (and their fans) have seen enough of Acosta to know that he can't be trusted in key situations, so perhaps Wren is right to send him to another organization where fans don't know enough to cover their eyes when he enters the game.

The Well-Traveled...Jesse Chavez. The fruit of the Rafael Soriano trade for Atlanta, Chavez got a lot of press early in the spring that he might parlay his quality fastball (94.5 MPH average in 2009) and his plus change into a late-inning role in Atlanta. To say the least, he's been less than impressive. I don't normally like looking at spring stats, but for Chavez to make it through six spring innings with just one strikeout is pretty discouraging, especially when Chavez's primary "asset" is his live arm. There was nothing about Chavez's 2009 season to help his case either: his durability was really his only strong point. Like Acosta, he's got the tools to succeed, and unlike Acosta, he hasn't worn out his welcome in Atlanta. I don't think Chavez has done anything to merit an Opening Day bullpen spot, but he should at least get a chance to work with well-regarded pitching coach Derek Botelho at Gwinnett.

The Wild Man...Craig Kimbrel.  Kimbrel ranks pretty high on lots of Braves prospect lists, but I have to say I remain skeptical. There's no doubting his borderline ridiculous stuff: a 99 MPH fastball that generates considerable natural sink, plus a wipeout hammer curve, both delivered from a funky three-quarters arm slot. But he walked nearly a batter per inning in the minors last year, not to mention 16 in 10 1/3 AFL innings. Those walk totals only stand to rise in the majors if he doesn't improve his control. He struggles with a high-effort delivery and an inconsistent release point; he has to be able to work around those without losing his stuff, or else he simply won't be able to pitch in The Show. Perhaps no Braves prospect is so boom-or-bust: either he's going to find a way to refine his command, in which case he'll be a dominant closer, or else he's a career minor-leaguer. As far as this spring is concerned, I don't want to say he can't overcome his control woes, but I want to see it over an extended trial in the minors before I throw him into major-league games.

The Walking Wounded...Scott Proctor. I wasn't all that excited when our first real move of the offseason was to ink Tommy John recoveree Proctor, but it appears that Frank Wren may have made an intelligent gamble in signing him.  His fastball velocity had declined each year since Joe Torre put nearly 100 innings on Proctor's arm in 2006, but if surgery can restore the previous velo (94.4 MPH in '06), the Braves might have something on their hands. Proctor, like Acosta and Chavez above, relies on bringing heat, but in contrast to the other two, he actually has a legitimate track record of success. Before the huge innings totals began taking their toll, Proctor had a nice little career going: 7.6 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, 1.4 HR/9 from 2004-2006. A little flyball- and homer-prone perhaps, but at least he was missing bats and avoiding the free pass. It's likely he'll be rusty after eleven months off, and the Braves lose an extra year of control by including him on their roster, but Bobby Cox sounds intent on having Proctor ready for Opening Day. With Acosta and Chavez doing nothing, and Kimbrel still having something to prove, I think there's a good chance Proctor breaks camp with the team.

The Enigma...Jo-Jo Reyes. Not even the Braves claim to know what's been wrong with Reyes. By all accounts, he ought to be a solid major-leaguer, given his left-handedness and his quality mid-90s fastball. But with nearly 200 big-league innings under his belt, his career ERA remains over six. We even rated him as the second-worst Brave of the 2000s. But that good stuff is still there, he's still left-handed, and he's still just 26 years old. He still strikes me as the kind of guy that just needs to get something to click for him to find success. Maybe out in the bullpen every night with the likes of Billy Wagner and Peter Moylan, he'll pick up a pointer or two. Either way, I don't think he's got anything left to learn at Triple-A, where he's had a ton of success (2.23 ERA in 141 career innings). The Braves either need to give him a chance to stick in the majors, or they need to let another team do so.

The Dark Horse...Jonny Venters. Venters really wasn't on anybody's prospect radar coming into the 2009 season, after elbow tendinitis limited him to just 34 innings in 2008. He pitched scoreless ball in half of his 12 Southern League starts before getting a June promotion to Gwinnett, where he was considerably less successful (5.67 ERA in 17 starts). His fastball sits in the low-90s, so he doesn't miss many bats, but his control isn't anything to write home about either. Added to the 40-man roster to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft, he still didn't look like much: he barely eked his way into Baseball America's top 30 Braves prospects at #30. But he's had a very good camp, and aside from his left-handedness, he uses his sinker to generate groundballs (1.69 GO/AO ratio in '09, and four grounders for every fly this spring). He doesn't have enough upside to make it worthwhile to leave him in Triple-A to start, so if he's ever going to have a time, it's likely now. I'd be intrigued to see if he couldn't be a left-handed Kevin Gryboski-esque double-play specialist.

Honestly, I think my two favorites here are Reyes and Venters. Kimbrel needs more time in the oven, Acosta needs to be traded, and Chavez could use some time at Gwinnett to iron out some kinks. It can't hurt to let Proctor get further out from his surgery (remember how rusty Moylan was early last year after coming back early), not to mention we can control him for an extra year by not carrying him right away. Reyes and Venters are both guys with nothing left to learn at Triple-A, who need to get their shot and either stick or be let go. But with both of those guys being left-handed, I think it's more likely that Reyes sticks and Venters gets sent back to Gwinnett. The way Bobby Cox has been talking, Proctor will get that last spot. My money says Proctor and Reyes make the team.

Thoughts?

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