<img alt="MLB: JUN 30 Pirates at Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Vi94VnRuYw_KQQMr2LhcwQhSA50=/0x0:3600x2400/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73444318/2159658136.0.jpg">
Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The left-handed reliever has been putting up numbers in 2024 that are almost identical to his outstanding 2022 season. There’s no doubt that the 2024 Atlanta Braves have not met the lofty expectations many pundits and fans cast upon them prior to the start of the regular season. The team’s offensive output has been most at-fault as the team’s pitching staff has excelled.
It hasn’t been just the starting pitching that has exceeded expectation midway through the ‘24 campaign. The team’s bullpen - an area of focus by the front office this prior off-season -has also been exceptional. Of relievers to make 10 or more appearances out of the bullpen (this excludes Ray Kerr due to his two starts), only the injured Tyler Matzek has an ERA of 4.00 or higher through July 3, 2024.
As a matter of fact, only two members of the bullpen have an ERA between 3.00 and 4.00 - Aaron Bummer and Pierce Johnson.
(Before you go and get mad in the comments about using ERA in the above paragraphs, the use of ERA is purely a reference point for conversation, not the use of the stat as anything more.)
From closer Raisel Iglesias to the ageless Jesse Chavez, the team’s bullpen has been a strength. Seven pitchers have seen action in 26 or more games: Iglesias, Chavez, Bummer, Johnson, Joe Jimenez, A.J. Minter and Dylan Lee.
Of those seven, the left-handed Lee has probably toiled in the most anonymity, working mainly in low-to-mid-leverage situations. While he isn’t the last man in the bullpen, the team’s ability to leverage him early in games has been underappreciated based on his results.
<img alt="Atlanta Braves v Baltimore Orioles" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Kh1SyRbPVnuiBfXtk9aV4aJNEUQ=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25517942/2157521123.jpg">
Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images
If you are a visual person, check out his Baseball Savant page, where you can see that he is in the 99th percentile in Chase % and in the 97th percentile in Whiff %. Both his slider and changeup have been positive pitches for him this season, but it has been his slider that has been his meal-ticket pitch since arriving in Atlanta late in the 2021 season. This season he’s been using it 51-percent of the time.
If you’ve followed the Braves closely, you likely recall that Lee was summoned to Atlanta in the final days of the 2021 regular season after a break-out year at Triple-A. Lee, who signed with Atlanta in April after being released by the Miami Marlins, made history when he made his first major league start in the 2021 World Series.
Lee had a break-out 2022 regular season putting up 1.1 fWAR while striking out 10.48/nine innings with a 2.13 ERA/2.57 xERA and 2.66 FIP in 46 games across 50.2 innings. Lee proved to be a capable second-lefty option behind Minter and looked to be a solid option for the team in future seasons.
Lee took a step back last year when he dealt with shoulder issues in 2023 - going on the 60-day IL on the final day of June - and only briefly returning in September before going back on the IL where he ended the season. He managed to pitch in 24 games, and was still effective, but not to the level he was in 2022.
Shoulder issues for a pitcher can be worrisome but Lee has alleviated the concern about his recovery this season by posting numbers that resemble those from 2022. So far in 2024, he’s pitched in 26 games and 34.0 innings with a 9.26 K/9 rate, a 2.12 ERA and 3.22 FIP. His 2.87 xERA is in the 88th percentile based largely on the effectiveness of his off-speed pitches. While is strikeout rate is down, slightly, his ERA+ is sitting at 195, two ticks higher than his 193 ERA+ from 2022.
The left-hander has been equally effective against left-handed and right-handed batters, allowing a wOBA of .284 in 13 innings against lefties (with 19 strikeouts) and a .273 wOBA in 21 innings against righties.
As previously noted, Lee’s usage has been mainly in low- or mid-leverage situations with 25 of his innings pitched coming in low-leverage situations and another seven coming in mid-leverage opportunities. That’s not to say he has been entering the game in clean situations as more than half of his innings pitched have come with men on base.
Lee being relied upon to work early in games has been a boon for the Braves bullpen. While there has been shuffling of the last spot in the bullpen - and when a few of the team’s relievers have had visits to the IL - the soon-to-be 30-year-old Lee being a steady option has helped provide length and consistency to an already excellent relief core.
As the Braves look to continue their bullpen dominance, Lee has quietly played a significant role in the unit’s overall success.
<img alt="MLB: JUN 30 Pirates at Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Vi94VnRuYw_KQQMr2LhcwQhSA50=/0x0:3600x2400/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73444318/2159658136.0.jpg">
Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The left-handed reliever has been putting up numbers in 2024 that are almost identical to his outstanding 2022 season. There’s no doubt that the 2024 Atlanta Braves have not met the lofty expectations many pundits and fans cast upon them prior to the start of the regular season. The team’s offensive output has been most at-fault as the team’s pitching staff has excelled.
It hasn’t been just the starting pitching that has exceeded expectation midway through the ‘24 campaign. The team’s bullpen - an area of focus by the front office this prior off-season -has also been exceptional. Of relievers to make 10 or more appearances out of the bullpen (this excludes Ray Kerr due to his two starts), only the injured Tyler Matzek has an ERA of 4.00 or higher through July 3, 2024.
As a matter of fact, only two members of the bullpen have an ERA between 3.00 and 4.00 - Aaron Bummer and Pierce Johnson.
(Before you go and get mad in the comments about using ERA in the above paragraphs, the use of ERA is purely a reference point for conversation, not the use of the stat as anything more.)
From closer Raisel Iglesias to the ageless Jesse Chavez, the team’s bullpen has been a strength. Seven pitchers have seen action in 26 or more games: Iglesias, Chavez, Bummer, Johnson, Joe Jimenez, A.J. Minter and Dylan Lee.
Of those seven, the left-handed Lee has probably toiled in the most anonymity, working mainly in low-to-mid-leverage situations. While he isn’t the last man in the bullpen, the team’s ability to leverage him early in games has been underappreciated based on his results.
<img alt="Atlanta Braves v Baltimore Orioles" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Kh1SyRbPVnuiBfXtk9aV4aJNEUQ=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25517942/2157521123.jpg">
Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images
If you are a visual person, check out his Baseball Savant page, where you can see that he is in the 99th percentile in Chase % and in the 97th percentile in Whiff %. Both his slider and changeup have been positive pitches for him this season, but it has been his slider that has been his meal-ticket pitch since arriving in Atlanta late in the 2021 season. This season he’s been using it 51-percent of the time.
If you’ve followed the Braves closely, you likely recall that Lee was summoned to Atlanta in the final days of the 2021 regular season after a break-out year at Triple-A. Lee, who signed with Atlanta in April after being released by the Miami Marlins, made history when he made his first major league start in the 2021 World Series.
Lee had a break-out 2022 regular season putting up 1.1 fWAR while striking out 10.48/nine innings with a 2.13 ERA/2.57 xERA and 2.66 FIP in 46 games across 50.2 innings. Lee proved to be a capable second-lefty option behind Minter and looked to be a solid option for the team in future seasons.
Lee took a step back last year when he dealt with shoulder issues in 2023 - going on the 60-day IL on the final day of June - and only briefly returning in September before going back on the IL where he ended the season. He managed to pitch in 24 games, and was still effective, but not to the level he was in 2022.
Shoulder issues for a pitcher can be worrisome but Lee has alleviated the concern about his recovery this season by posting numbers that resemble those from 2022. So far in 2024, he’s pitched in 26 games and 34.0 innings with a 9.26 K/9 rate, a 2.12 ERA and 3.22 FIP. His 2.87 xERA is in the 88th percentile based largely on the effectiveness of his off-speed pitches. While is strikeout rate is down, slightly, his ERA+ is sitting at 195, two ticks higher than his 193 ERA+ from 2022.
The left-hander has been equally effective against left-handed and right-handed batters, allowing a wOBA of .284 in 13 innings against lefties (with 19 strikeouts) and a .273 wOBA in 21 innings against righties.
As previously noted, Lee’s usage has been mainly in low- or mid-leverage situations with 25 of his innings pitched coming in low-leverage situations and another seven coming in mid-leverage opportunities. That’s not to say he has been entering the game in clean situations as more than half of his innings pitched have come with men on base.
Lee being relied upon to work early in games has been a boon for the Braves bullpen. While there has been shuffling of the last spot in the bullpen - and when a few of the team’s relievers have had visits to the IL - the soon-to-be 30-year-old Lee being a steady option has helped provide length and consistency to an already excellent relief core.
As the Braves look to continue their bullpen dominance, Lee has quietly played a significant role in the unit’s overall success.
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