In recent years, A.J. Minter has been an essential part of the Atlanta bullpen. As a failed starter, Minter was able to provide the Braves with a reliable long-relief option in late-inning high-leverage situations.
Who could forget the highlight of his career when he blanked the Dodgers through three innings with a whopping seven strikeouts in Game 5 of the 2020 NLCS? The Braves would lose the game and the series, but Minter’s performance that day serves as an example of the value he brought to their bullpen throughout his distinguished tenure in Atlanta.
But now, Minter has joined the Mets, a fierce division rival. Replacing a valuable bullpen arm such as Minter won’t be easy, but Braves’ GM Alex Anthopoulos has a way of pulling diamonds from the rough. If he’s interested in finding a cheap but valuable arm to fill the long relief role that now sits vacant, he may need to look no further than free agent hybrid reliever/starter Jakob Junis.
Jakob Junis could be a prime replacement for AJ Minter
Junis doesn’t light up the radar gun, rack up a lot of strikeouts, or even pitch to many soft-hit groundballs. However, the end result speaks for itself. Junis posted a 2.69 ERA last season through 67 innings with the Brewers and the Reds. An ERA as low as this is even more impressive when accounting for the hitter-friendly environment he pitched in with Cincinnati.
While his statistical metrics are nothing to write home about, his pitching run values are satisfactory and he rarely issues walks (ranks in the elite 99th percentile in walk rate according to Baseball Savant) giving the Braves coaching staff plenty to work with.
Like Minter, Junis began his career as a starter, but after endless struggles, he was moved to the bullpen. He still occasionally starts games though he is primarily a reliever, and he has grown into his hybrid role quite well. In the past two years, Junis has made great progress in lowering his ERA.
If given the opportunity and with some help from the Braves coaching staff, Junis could make a perfect under-the-radar addition for Atlanta. And assuming his ERA keeps trending in its current direction, Junis could be a breakout star to keep an eye on.
