Venters was originally drafted by the Braves back in 2003. He made his major league debut with them in 2010 and immediately became a big part of Atlanta's bullpen. He had an ERA of 1.95 that year and then in 2011 posted an even lower one of 1.84. He established himself as one of the most dominating setup men in all of baseball.
2012 was a little rough for Venters though. His ERA was higher than it has ever been in his career. He would be dominating in some games and in others he was ridiculously wild and couldn't throw a strike. On June 12th against the New York Yankees, he came in and blew the lead by giving up four runs on three hits, including a home run, without recording one out. He took the loss in that game. He also suffered the loss on September 10th against the Milwaukee Brewers when once again he didn't record an out while giving up three runs.
Venters did provide some reliable relief through other parts of the season. In April, he pitched in nine games and didn't give up one run, while striking out seventeen batters in a little over eight innings. And in 22 games through August and September, he had two wild appearances, but didn't give up any runs in the other 20 games. He finished the year with a 5-4 record, a 3.22 ERA and 69 strikeouts.
Venters will once again be around with the Braves in 2013. He will be one of their top relief pitchers, but he needs to remain in control next season. If he can regain the confidence and command he had his first two years, he will really improve the Braves' bullpen. If he falters again, the Braves might look to trade him since they have two other left-handed relievers in Eric O'Flaherty and Luis Avilan.
Jonny Venters will look to regain the command that made him one of the best relievers in the majors in 2010 and 2011.
Photo Courtesy of images.yahoo.com
No comments:
Post a Comment