ATL All Day
Fansided

Atlanta Braves: Who Becomes Closer Following Grilli’s Injury?

By John Buhler

facebooktwitterreddit

The Atlanta Braves suffered a crushing loss to their bullpen this afternoon.  Closer Jason Grilli ruptured his Achilles’ tendon attempting to run and cover the first base bag in the bottom of the 9th inning.  According to the Atlanta Braves organization, the team expects that Grilli will miss the rest of the 2015 with this devastating leg injury.

With Atlanta’s bullpen already near the bottom of the league in most statistical categories, where do President of Baseball Operations John Hart and Braves Manager Fredi Gonzalez turn for their new ninth inning guy?

-= Related: Atlanta Braves Lose in Walkoff, Grilli Hurt =-

Ideally the front office and Gonzalez will talk it over and could move RHP and current setup man Jim Johnson into the closer role for the rest of the year.  Jim Johnson has twice recorded 50 saves seasons with the Baltimore Orioles not all that long ago.

Live Feed

MLB Rumors: Braves striking out, Ohtani spurned Giants, Soto-Yankees extension
MLB Rumors: Braves striking out, Ohtani spurned Giants, Soto-Yankees extension /

FanSided

  • The cause and effect of the Braves alluring additions of Kelenic and Fletcher House That Hank Built
  • The 6 best Atlanta Braves who were never recognized as All-StarsHouse That Hank Built
  • Yoshinobu Yamamoto update: Yankees on, Dodgers question, Braves wild cardCall to the Pen
  • World Series Odds: Which Teams Have Value after Shohei Ohtani Signing?Betsided
  • Braves finalize coaching moves after Wash-led exodusFanSided

    • But suppose Fredi and company prefer to keep Johnson in the setup role where he has succeeded for the most part this season.  Given that he is also an established veteran, Hart and Assistant GM John Coppolella may choose to move Johnson before the trade deadline to a contending team in need of bullpen help should the Atlanta Braves stumble out of contention in the next several days.

    So I’m not sure if Jim Johnson is the guy the Atlanta Braves want to thrust into the closer role in the event that he is ultimately traded.  It wouldn’t surprise me if the Braves operate in a closer by committee game plan for the rest of the year either.  If Atlanta has both of its eyes on the future and just one on the present, wouldn’t it make sense to see if a young power arm already in the organization can become the next great Atlanta Braves closer?

    I think in save situations for the rest of the season the Braves might want to look into putting either RHP Arodys Vizcaino or RHP Mike Foltynewicz on the mound in the ninth inning.  Both rookies are fireballers, often hitting 98+ MPH on the radar gun and have nice bite on their breaking balls.  To me, that sounds an awful lot like former Atlanta Braves Closer Craig Kimbrel, now with the San Diego Padres.

    More from Atlanta Braves

    Atlanta might not stay in contention for very long after the All-Star Break.  But if the organization envisions honest contention in 2017, the Atlanta Braves should opt to put both Vizcaino and Foltynewicz in save situations for the rest of 2015.  It would be a nice consolation prize to know who the Braves’ closer of the future is after the heartbreaking Achilles’ rupture suffered by Jason Grilli.

    If I had to guess, the Atlanta Braves organization isn’t done with Mike Foltynewicz as a starter.  That bodes very well for Arodys Vizcaino.  If Vizcaino succeeds in the late innings of close ball games, I could see him becoming the next great Braves closer.

    Next: Mike Minor: Will He Ever Pitch in Atlanta Again?

    More from ATL All Day

    Home/Atlanta Braves