Atlanta Braves: Top 10 Players To Call Up For September

Aug 9, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of the Atlanta Braves scoreboard against the Miami Marlins in the fourth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Winkler is someone who has not gotten much talk at all. He was a Rule 5 Draft pick before this season and came over with a little fan-fare. He also was coming off Tommy John (the first foray by “Tommy” John Hart into the injured pitcher farm). The Colorado Rockies Winkler drafted out of Central Florida in the 20th round of the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft and advanced relatively quickly through their system.

The highlight of his minor league career thus far was in 2013 when he led the minor leagues in strikeouts with 175 over 27 starts in A+  (22) and AA (5). That kind of strikeout production, especially in the minors, usually comes with major control problems, but with Winkler that is not the case. Winkler showcased a 2.7 BB/9 ratio during that 2013 season.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Dan Winkler (62) – Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The impressive resume does not stop there. His 2014 was equally impressive, if not more so. In his first full season in AA before his unfortunate introduction to Sir Tommy John, he was off to a 5-2 start with a 1.41 ERA and a minuscule WHIP of 0.714 in 70 IP.

It’s increasingly clear when combing through the numbers, that Winkler is not someone who the Atlanta Braves should forget. If he can successfully come back from Tommy John (like so many pitchers seem to do in today’s game) the Atlanta Braves may have gotten a real steal. I cannot imagine there’s much interest from the Front Office in rushing Winkler back to the big leagues, but a start in late September to spell some of the younger guys in the rotation could be interesting.

Next: Our Favorite Fourth Outfielder