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Matt Marksberry: Best Used as Lefty Specialist?

By Jonathan Savitske

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Matt Marksberry made his Major League debut in July, and had success in his first couple of weeks at the big league level.

After making his big league debut on July 31st, Marksberry had six consecutive scoreless outings; and as late as August 9th, his ERA was 1.42. Then the wheels fell off.

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Matt Marksberry would struggle after August 9th, having a 5.79 ERA since that time, while also having a lowly 6.28 ERA in the month of August and a 6.75 ERA thus far in the month of September.

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What happened to Matt Marksberry after such a successful start? Well, in part it has to do with the way in which Fredi Gonzalez has decided to utilize his young southpaw out of the bullpen.

Fredi Gonzalez has a penchant for not correctly utilizing his pitchers to their strengths, and that is what has occurred for Matt Marksberry since his promotion. Against right-handed hitters this season, Marksberry has an unsightly 10.57 ERA to go along with a .375 batting average against (BAA) in 7.2 innings pitched.

In a stark contrast to those horrendous numbers, Matt Marksberry has only a 2.45 ERA and .171 batting average against when he opposes left-handed hitters in 11.0 innings pitched. It’s clear that Marksberry’s skill-set is not to be a jack of all trades lefty coming out of the bullpen, but rather a lefty specialist who should only be utilized against left-handed hitters.

The Atlanta Braves have not had an effective left-handed specialist since Luis Avilan had his breakthrough season in 2013 coming out of the bullpen. Since then, the Braves relief has struggled to find an effective pitcher to neutralize left-handed bats.

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Matt Marksberry could be that guy next season for the Braves. Marksberry had a 2.74 ERA in 46 innings pitched at the minor league level this season, and is highly thought of within the Atlanta Braves organization. Still young at 25-years-old, Matt Marksberry can develop into an effective reliever for the Braves if he is given time, patience, and the opportunity to utilize his skills in the best situation possible — IE becoming a lefty specialist.

With Paco Rodriguez projected to become a part of the Atlanta Braves’ bullpen next season, the relief corps projects to be deeper and more effective than it has been in 2015. If Matt Marksberry can be effectively used by Fredi Gonzalez in a lefty specialist capacity, the bullpen next season becomes even better. Hopefully Matt Marksberry can continue to develop for the rest of this season and not lose any confidence due to poor performances.

Next: Atlanta Braves: Offseason Free Agency Outlook

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