Atlanta Braves Midseason Awards
Rookie of the Year: Shane Carle, RHP
How often is a non-closing relief pitcher a team’s rookie of the year? Not often.
Yet Shane Carle has been one of the few stable pitchers in a mediocre Braves’ bullpen. He looked nearly unhittable in April and June. Though he’s taken his lumps in May and July, Carle has continued to be a reliable reliever the Braves can turn to in close games.
While Carle doesn’t generate a ton of strikeouts (38 in 49 innings pitched), he doesn’t walk many guys either (18). Walks have in a problem for the majority of the Braves bullpen, so having an arm you can put out there who won’t walk guys every time out is a gift.
Thus far Carle has done a good job of getting hitters to hit the ball to his defense. He’s been especially effective against right-handed hitters, who only have a .215 batting average against him. He’s only surrendered two home runs, so hitters aren’t squaring him up well enough to do too much damage, even when he does surrender hits.
Carle’s dependability made him a pleasant surprise in the first half. Without his consistency, the Braves may not be in the position they are in now. Not bad for a 27-year-old in his first full year of big league action.