This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
ATLANTA -- Raisel Iglesias was an All-Star. Dylan Lee could have been, and Robert Suarez likely would have been. But you can still make an argument that Didier Fuentes has been the Braves’ most valuable reliever throughout this season.
“Most guys his age are living on ramen and sleeping on couches,” Braves ace Chris Sale said. “He’s pitching high-energy, big-leverage innings in the big leagues right now, and doing it at a very high clip.”
Fuentes has been legally capable of purchasing alcohol for a little less than three full months. But if the Braves enjoy any champagne showers from now until the end of October, they’ll be toasting the 21-year-old hurler, who ranks third among NL relievers with a 1.79 ERA.
“You don’t even think of him being just 21 years old,” Braves utility man Mauricio Dubón said. “He’s going out there against the game’s best lineups and just shoving. He’s a big reason we’re here.”
How unique has Fuentes been while posting a 2.27 ERA through 51 appearances (one start) as a rookie? When you take the results of his one start away, he’s in very exclusive company.
Per FanGraphs, there have been just 44 pitchers who have completed a qualified season during their age 21 season or younger. Looking only at 50 relief appearances, here is where Fuentes ranks in this group:
ERA: 1.79, 2nd
Huston Street ranks first with 1.72 in 2005. Pedro Martínez ranks second with 2.26 over 61 appearances for the Dodgers in 1993.
Yes, there are similarities between Martínez and Fuentes. No, the Braves haven’t confirmed Fuentes will move back to a starting role next year. But I think I’d go that route.
Strikeout %: 30.5, 2nd
Byung-Hyun Kim ranks first with 35.7% in 2000, his second season with Arizona. Other than being forced to make four premature starts last year because of Atlanta’s injury woes, Fuentes had never tasted the Majors before this season.
Here is a look at where he ranks among all relievers this year:
Reliever ERA: 1.79 (seventh among all relievers and third in the NL)
The only NL relievers with a better ERA are established closers Mason Miller (1.21) and Jhoan Duran (1.58).
fWAR: 2.0 (tied for seventh among all relievers, tied for fourth in the NL)
Just four NL relievers entered Sunday with a better WAR. Lee and Fuentes entered the day tied for the team high in WAR.
Fuentes’ success has helped the Braves create a five-game lead over the Phillies in the NL East and remain in contention for one of the NL’s two postseason byes.
Looking ahead, what’s important is where Fuentes, Iglesias, Lee and Suarez could take the Braves in October. This foursome certainly has the ability to be better than the Night Shift, the bullpen foursome that helped Atlanta win the 2021 World Series.
There has been a lot of focus on which starters the Braves could rely on beyond Chris Sale in the playoffs. Well, after watching Tyler Mahle throw six strong innings against the Phillies on Sunday, I’m done waiting for the regression suggested by his expected ERA and other metrics.
He’s drastically exceeded expectations while posting a 1.24 ERA through his first six starts for Atlanta. But he’s also held his own against some pretty good lineups, especially the one he faced Sunday in Philadelphia.
Something could change over the next few weeks, but I think the Braves could enter the playoffs feeling good about the possibility of Sale and Mahle both giving them six-plus good innings in the first two games of a postseason series.
As for games started by others, the Braves might just need to look for good matchups. If it looks like AJ Smith-Shawver could get through a lineup once, they could start him and have Martín Pérez or Grant Holmes follow. You could actually go in any order with these three pitchers. Reynaldo López would be another option to “get the plane off the ground” as former Braves skipper Brian Snitker used to say.
Whether using an opener, piggybacking a pair of pitchers or handing the ball to Sale or Mahle, the Braves will be relying heavily on their high-leverage relievers.
Along with watching Ronald Acuña Jr. hit a big game-tying homer in Sunday’s comeback win over the Phillies, the Braves saw Lee halt his recent woes with a scoreless inning. Whether he had been tipping pitches or just needed a break isn't known. But the Braves need him to be right once the playoffs arrive.
There will also be a lot of attention placed on Suarez, who was scheduled to throw a 25-pitch bullpen session on Monday. If all continues to go well with his elbow, he could be activated before the end of the regular season.
Fuentes has helped carry the load while Suarez has been sidelined and while Lee has caught his breath. Now Braves fans can look forward to seeing their top four relievers unite just in time for the postseason.