2016 Player Reviews: Vizcaino, Whalen, Winkler, Wisler, Withrow

I started this series on October 3 and it has finally reached its conclusion. Welcome to the final edition of 2016 Player Reviews, brought to you by stubbornness and procrastination. I was going to do two more posts, but remembered that the Braves did me a solid by dropping Ryan Weber so I only had five players left to review and decided to supersize things so I can move on to other pressing concerns. Thanks to everyone for reading and sharing on social media along the way.

Did you miss the last edition? I got your back. Want to catch up on all of the series? I have you covered as well.

*Ages reflect the player's age on opening day, 2017.

By Keith Allison on Flickr (Original version) UCinternational
(Crop) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Arodys Vizcaino, RHP, 26 years-old

2016 Review: It was the tell of two seasons for Vizzy. After taking over as the full-time closer following a brief time-share with Jason Grilli, Vizcaino was absolutely lights-out through 34 games. In 32.2 innings, he struck out 45 compared to 15 walks. While the Braves rarely needed a prototypical closer in the first half, Vizzy nailed down ten saves along the way. But, over his next five games, he surrendered eight runs (five earned) and walked five compared to just two strikeouts. He hit the DL with an oblique strain after being used in a blowout against the Rockies in which his heater averaged a season-low 91.7 mph. A month later, he returned, but was ineffective over four games before being placed back on the DL with shoulder inflammation. The Braves had hoped he would return in September, but he never made it back.

2017 Projection: The expectation is that Vizcaino will be good-to-go by spring training after taking the winter off. If Vizzy comes back ready to fly, it'll be interesting to see what version of Vizzy we receive. Obviously, the injuries were an issue, but his groundball rate shot up 19% last year from where it was in 2015. Was it better control that made his fastball induce a higher frequency of grounders? Was it the Roger McDowell-effect? It'll be something to watch in 2017 provided Vizcaino returns to form and, if he does, the Braves will have yet another weapon in a pen that is shaping up to be a strength for the Atlanta Braves.

Robert Whalen, RHP, 23 years-old

2016 Review: It was a bit surprising to see Whalen ascend to the big leagues in 2016. It's not that he wasn't a prospect, but he carried just a fringy prospect grade in a system filled with higher-end prospects and when 2016 began, Whalen had yet to throw a pitch above A-ball. The Braves were able to uncover some strikeout potential that he hadn't shown since rookie ball in 2013 and Whalen K'd 22.2% of Southern League batters that he faced over 18 starts. He also carried a 3.19 FIP while doing it. He received a promotion to Gwinnett, where he looked brilliant over a trio of starts. In August, he joined the big league club. He had a pair of quality starts mixed in, but also looked a good deal like a rookie pitcher. His season came to a close on August 25 with shoulder fatigue. He had thrown a total of 144.2 innings - nearly 50 innings more than the previous season when he tossed a career-best 96.2 innings. It should also be noted that Whalen had offseason surgery on both of his knees last winter, which allowed him to pitch without pain for the first time in a few years.

2017 Projection: Whalen won't stand out compared to some of the other prospects the Braves throw at you. He has below-average velocity and works off his four-seamer while utilizing his slider against lefties and his sinker versus righties. He also has a change-up and curveball. Whalen definitely punched his ticket for an extended look this spring and might have some value as a long reliever who can be tough on righties with a sinker that is both difficult to connect on and elevate when you do. However, I see him heading back to a very deep Gwinnett pitching staff where he can try to show the Braves (and potential suitors) that his success in 2016 was a sign of bigger and better things to come for the former Mets farmhand.

Daniel Winkler, RHP, 27 years-old

2016 Review: In a first half of low points for the Braves, few were more depressing than what happened on an April afternoon when Winkler, on a 1-2 count, fractured his elbow on a pitch to the Cardinals' Randal Grichuk. Winkler, who had missed most of 2015 after recovering from Tommy John surgery, had been an early season bright spot for the Braves. He had allowed just one of the eight batters he had faced to reach and that came on a walk. He also had four K's and was throwing his 92 mph fastball, 88 mph cutter, and 81 mph slider with confidence. For a brief moment, it looked like he might be a hidden gem in 2016.

2017 Projection: If there was any measure of good news related to Winkler's injury, he (and Braves fans) took solace in the fact that there was no ligament damage. He's unlikely to pitch this winter, but should be on schedule to try again this spring to get his major league career going. He is still a Rule 5 player who will have to be kept to begin the year or waived and offered back to the Rockies. At this point, we know he has an electric arm, but there have been questions about his pitching motion to begin with. He'll be a good story this spring if he's able to recapture his previous form.

From the Fort Bragg luncheon. By Sgt. anthony hewitt
[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Matt Wisler, RHP, 24 years-old

2016 Review: There was a lot of hope attached to Wisler after he finished 2015 with a 2.21 ERA and 26 strikeouts over his final 36.2 innings. He had a few rough starts early on, but finished this May with a 3.16 ERA and 48 K's over his first 68.1 innings. However, the wheels came off after that. Over his next ten starts, he had a 7.71 ERA before a demotion to Gwinnett took Wisler out of the picture. After four starts in the minors, Wisler was back in the majors to finish the season and we saw Good Wisler (career-high 10 K's against the Padres) and Bad Wisler (six runs given up in his next start).

2017 Projection: So far, Wisler has not shown the ability to command the strikezone and fool hitters. While he won't walk many batters, he's getting 1.5% less swinging strikes than the average. He's also a shade below-average in first-pitch strikes. This is despite inducing more swings than average and even a bit more contact than average. He still has a lot of potential to be a middle-of-the-rotation arm, but the reason the Braves signed Bartolo Colon and R.A. Dickey while bringing back Josh Collmenter is because Wisler and others have yet to prove that they belong in the majors. He'll get another shot in 2017 to shine, but things won't be any easier. Not only is there is a tougher road to securing a spot, but the competition is getting even more fierce with Sean Newcomb and Lucas Sims joining the fray.

Chris Withrow, RHP, 28 years-old

2016 Review: After missing most of the last two seasons on the shelf, Chris Withrow was glad just to be back on the mound. The plus side was that, when combined with his dozen games in the minors, Withrow pitched 58 times and logged 48.2 innings of action. However, his arm wasn't nearly as electric as it was with the Dodgers when he first got to the bigs in 2013. His four-seamer was down 2 mph from when he was a top prospect and the results were a bit lacking (4.90 FIP/4.99 xFIP versus 3.57 FIP/3.03 xFIP in 2013).

2017 Projection: Unlike many of the lively arms the Braves have, Withrow doesn't have age on his side. On April Fool's Day, 2017, he'll turn 28 years-old. To put that into perspective, remember that Julio Teheran won't turn 26 until the end of January. There's a lot to like with Withrow, but a K% that was just  17.7% (down from over 30%) is not one of them. As I've said many times during this rundown of returning Braves, Withrow is in the mix. He used his final option this year, though, so how attached the Braves are to him will be tested if he struggles next spring.

Thanks for coming along for this ride.

Transaction Tuesday: Burnett, Albies, Swanson, Beech

I'm going to try something new this season and that's keeping up with minor league transactions. Every Tuesday, I'll take a look at each level to go over some of the moves and provide analysis. If this is the kind of thing that interest you, let me know. Hopefully, next week I will be able to get this article out quicker. I'm still getting things back to normal after a busy weekend that included serious sunburns.

Shameless Plug...Over at my other blog, I took a look at what has been different about Julio Teheran's last two starts.

Review last week's transactions. These transactions include moves made on and between 4/26 and 5/2.

Gwinnett
Signed: Sean Burnett...I was shocked Burnett wasn't signed this offseason. He seemed like a perfect reclamation project for the Braves. A veteran of eight major league seasons, Burnett was last a full-time major leaguer in 2012 when he finished up a four-year run where he had a 2.85 ERA over 234 innings. He then signed a big-dollar deal with the Angels, but hurt his elbow. He returned to the Nationals in the offseason, but failed to make their roster. He next landed with the Dodgers, but has struggled with his control and wasn't getting called up there. Considering how shaky the lefthand relief - and the bullpen in general - has been for the Braves, he's worth a look.

Promoted: Ozzie Albies...It's worth noting yet again how young and inexperienced Albies is. He has played just 180 professional games. With 785 plate appearances entering tonight, Albies has never faced a pitcher younger than he is. And during his age-19 year, Albies is now in Triple-A. Mind-boggling. It's hard to suggest what Albies' ceiling is because he keeps changing it. Oh, because he needs another weapon, his walks are up.

Promoted: Levi Hyams...A 19th rounder all the way back in 2012, Hyams struggled with Mississippi in 15 games, but with a need in Gwinnett, he got his first promotion to Triple-A. He can fill in at 1B, 2B, and 3B and even saw an inning before the promotion in the outfield. he's never been a particularly good hitter, though.

Promoted: Emerson Landoni...His career began in 2006 with the Tigers/Marlins shared squad in the Venezuelan Summer League. Now, a decade later, he's finally made it to Triple-A. Of course, a series of major league moves helped to set the stage for Landoni, who is a career .269/.333/.342 hitter with 14 HR in nearly 2500 PA. Like so many Gwinnett infielders who aren't prospects, Landoni started his first game above Double-A in the outfield. It was his first start in right field since 2011.

Optioned: John Gant...The righty spent a few more days in the majors last week, including a significant mop-up relief appearance where he threw 4.2 innings against the Red Sox. Gant has looked a bit better in the minors and the 23 year-old has plenty to work on.

Optioned: Ryan Weber...A pleasant surprise last season, Weber's luck might have run out. He's got great control, but not much else to get hitter out. Of the 39 batters he faced in the majors, more than half reached base.

Optioned: Chris Withrow...For Withrow, it was a pretty ugly first look for the former top prospect of the Dodgers system. He walked five in seven innings, hit a batter, gave up a Grand Slam, and generally failed to resemble the guy who K'd 11.4 per nine as a Dodger. He'll get a shot to round into form with Gwinnett.

Demoted and Promoted: Braeden Schlehuber...It seems like a daily move to get Schlehuber on-and-off the Gwinnett roster. Overall, the career minor leaguer has stepped to the plate ten times and singled once. His OPS is an even .600 over his 9-year career.

DL'd: Tyler Moore...Acquired in a strange exchange at the end of camp from the Nationals, Moore had scuffled to open 2016 with Gwinnett before hitting the DL. He's got real power, but he also has real holes in his game (and his bat).

Mississippi
Promoted: Dansby Swanson...Entering today's action, Swanson had a .312/.415/.514 slash with 20 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, and 7 SB in 205 career plate appearances. Not too shabby. Swanson is angling for a shot to play in Turner Field this season and has been impressive in the field. The Braves' #1 prospect makes the Shelby Miller trade look better almost every day.

Activated: Sean Godfrey...Once again, Godfrey is trying to solve the mystery of Double-A pitching. After rocketing up the ladder in 2014, the right-hand hitting outfielder fell on his face with Mississippi last year and "earned" a demotion by slashing .194/.232/.272. He didn't make the Double-A squad to begin 2016, but Connor Lien's injury pushed Godfrey up the ladder.

Outrighted: Danny Burawa...It's been a quick fall not only to AA, but off the 40-man roster for Burawa. Acquired last summer off waivers from the Yankees, Burawa did okay in a dozen games in the bigs with the Braves, but has been awful this season dating back to spring training when he served up gopher balls like it was a homerun derby.

Carolina
Promoted: Erison Mendez...After 282 PA with Rome since the beginning of last year, Mendez tries his luck with the Mudcats. The utility player was on-basing a miserable .245 at the time of his promotion and has yet to hit a homer in professional ball since making his debut in 2013.

Promoted: Michael O'Neal...Added from the Frontier League last offseason, O'Neal is a southpaw still trying to find the strikezone. At 24, he doesn't have much time to show the Braves he belongs.

Activated: Sal Giardina...A 31st rounder in 2014, Giardina is a switch-hitting catcher out of Lynn University. He skipped rookie ball after being drafted, but hasn't shown much with the bat. All organizations need filler players like Giardina, though.

Released: Bryton Trepagnier...The Braves added Trepagnier to the organization last year after five years in the Pirates' system. In last week's transaction recap, I wrote of Trepagnier after he had been activated off the DL - "He must have a believer or two because statistically, the results simply have never really been there." I guess that believer lost his faith.

Rome
Promoted: Luis Gamez...An 11th rounder in 2014, Gamez made his full-season ball debut last week with a scoreless two innings. Gamez has not loooked very good in rookie ball since he was picked.

DL'd: Caleb Beech...I ranked Beech #41 among Braves prospects entering 2016 and saw others rank him higher. He has a mix of four pitches, though none grade out as plus pitches. What he does do a good job of is keeping the ball down. Unfortunately, he's also struggled at staying in the lineup. Since being picked in the 2014 draft, he has thrown just 78.2 innings. He's a bit too old for Rome.

Danville
Demoted: Joel De La Cruz...He spent a day in the majors without appearing in a game. Now, De La Cruz joins the group of players who are sticking around Gwinnett and waiting for their next chance to pitch.

Demoted, Promoted, and Demoted: Kanekoa Texeira...A fixture last year for Gwinnett, Texeira spent some time on the DL this year. In 15 innings with Gwinnett, Texeira has a 1.07 WHIP and 1.20 ERA. The 30 year-old had a 3.55 ERA for Gwinnett last year.

Promoted and Demoted: Rob Wooten...This is the third consecutive week for Wooten to show up in these transaction recaps. On the year, he has appeared in six games with Gwinnett and is essentially a reserve roster pitcher who is available when they need a fresh arm.

GCL Braves
No moves.

DSL Braves
No moves.

Carolina Mudcats 2016 Preview

Swanson's a Mudcat in 2016
Rob Carr/Getty Images

Yesterday, I previewed the Rome Braves roster, which is full of prospects throughout. Today's team, the Carolina Mudcats, is not quite as impressive from a prospect standpoint, though the franchise's top prospect will start there. There are some good prospects throughout this team, though.

Staff - Rocket Wheeler (Manager), Jose Mota (Coach), Carlos Mendez (Hitting), Derrick Lewis (Pitching)
-Since 2003, Wheeler has been managing Braves affiliates with his longest tenure coming with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans for five seasons until 2010. He was at the helm of the 2008 squad that won 89 game behind the play of Ernesto Mejia, Tyler Flowers, and Scott Diamond. Now he's back in the Carolina League with the Mudcats. The rest of the coaching staff is unchanged from last season. Mendez played 16 professional years with a 26-game run with the Orioles in 2003 mixed in. After spending his final three years with Richmond, the career .296 minor league hitter retired and joined the organization as a coach in '08. Lewis, a 20th rounder in 1997, pitched as high as AAA with the Braves organization before retiring in 2003 and joining the Braves coaching ranks the year after. Mota was not part of the announced coaching staff, but is on Carolina's roster page. In a career spanning a dozen years, he made it to the majors twice in the 90's.

(L) - Left-handed Pitcher/Hitter
(B) - Switch-Hitter
(#number) - Where player ranked in my preseason Top 50 if applicable

Pitchers - Zach Bird (#16), Ryan Clark (#36), Enderson Franco, Chase Johnson-Mullins (L), Ryan Lawlor (L)
-Bird's placement is a mild surprise after Atlanta gave him three starts in AA after acquiring him in the Hector Olivera/Alex Wood exchange last July. A high-ceiling guy, Bird has great potential, but many question marks that have stunk with him since the Dodgers signed him out of Murrah High School in Jackson, Mississippi. Clark's an aggressive placement after being the Braves' fifth round pick last June. In 52.2 innings with Danville, he showed pinpoint control and kept the ball in the yard (4 K/BB, 2 HR allowed). An UNC-Greensboro alum, Clark could be a depth guy for the major league roster at some point in 2017. Picked up from the Marlins organization (he played with Houston and Tampa Bay before that), Franco is a 23-year old in his seventh year of minor league ball with zero innings above A-ball. Another aggressive placement, Johnson-Mullins was picked eight rounds after Clark. A reliever out of Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, Johnson-Mullins walked too many batters last year, but if the 21 year-old southpaw throws strikes, he could be a good reliever for the Braves. Georgia Bulldog fans remember Lawlor, who the Braves also picked last June in the 8th round. He started 7 of 8 games for Danville last year and had a good strikeout rate of 8.2 per nine. He walked a few too many, but kept the ball in the yard.

Pitchers (cont'd) - Sean McLaughlin, Raimar Navarro (also sometimes Raymar), Wes Parsons, Evan Phillips, Max Povse (#21)
-Lawlor's teammate with Georgia and Danville last year, McLaughlin is one of the few 2015 picks to already have A-ball experience after finishing last year with 17.2 innings with Rome. Struck out nearly 10 batters for every nine innings thrown and had pretty stout control to match (3.4 K/BB). Navarro left Cuba in 2013 and was training with Hector Olivera for a time as he tried to find an MLB deal. Before defecting and signing with the Braves last August, he pitched in the Cuban National Series with Holguin from 2009-2012 mostly as a starter, though he was very very young to be pitching in Cuba's primer league. Now 24, his first game with Carolina will be his first one in the states. Parsons came on the scene with a big 2013 season at Rome after being signed as an undrafted free agent, but stagnated in 2014. He was also hurt and that would continue in 2015, when he pitched just 19.2 total innings including one start in Carolina before his season came to a close. There's a lot to like about Parsons when he's healthy and dealing. With any luck, we'll see some of that this year. A 17th rounder out of UNC-Wilmington last June, Phillips appeared in 12 games with Rome after less than a month with Danville. The righty, who was also drafted by the Royals in 2012, had big strikeout numbers last year (11.2 per nine). Povse started last year with a dozen good starts in Rome before earning a callup to Carolina where everything came off the rails. After less than a month there, it became apparent something was wrong. Povse's season whimpered to a close in late July. The 6'8" behemoth will try to right the ship in 2016.

Pitchers (cont'd) - Zach Quintana, Carlos Salazar, Richie Tate (suspended), Matt Withrow
-Quick question: who did the Braves get in the Kyle Wren trade? If you guessed Zach Quintana, way to follow the format I'm doing here. Quintana was a third rounder by the Brewers in 2012, but had never found success until last year. It wasn't great success, but they got him to throw a lot more strikes and his lowered his walk rate from about 4.5 per nine to 2 per nine. He was a nice swingman for Rome - a role he might serve for Carolina. A 2013 third rounder out of Kerman, California, Salazar is kind of repeating a level after finishing 2015 with ten games in Carolina. The 21 year-old has always shown strikeout potential, but doesn't always know where the ball is going. Richie Tate got suspended for the second consecutive season after testing positive for a "drug of abuse." MLB defines cocaine, opiates, PCP, and cannabis as drugs of abuse and this is Tate's third overall suspension. Tate will miss over half of the year with a 100-game suspension and hasn't built much goodwill with a poor performance on the mound as well. With his brother Chris Withrow in Gwinnett, Matt Withrow joins Clark, Johnson-Mullins, and Lawlor in skipping Rome to begin his first full season in the system with Carolina. He started 13 games for Danville last year with a decent K/BB rate of 2.2.

Catchers - Tanner Murphy (#47), Joseph Odom
-If the Braves didn't have both Lucas Herbert and Jonathan Morales deserving promotions to Rome, Murphy likely would have been given a chance to improve upon his .193/.277/.312 stinker of a year he posted in the South Atlantic League last year. But things being as they are, Murphy will have to re-establish himself in High-A while playing in the Carolina League, which is much harder to hit in than other high-A leagues. The previous year, he showed some good on-base skills and pop (.361 OBP, .147 ISO) to match his great defense. A return to form would be great. Odom has been with the Braves' Carolina League affiliate for two years already. He's a caddy for the starter.

Infielders - Jordan Edgerton (#46), Reed Harper, Joey Meneses, Omar Obregon (B), Dansby Swanson (#1)
-Edgerton carried a little hype heading into 2015, but it eroded with a .245/.290/.317 season in Rome. Like Murphy, if he is to redeem himself, he will have to do it while moving up to high-A. Harper played 82 games with Carolina last year and OPS'd .549, which brought his career OPS down to .608. He can sub all over the infield, though. Meneses memorably OPS'd .850 with Rome in 2014 while hitting for the cycle, but struggled badly in Carolina last year. He can play the outfield, though Carolina is pretty good there. Obregon has a decent glove and speed, but is raw (19 CS in 50 attempts) and has zero power (.039 career ISO). It was a bit of a surprise to see Ozhaino Albies skip Carolina and Dansby Swanson start the year there instead. While the narrative suggested the Braves wanted to keep the duo separate for now to allow them to both play shortstop, with Swanson's competitive college experience and age, it was assumed he would start ahead of Albies. Guess not. Easily one of the most dynamic offensive players not only for Carolina, but in the Carolina League, the excitement for Swanson is huge right now. Fans have been spoiled by the quick ascension of many college players but if Swanson takes more time, that's not a bad thing. Let him develop at his own speed. He's going to be a good one.

Outfielders - Keith Curcio (L, #38), Joseph Daris (L, #40), Braxton Davidson (L, #12), Ryan Gebhardt, Sean Godfrey
-Curcio earned a promotion to Carolina last year after a .343/.416/.479 slash in 32 games with Rome. The results in Carolina were not nearly as exciting, but a .265/.327/.369 triple slash from a player in his first full season - who was also being shifted to second base at times - is acceptable. He played almost all-outfield in winter ball so I assume the 2B experiment was taken out back and shot. Curcio left Daris in Rome and the latter was given the full season to slash .272/.336/.396 - a significant improvement over his first year where he struggled in rookie ball. Daris also nearly pulled off a nerdy feat. Until the final few weeks, he had more triples than doubles, but finished with 13 doubles and 12 triples. He also stole 23 out of 30 bases. Davidson's in-game power started to show more in 2015 than the year before (.132 ISO) but it's still not in line with his projected power output. Love his patience at the plate and I think more power will come. I'm more interested to see if he stays in the outfield or if the Braves eventually move him to first. 2015 was the season of change for Gebhardt. He began the year with AA-Mobile, was demoted to low-A Kane County, promoted to high-A Visalia, demoted back to Kane County, released, signed with Long Island of the independent Atlantic League, purchased by the Braves, assigned to Rome, and then finished the year with three games in Carolina. He saw more states in six months than many of us see in a lifetime. He also found time to pitch a game. Though labelled an outfielder here, he's only played there once so far. Like Bird, Godfrey has to be disappointed with beginning this season back in Carolina. The 22nd rounder out of Ball State opened last year with the Mudcats and hit .304 over 62 games, earning a promotion to Mississippi where he hit like a decent-hitting pitcher (.194/.232/.272). Godfrey was a fun pick in 2014 because he went from drafted to Danville to Rome to Lynchburg within the span of a few months. Now, he's hanging on by a thread to his dreams of being an Atlanta Brave.

Pay to see: Povse, Swanson, Davidson.

Keep an eye on: Bird, Clark, Parson, Murphy, Curcio.

As 2016 begins, Carolina has a little star power with Swanson and Davidson, but not much beyond that. Promotions will change that as the season progresses. If you can catch Carolina play this year, do so early to make sure you get to see Swanson up close. I am going to try to see a few games with the Mudcats and Hillcats in early May for that exact reason.

Braves Cut Three More Relievers

I went over this a little in today's 5 for Monday post at my other site. Give it a read as it also touches on the rotation (especially Jhoulys Chacin), spring training stats, the 2016 draft, the road back for Jason Grilli and Mike Foltynewicz, and others odds and ends.

----

Rob Carr/Getty Images

The Braves continued their quick and decisive series of cuts on Monday morning, adding Matt Marksberry and Chris Withrow to the list of arms that were previously in the running, but now have "just died and went back down to the minors." Southpaw Hunter Cervenka joined the duo, though he was "reassigned" rather than optioned because he wasn't on the 40-man roster.

Marksberry and Withrow were both surprising cuts, especially at this point. As a favorite in the battle to join the Braves coming out of camp, Marksberry had moments of glory before a recent bad game. Marksberry has some qualities that make him an attractive member of any bullpen, but he's hurt by one thing right now - he has options. The Braves want to maintain a high level of depth and keeping a LOOGY at AAA rather than losing a player without options was an easier sell for the Braves.

Withrow was even more shocking because many, including me, had him pegged as a key member of the 2016 bullpen. Over 56 innings in the majors, Withrow has a 3.44 xFIP, 3.08 SIERA, and 93 cFIP - which all give the impression that he's a capable major league option when healthy. The Braves may have not seen the level of control they want  from the righty, though to option him this quickly is still curious. Again, much like Marksberry, Withrow has options (actually just one) whereas players like Jose Ramirez don't.

Speaking of Ramirez, his chances of making this roster only improve. The same can be said for Rule 5 additions like Evan Rutckyj and Daniel Winkler, along with non-roster invitees Alex Torres, Carlos Torres, and Alexi Ogando. However, there is still much that is left to be done because we only know that Arodys Vizcaino and Jim Johnson will be in the mix. If he suffers no setbacks, Jason Grilli will be there as well. That doesn't even take into account Ian Krol, who was expected to be a player in the bullpen, but might go the way of Withrow and head to Gwinnett to start 2016. Oh, and we should also mention the possibility of a long-relief arm such as Williams Perez or Ryan Weber being shifted to the bullpen to provide insurance for the rotation, though I'd think Winkler could be included in that mix as well.

The Braves are being proactive here, which puts the pressure on those players remaining in the picture to produce. We've seen what happens when they don't.

First Game Analysis & Let's Talk About Who Has Options

First, I uploaded some quick analysis on the first game of spring training at atlantabraves.about.com. Highlights included Freddie Freeman's wrist, Hector Olivera's left field adventures, the rising status of Mauricio Cabrera and Rio Ruiz, and the future may be now (for a day) if both Dansby Swanson and Ozhaino Albies start tomorrow up the middle as expected.

Moving on, a particular tweet caught my attention.

Jose Ramirez hit 95 mph with a couple pitches during a scoreless fourth. He's the only player in Braves camp who is out of options.

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) March 1, 2016

Now, first off, Bowman almost certainly misspoke here. "Only player in Braves camp who is out of options" is ridiculous and I'm sure it's not what Bowman meant. Clearly, several players - specifically most of the veterans who are in camp on minor league deals - are out of options. What Bowman probably meant to say is that Jose Ramirez is the only player on the 40-man roster who is part of a competition AND out of options.

Jose Ramirez - Rob Carr/Getty

But is he?

EDIT.......He was correct on the Ramirez front and the rest of my response was wrong. I am leaving it up so that you may mock me. Special thanks to Braves Options Guy on Twitter for providing me some clarification on some particulars that I missed. I should have investigated my claims further. I will be looking deeper into my Options list to see if I'm wrong on anymore players. You SHOULD absolutely follow Braves Options Guy on Twitter by visiting @BravesOptions. Sorry for any confusion that my post created. Again, feel free to mock me.

Maybe. Probably not, but maybe.

You may have noticed that I keep a fairly updated list of who has options above. You can compare my list with RosterResource.com and only one name is different if you remove, like I do, the non-roster invitees. Either way, we both arrive at a number higher than one. Both RosterResource.com and me agree that Ian Krol and Chris Withrow are out of options while I also add Manny Banuelos to my list. We, including Bowman, all concur on Ramirez. I do my research largely through looking at transaction lists (specifically searching for the word "(Team) option (Player) to (Wherever)"). With that in mind, let me go over how I arrive at my decision for each of the four players I had.

Manny Banuelos
1st Option: 3/11/13, Yanks Option Banuelos
2nd Option: 3/16/14, Yanks Option Banuelos
3rd Option: 3/27/15, Braves Option Banuelos

Ian Krol
1st: 8/21/13, Nats Option Krol
2nd: 7/31/14, Tigers Option Krol
3rd: 4/23/15, Tigers Option Krol

Jose Ramirez
1st: 3/11/13, Yanks Option Ramirez
2nd: 3/9/14, Yanks Option Ramirez
3rd: 3/21/15, Yanks Option Ramirez

Chris Withrow
1st: 3/15/12, Dodgers Option Withrow
2nd: 3/20/13, Dodgers Option Withrow
3rd: 5/21/14: Dodgers Option Withrow

So, theoretically, all four players are out of options. However...there is the mythical 4th option year for players who do not have at least five "full seasons" of professional experience. Here's a primer on this ultra-confusing addition and options in general...

"For the purpose of determining eligibility for a 4th minor league option, a player accrues a "full season" when he spends at least 90 days on the Active List of an MLB and/or minor league club or clubs in a given season, or (in seasons prior to 2012) spends at least 60 days but less than 90 days on the Active List of an MLB and/or minor league club or clubs followed by a Disabled List assignment where the combined time spent on the Active List and Disabled List equals at least 90 days or (beginning with the 2012 season) spends at least 30 days but less than 90 days on the Active List of an MLB and/or minor league club or clubs followed by a Disabled List assignment where the combined time spent on the Active List and Disabled List equals at least 90 days."

So, does any of the four I listed fit this description? First, let's look at Banuelos. He's been hurt. A lot. He missed all of 2013 and the little 90 day rule takes out his 2008 season, giving him six total years. 2012 could be a non-full season, though it appears to apply because he spent over a month on the Active Roster before going down for the rest of the year. Even without it, 2015 gave him five total full seasons and again, it's likely six. That eliminates any claim to a fourth option year. (this section edited for clarity/corrections)

As for the rest, Krol is much easier. He has spent the last six years largely healthy and above rookie ball (thus logging full seasons). It would be shocking to me to think Krol had an option left. We all agree on Ramirez and his case is simple as he has been above rookie ball since 2010 and healthy. He's out of options. In Withrow's case, he logged enough time above rookie ball since the 2009 season and I would say even though he missed half of 2014 with an injury, his options are gone as well.

Now...maybe I'm misreading this and Bowman's right, but it would appear to me that all four pitchers are out of options. Banuelos is the only one I'm on the fence over, but I'm almost 100% sure the other three are out of options.

This Week at AtlantaBraves.About.com

Here's a list of articles I wrote this week at my other blog, AtlantaBraves.About.Com. All article links open to a new tab/window.

5 for Monday: Spring Training, 2017 catchers, and more

My weekly look at some stories that may have been missed during the previous week. Some of this week's topics include hot prospects like Aaron Blair, Sean Newcomb, and Dansby Swanson receiving invitations to spring training; how ex-Braves like Fred McGriff and Billy Wagner did in the Hall of Fame vote; Mike Piazza's "Hall of Fame" moment against the Braves; and a look at who might be a target for 2017 to catch for the Braves. There's also a trivia question that has yet to be answered.

Atlanta Braves Look Toward the Future with Albies & Swanson

In another look at Swanson, I look at how the shortstop might join with Ozhaino Albies to form a long-term double play combination for the Braves. That's something that hasn't really happened since the 90's with Mark Lemke and Jeff Blauser (with Rafael Belliard). If the Braves strike gold with Swanson and Albies, they will bring some stability to both positions and give the two a chance to build the kind of chemistry that only comes from years of playing together.

Braves Cut # of Arbitration-Eligible Pitchers in Half; Sign Withrow

As arbitration neared, you may have been surprised to see Chris Withrow sign. After all, with 56 career innings, he's essentially had just one season in the majors. However, those DL'd days still count. If you need a refresher on Withrow, I touched on his history and gave a brief scouting report.

Braves' GM John Coppolella Does Q&A with Fans

Last Thursday afternoon, the hashtag #AskCoppy lit up Twitter as the Braves general manager took about 30 minutes worth of questions. I analyzed some of the interesting ones that touch on things like the offense, the fluid rotation, the draft, and the international market. As for specifics, Coppy didn't provide many, but did answer a question posed by my friends at Outfield Fly Rule on Matt Wisler.

Atlanta Braves and Arodys Vizcaino Re-Up for Another Season

After Withrow signed, the Braves only had Arodys Vizcaino to settle with as they tried to avoid a second year with an arbitration hearing. Vizzy, who like Withrow only has 56 career innings, got less than what was projected. Again, I provided a brief history and scouting report on Vizzy.

As always, feel free to add atlantabraves.about.com to your favorites list and/or follow me @WalkOffWalk1 for all updates.