Braves: Arodys Vizcaino could be a second-half sleeper

The Braves could be starting a new closer in the second half. If you are looking for saves or just a good bullpen arm, go after Arodys Vizcaino.

The Atlanta Braves are in second place in the National League East at 40-42.  With Freddie Freeman back in the lineup, the offense is back on all cylinders. The pitching staff, however, is in a state of influx. If the team is in sell mode, Arodys Vizcaino could be in line for a bigger role.

The current Braves closer Jim Johnson has some good and some bad numbers. The good is the 11.3 K/9 and 18 saves. The bad is the 2.9 BB/9, 3.68 ERA and 1.118 WHIP. Overall, he is the 29th best relief pitcher in ESPN fantasy.

While the numbers look good and the Braves could continue to use him, the fact is the team is getting younger and are looking towards the future. Johnson is owed $5 million next season and there are plenty of teams that could use a closer. But, this is about Vizcaino, not Johnson.

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Vizcaino is much cheaper and is pitching better than Johnson in some cases. He has a 2.38 ERA, 1.088 WHIP, 10.3 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 2.2 fewer innings.

The only thing that is scary about Vizcaino’s performance so far is the five home runs he’s given up.

Digging deeper, Vizcaino is giving up more fly balls than in years past. His ground ball rate is down 13 percent and fly ball rate is up about the same from 2016 to this season.

If he is going to be the closer going forward, he needs to keep the ball on the ground.

He is getting a lot of swings and misses and first-pitch strikes, though. He has a 32.6 O-Swing, 72.0 Z-Swing, 59.3 first pitch strike and 14.8 swinging strike rate, all improvements from last season.

SunTrust Park ranks ninth in runs, 21st in home runs and sixth in hits. There may not be a lot of balls leaving the park, but the hits add up to runs and that will be Vizcaino’s downfall.

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Vizcaino is only owned in 11.3 percent of ESPN leagues, and I assume he’s widely available on the other sites as well. With reliable relievers being a rarity, you may want to snag Vizcaino now before everyone becomes aware of the Braves situation.