Eddie Rosario and 2 other Atlanta Braves who can still improve this year

AJ Minter needs to re-emerge as a cornerstone of the Atlanta bullpen already

Kind of more in the vein of Michael Harris II, we have seen signs of more positive things to come out of AJ Minter in the Atlanta bullpen. However, relief pitching remains one of the team’s biggest weaknesses. Although Raisel Iglesias is making Braves fans as uncomfortable as Kenley Jansen did last year and Will Smith did during the World Series campaign, Minter is the elder statesman.

Admittedly, I do appreciate the fact he has been thrust into more difficult situations than he has been accustomed to in recent years with the Braves. At his peak, he is an elite seventh-inning guy, helping shorten the game in which the Braves are leading. With Iglesias having had to work his way back from injury at the start of the season, it was on Minter’s shoulders to close out games.

Once Minter gets put back into situations he is well-versed in, the better he may pitch. Of course, Atlanta needs to aggressively address bullpen issues before the trade deadline. All it takes is one injury for the whole set-up to be out of sorts. Regardless, it is hard to see the Braves’ bullpen succeeding long-term this season if Minter does not pitch up to his standard. He has to improve.

With Jesse Chavez going on IL, even more pressure mounts for Minter, and Collin McHugh, now.