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ANALYSIS: It has been a tumultuous start to the 2019 season for the Atlanta Braves bullpen. Arodys Vizcaino broke many a heart by landing on the 60-day IL after having surgery on his elbow, A.J. Minter was recently demoted for Jonny Venters as he failed to properly replace Vizcaino at closer, and a slew of injuries and struggling veterans have left the Braves scrambling for quality innings in relief. It's likely then, that they are thanking their lucky stars for Luke Jackson. Jackson has taken over anchor duties and is on his way to easily the best campaign of his career, currently throwing for a 2.50 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 3.5 BB/9, and 11.0 K/8 on his way to three saves and three holds through 18.0 IP.
Jackson may walk a few more batters than you'd like to see from a closer, but he has the strikeout rate to maintain his high LOB rate of 88.5%. Also, while he mainly struggles with allowing deep balls as evidenced by his 1.0 HR/9, he has been making it extremely tough on opposing batters by allowing just 24.4% hard contact with 17.8% soft contact on a dirt-catching 3.56 GB/FB ratio. His 96 MPH fastball and 88 MPH slider are enough to intimidate the most formidable batters, and with the infrequent clip that he is letting opponents catch air, he is performing beyond the required level to make the most out of his newly found high-leverage position.
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