The Braves believe they’ve plucked another potential gem from the minor-league free-agent ranks: sidearmer Luis Vasquez.
The right-handed reliever has created buzz in the Dominican Winter League, posting a 1.15 ERA in 20 appearances for Licey, with 19 strikeouts and three walks in 15-2/3 innings. Vasquez has allowed only four hits, and his fastball has been clocked as high as 97 mph.
Vasquez’s miniscule 0.47 WHIP (walks-plus-hits per inning pitched) was the lowest among an army of 35 pitchers who worked at least one inning for Licey, including plenty with major league experience such as Chris Narveson, Jose Contreras, Jose Dominguez, Guillermo Mota and Juan Cedeno.
The 6-foot-4 Dominican will be 28 in April. He didn’t start his pro career with the Dodgers until he was 21.
After posting a 7.27 ERA in 43 appearances (one start) at Double-A and Triple-A in 2012, he dropped his arm slot and saw his performance improve dramatically, although he still needed to improve his control.
Vasquez had a 2.52 ERA in 25 appearances in Double-A and Triple-A in 2013, with 46 strikeouts in 35-2/3 innings. He actually allowed more walks (28) than hits (27) for the season, but walks have been sharply reduced this winter.
Braves general manager Frank Wren was asked how Vasquez compared to former Braves sidearmer Peter Moylan.
“He’s Moylan plus five miles an hour,” Wren said. “Moylan at his best was probably 92, and this is 94, 97 routinely. It’s definitely a different look.”
Minor changes: Braves minor-league coaching staffs are mostly unchanged for 2014. Notable moves include Brian Snitker from Braves third-base coach to Triple-A Gwinnett manager; Jonathan Schuerholz from rookie-league Danville manager to Class-A Rome manager; and hitting coach Jamie Dismuke from Triple-A to Double-A Mississippi. The Snitker move was announced in October; former minor league roving instructor Doug Dascenzo will coach third base for Atlanta.
