LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Given the recent spate of pitching injuries in the Braves organization and the winter acquisitions of two prospects coming back from elbow surgeries, the team decided it was a good time to bolster its inury-rehabilitation staff.
And so, a new position was created.
Dan Meyer, a former left-handed pitcher who was a first-year pitching coach for the Braves’ Danville rookie-league affiliate in 2014, will serve as the first Braves minor league pitching rehab coordinator. The Braves announced the new position Tuesday and said Meyer would be promoted from Danville to fill it.
The Braves will hire a new pitching coach at short-season Danville, which opens in late June.
“After the offseason restructuring of our staff we had that need as a rehab pitching coordinator for the minor leagues, and saw that internally we had a fantastic option in Dan Meyer,” said Jonathan Schuerholz, Braves assistant player-development director. “He was a first-year pitching coach last year with a lot of promise, a lot of potential, and this is going to be one of those things that’s going to help him grow as a pitching coach as well as help the organization.”
Schuerholz mentioned December acquisitions of Max Fried, a top prospect the Braves got from San Diego in the Justin Upton trade, and Dan Winkler, claimed from the Rockies in the Rule 5 draft. Both pitchers are recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery and will work with Meyer at the Braves minor league camp in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
“You look at what’s our future in the organization – Winkler, Fried, guys like that – that’s a really important role for us,” Schuerholz said. “Even moreso right now. And we’ve got a guy in our organization that fits this role. A (pitcher), former top prospect, he’s been through some rehab stuff, has a really good rapport with players, and so we saw this as a really good fit for our organization and a way to help him kind of grow his coaching resume.”
Meyer, 33, is a former Braves prospect traded to Oakland in the three-player package that brought pitcher Tim Hudson to Atlanta in December 2004. Also in that deal were Braves pitcher Juan Cruz and outfielder Charles Thomas.
Meyer’s career was limited due to injuries and two shoulder surgeries. He went 3-9 with a 5.46 ERA in 103 games (seven starts) in parts of five seasons with the Braves, Athletics and Marlins. Included was one healthy season in 2009, when he posted a 3.09 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings over 71 relief appearances with Florida.
He had his second shoulder surgery in 2011, pitched with an independent league team in 2012, and signed a minor league deal with the Orioles for the 2013 season but didn’t pitch after failing to make the team out of spring training.
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