LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – It's unclear just how much Aaron Harang has left in the figurative tank, but at least the Braves won't have to worry about the just-signed veteran getting too amped to pitch when he starts the April 8 home opener against the Mets.
Harang, 35, started five consecutive opening days for the Cincinnati Reds through 2010, tying a franchise record.
The injury-altered Braves signed the big right-hander Monday, a day after he was released by the Indians. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez announced Tuesday that Harang would start the third game April 2 in Milwaukee, and the home opener after the six-game road trip against the Brewers and Nationals.
“I’m going to come in and give them innings, give the team a chance to win every time I take the mound,” Harang said Wednesday, when he met many of his new teammates for the first time (the Braves had a road game Tuesday when he flew in from Arizona). He’ll make his Braves debut with a spring-training start Thursday against the Tigers.
Because of injuries and two off days in the early schedule, the Braves will go with a four-man rotation – Teheran, second-year left-hander Alex Wood, Harang, and either of rookies David Hale or Gus Schlosser – until they add former All-Star Ervin Santana during the second week of the season, probably April 12 against Washington.
Harang is plenty familiar with the Braves organization and was happy when he first heard of their interest Sunday.
“It’s a good ballpark to pitch in,” Harang said of Turner Field, where he has a 3.41 ERA in five starts. “Good fan base. I’m really excited to be here. I was excited when my agent called me and told me they were talking to the team.”
Harang had a 2.00 ERA in four major league games (two starts) for the Indians this spring, and also pitched in two minor league games, going six innings and 95 pitches Friday. Braves general manager Frank Wren said his scouts had Harang’s fastball clocked at 90-91 mph as a starter this spring and 92-93 as a reliever.
Although he went just 5-12 with a 5.40 ERA in 26 starts last season for Seattle and the Mets, Harang was solid the previous two seasons including 10-10 with a 3.61 ERA in 179-2/3 innings for the Dodgers in 2012.
“I feel really strong,” said Harang, who is listed at 6-foot-7 and 260 pounds, and looks every ounce of it. “I feel like physically this is probably the best I’ve felt throughout a whole spring, as far as how my body feels.”
As for his velocity staying above 90 in his mid-30s, Harang said, “That’s the crazy part, my agents put together something last year that showed my average velocity over the past five years has maybe dropped like .4 miles an hour. So for someone my age to be able to keep that velocity….
“I don’t pay much to the velocity part of it, but I had guys coming in last year saying, ‘I didn’t realize you threw that hard.’ They said a couple of times I was touching 94, had a couple of 95s in there. That’s going to happen from time to time. Physically I feel really good. I feel like I was throwing well in spring, and feel ready to go for the season.”
The Braves signed him to a one-year major league contract, a few hours after releasing veteran Freddy Garcia. Braves officials’ said Harang was a better overall fit than Garcia for the team’s current needs, and didn’t elaborate.
With a fastball that’s about 6-8 mph quicker than Garcia’s at this point, Harang figures to be a better bullpen option than Garcia would’ve been if the Braves move Harang there when they get starters Mike Minor and Gavin Floyd off the disabled list in late April. Also, Garcia had made it known he would not accept a minor league assignment.
For now, Harang said, “I’m planning on starting, and just go from there…. (The Braves have a) good core of young guys who know how to pitch. Just had a couple of injuries this spring that really set them back.”
Gerald Laird has known Harang since both played in the Oakland Athletics minor league system in 2001, Laird in Class A and the two-years-older pitcher in Double-A.
“I’ve known him for a long time,” Laird said. “I was a kid then. He threw probably 92-95 (miles per hour). He still gets it up there a little bit, but he was more consistently 94-95 back then. He’s been around a while.”
Harang has 110-116 career record and 4.28 ERA in 325 games (319 starts) over 12 seasons with six teams, including parts of 11 seasons in the National League. He spent eight years with the Reds and had consecutive 16-win seasons with them 2006-2007, totaling 434 strikeouts in 466 innings over that two-year span.
“You need a guy who’s been around a little bit, experience in your rotation,” Laird said. “Especially when you’re going to go with some young guys. I like the pickup. It’s always good to have those veterans around, for the young guys to see how they go about their business.”
