WASHINGTON – It took A.J. Minter a little longer to get to the majors this season than expected because of a couple of injuries in the spring, but now that he’s here, the rookie left-hander is demonstrating why some believe he’s a potential future closer.
Minter struck out three in a scoreless eighth inning in the Braves’ 8-2 win against the Nationals on Wednesday night, giving him 12 strikeouts with no walks in 8 2/3 innings over his first nine relief appearances, only the second Braves pitcher in more than a century to start his career with nine walk-free appearances.
Ian Thomas had no walks in his first nine major league appearances in 2014. Minter could become the first Brave to start with 10 walk-less appearances since at least 1913.
Minter, who turned 24 this month, features a mid-to-upper 90-mph fastball and devastating slider. He was a second-round draft pick by the Braves out of Texas A&M in 2015, and likely would’ve been a first-rounder if he weren’t recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery at that time.
He had a 3.12 ERA and .212 opponents’ average through his first nine major league appearances, allowing seven hits, three runs and one homer and posting four multi-strikeout totals in the seven games in which he pitched a full inning.
Minter gave up three hits, two runs and a homer in 1 1/3 innings of his second big-league outing against the Rockies on Aug. 27, and since then he had given up just four hits with one run and nine strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings, posting a 1.42 ERA and .174 opponents’ average over seven appearances through Wednesday.
Minter had a 3.36 ERA in 26 relief appearances at three minor league levels this season, with 30 strikeouts and 12 walks in 24 1/3 innings. He was expected to contend for a major league bullpen spot as early as April or May, but was slowed early by inflammation of nerves near his pitching elbow during spring training and a strained adductor (groin) muscle at Single-A Florida.
