Ever since being acquired from the Seattle Mariners for peanuts before the 2009 season, Eric O'Flaherty has been a productive and reliable reliever for the Atlanta Braves. Mainly relied on to get left handers out, he also could be called upon to pitch the 7th inning when situations called for it, helping bridge the gap to guys like Billy Wagner, Rafael Soriano, Mike Gonzalez, and others. His role has changed just a bit this year, as the absence of Peter Moylan due to injury has moved him up the pecking order, being Fredi Gonzalez's 1B set up man, to Jonny Venters 1A. Because of Moylan's injury and the Braves' anemic offense, Gonzalez has had no choice but to ride the trio of O'Flaherty, Venters, and Kimbrel like rented mules, and thankfully, the least heralded of the trio has stepped up to the task.
O'Flaherty's ERA stands at a tidy 1.47 at the moment, and although that doesn't reflect his true talent level, he has made some improvements to his game. The first item that stands out is his improved command, as O'Flaherty's K rate currently sits at a career high 8.22 per nine innings, while his BB rate also stands at an all time low 2.64. The improved command has helped O'Flaherty get out of some jams, both of his doing and others. Also key is his ability to keep the ball on the ground, which is a common trait of most Atlanta pitchers these days. 53% of O'Flaherty's batted balls are on the ground, helping to suppress the chances for extra base hits (as evidenced by the .330 slugging percentage for opposing hitters against him), as well as inducing double play grounders. GB rates over 50% combined with a K/BB ratio over 3 to 1 is a recipe for success, and O'Flaherty's ability to combine those two skills has been a boost to the Braves' pen.
The second thing that has changed is O'Flaherty's pitch selection, one in which he is dialing up the fastball over 70% of the time. The fastball has always been his best pitch, as he has solid command to both sides of the plate with it, while also getting good sink. The fact that he is using it more is only helping him, as it is keeping his walks down while also improving the effectiveness of his slider, which he doesn't have to show as much anymore. Despite averaging 91.6 on the radar gun with his fastball, O'Flaherty has a deceptive delivery in which he hides the ball well, which helps his fastball appear a little quicker to a hitter. Since he has excellent fastball command, it makes sense to use the pitch more, and he has used it with great results this season.
O'Flaherty's continued effectiveness will be a key for the Braves, especially if they continue to struggle scoring runs. Having 3 lights out relievers at the back of the pen is one of the Braves' biggest advantages over the rest of the league, and O'Flaherty's use of his fastball has been a key reason why. If the Braves' can find a reliable right handed reliever other than Kimbrel, that advantage will only increase.
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