Atlanta Braves: 5 Reasons Mike Minor Will Win a Rotation Spot This Spring

When the 2011 season ended, it would have seemed to be a forgone conclusion that Mike Minor’s second-half performance would have given him a substantial leg up for the fifth starter’s job in Atlanta the following year.

That thought was quickly rebuffed after manager Fredi Gonzalez recently said, “It’s wide open” when discussing the fifth starter's job with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Although Minor has the experience of 123 major league innings to go with some impressive minor league numbers, he doesn’t have the upside of his counterparts Julio Teheran and Randall Delgado.

The consensus among scouts and those that rank prospects is that Teheran and Delgado both have the ceiling of a front-line starter someday.

Will their time to shine come as early as Opening Day, or will Minor be able to hold them off another year while he tries to establish himself as a big league starter?

Here are five reasons why Minor deserves that final rotation spot on Atlanta’s pitching staff.

Finished Strong in 2011

With 23 career major league starts, including 15 last season, Minor is ready to face hitters at that level for a full season.

Granted, at first glance, his numbers (4.74 ERA) during those starts are not indicative of a pitcher ready to take on such a task.

It takes time for most young pitchers to adjust to facing big-league hitters, which Minor seemed to do in the second half last year.

After being shuttled back and forth between Triple-A Gwinnett and Atlanta as a spot starter during the first few months, he was finally able to take a deep breath and establish himself in the rotation after the All-Star break.

Taking nine consecutive turns in the rotation proved beneficial. He posted a 4-1 record with a 3.83 ERA, and the most positive sign was an increased K/BB ratio from 1.73 to 3.40.

Tim Hudson Injury

Tim Hudson has been the anchor of the Atlanta pitching staff, throwing 215-plus innings in each of the past two seasons.

Hudson is expected to miss the month of April recovering from offseason back surgery.

That time missed means manager Fredi Gonzalez will get an extended look at two of the finalist in the battle for the last spot in the rotation.

Citing the previously mentioned experience he gained at the end of 2011, odds are Minor will be one of those pitchers breaking camp with the team.

Minor Would Be the Only Lefty in the Rotation

Minor’s numbers against left-handed hitters have been pedestrian at best in his 23 major league starts.

With that being such a small sample size, the Braves expect those numbers to start trending in Minor’s favor as he continues to mount innings and gain confidence.

Another plus would be to have a lefty in the rotation to face the Phillies given the heart of their order contains Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, once he is back from injury.

It would also turn Jimmy Rollins around to his weaker side for at least one game of the series, and according to MLBDepthCharts.com, the current bench is left-handed heavy.

Trade Bait?

Atlanta didn’t hide the fact they spent most of the winter attempting to deal pitcher Jair Jurrjens.

General Manger Frank Wren also made it known that the “Big Four” of Delgado, Teheran, Arodys Vizcaino and Minor were not to be a part of any trade talks.

Has the decision to keep Jurrjens coupled with Minor’s recent comments possibly changed the trade target from one pitcher to the other?

Although that scenario is doubtful, it wouldn’t hurt to showcase Minor at the major league level.

The following remarks were made by Minor when speaking to David O’Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “I’ve been in Triple-A all last year pretty much and the year before I had some time [in the majors]. I’m getting older every year, so there’s no reason for me to be sitting in Triple-A.”

Minor went on to say, “But after a month or two, somebody’s got to go [when Hudson returns]. Overall, it’s not really—it’s about making the team, but if…I can control my third pitch and have a decent fourth pitch, then there’s no reason I shouldn’t pitch in the big leagues somewhere. If they don’t have room for me here, then there’s no reason they shouldn’t trade me or just do something with me.”

Spring Training Battle…Round 1 Goes to Minor

It’s obviously early in spring camp, but the battle for the fifth-starter spot has gotten underway quickly in Atlanta.

Minor threw two scoreless innings in the spring training opener against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday and took control from the beginning by striking out the side in the first inning.

The main competitors for the fifth starter’s job couldn’t duplicate that same success on Sunday.

Delgado got the start, but he gave up four earned runs on two walks and a home run in only one inning of work.

Unfortunately, the disastrous day for Atlanta’s top pitching prospects was about to get worse.

Teheran relieved Delgado in the second inning and promptly gave up six (yes, six) home runs in two innings.

Granted, it’s only been two games and a player’s performance in spring training doesn’t mean much, unless of course that player is competing for a job on the big-league club.

Jim Pratt is a Featured Columnist covering the Atlanta Braves for Bleacher Report, MLB contributor for MLBDepthCharts and BravesWire. Follow Jim on Twitter, @2OutSacBunt