Atlanta Braves: Cory Gearrin and the 5 Most Underrated Braves Players
Entering their Memorial Day showdown with the San Diego Padres, the team that came within one game of taking the Braves' Wild Card spot in the 2010 postseason, Atlanta is 3.5 games behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies.
Despite the deficit, the Braves have been getting some large contributions from some of their no-name players to make up for the lack of offense from some of their more famous players (see Dan Uggla).
This slideshow will bring to light the lesser know players' contributions thus far in the season and hopefully garner them some well-deserved recognition.
Cory Gearrin
1 of 5
Although Gearrin didn't make the team coming out of spring training, he was called up on April 25th to help a depleted Braves bullpen get through one of their first long road trips of the year.
On that day, in what was both his season and major league debut, Gearrin pitched two hitless innings against the San Diego Padres. He followed up that stellar performance with another hitless outing two days later, also against the Padres.
Currently, Gearrin is 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA with 13 strikeouts and only five walks. Also, in what may be his most impressive statistic, opponents are only hitting .158 off him.
Cristhian Martinez
2 of 5
Although his record wouldn't show it, Cristhian Martinez has been one of the best long relievers in recent Braves history.
Through 13 games this season, he's 0-2 with a 3.12 ERA, but he's allowed one run or fewer in his last four appearances, each of which have been more than two innings. He's also recorded 17 strikeouts and walked seven batters.
A highlight on Martinez's young season is his May 13th performance against the Philadelphia Phillies, in which he pitched four hitless innings while striking out four and walking none. He also recorded his first major league hit, a two-run double, in that game.
Eric O'Flaherty
3 of 5
In his three seasons with the Braves, Eric O'Flaherty has slowly become of the team's best left-handed relievers.
So far this season, O'Flaherty is 1-2 with a 1.37 ERA and 25 strikeouts, 11 shy from his total from all of last season. Opponents are currently batting .221 against him and have only recorded one home run in 28 games.
O'Flaherty has shown no signs of mononucleosis, the disease that knocked him out for most of last season, so far this season and will likely continue to be an effective option out of the bullpen for manager Fredi Gonzalez.
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Joe Mather
4 of 5
Joe Mather, the Braves' offseason acquisition to help bolster their bench, had a frigid spring training and did not make the club's 25-man roster.
However, since being called up on April 29th against the St. Louis Cardinals, Mather has been hitting the ball well and raised his batting average to .325 so far this season.
After getting off to a slow start, Mather's May 13th game against the Phillies, the same game in which Cristhian Martinez no-hit the Phillies for four innings, was the start to his impressive rebound. He recorded two hits, both doubles, that day and has not looked back since.
As of May 30th, Mather has recorded four multi-hit games coming off of the Braves bench this season, the highlight of which was his four-hit, four-RBI performance against the Los Angeles Angels on May 21st.
Brandon Beachy
5 of 5
Entering spring training this year, everyone surrounding the Braves organization and many of the team's fans had written Beachy off as the team's possible fifth starter, as teammate Mike Minor had outperformed Beachy up to that point in their young careers.
However, manager Fredi Gonzalez was impressed with Beachy and named him the Braves' fifth starter.
Beachy hasn't looked back since.
Although Beachy currently sits on the 15-day disabled list, his numbers are solid through his eight starts on the young season. He is currently 1-1 with a 3.45 ERA with 46 strikeouts and only 12 walks.
Twice this season, once against the Los Angeles Dodgers and once against the Milwaukee Brewers, Beachy pitched six innings of scoreless ball, allowing no more than four hits to either team.
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