Today, the Atlanta Braves retained the 27-year-old right hander to a minor league contract after outrighting him last week, according to Baseball America’s Matt Eddy.
De La Cruz will be fighting for a roster spot and 40-man roster spot next spring training. He has pitched out of the bullpen and started games for the Braves during his rookie season.
In addition, last season he pitched fairly well on a bad team that finished as one of the hottest teams in baseball. He threw 62 2/3 innings and posted a 4.88 ERA in 22 games. Now, he finished his rookie campaign by going 0-7 with 37 strikeouts and walking 22 batters to go with a 43.1 percent ground-ball rate.
He made a good impression on the coaching staff and has the chance to win a bullpen job, as he is not going to fit into the rotation with the Braves looking to add some starters, plus they have tons of prospects.
Great depth for the team.
I like the way he uses his sinker, as he is strictly a ground-ball pitcher.