One of the most bizarre selections to make the roster I can recall. Bernero is a 28-year-old Californian who came up with the Tigers in 2000. He made 12 appearances, 4 starts, that season, and put up a 4.19 ERA, pretty good for the AL in 2000, but that’s the best year of his major league career. His ERAs since are 7.30, 6.20, 6.08 (at which stage the Tigers finally gave up and sent him to the Rockies), 5.97, and 5.57. He is getting better, I suppose, and at that rate would be an effective pitcher sometime around 2011.
Bernero was evidently brought in to fill out the Richmond starting rotation, but as a non-roster invitee pitched well out of the bullpen to start spring training, catching Bobby’s and Leo’s eyes. But late in spring he couldn’t get anyone out, and wound up with a 7.36 ERA. But first impressions.
Strikeout rate is mediocre, 5.68 K/9 for his career, and his control isn’t anything special, 1.68 BB/9. His fastball apparently tops off at 91 and is straight, meaning that at least he’ll be good for batting practice. Also throws a splitter, and I’m guessing that the Braves like him for the potential of getting ground balls. Personally, I’m sick of them trying to fill the bullpen with groundball pitchers. I want strikeouts!
“Personally, I’m sick of them trying to fill the bullpen with groundball pitchers. I want strikeouts!”
Amen. Doesn’t Kolb more than make up for any deficiency in that category?
Thanks for the synopsis. Why did this guy get an NRI with all the arms in the system? He isn’t even left handed for crying out loud! Would have said for Chrissakes! but I didn’t want this to become God’s Beat again:)
He just has to have ‘The Pictures’.
Quit trying to strike everybody out. Strikeouts are boring and besides that, they’re fascist. Throw some ground balls. They’re more democratic.
Does anyone think there’s a chance we’ll sign Lightenberg now that he’s been released? I’d prefer him over Bernero.
Allen
I’d like them to, but I’d think they’d want him on a AAA contract first to get a look at him in Richmond or Florida.
I got the feeling that even when Ligtenberg was pitching well, Cox and the Braves Braintrust didn’t really trust him. Even with excellent stats, after his 1999 surgery, he was constantly the 4th and even sometimes 5th man in the pen.
It’s a shame that Bernero made the roster over Buddy Hernandez. What was the point of Hernandez pitching so well in Spring Training? What more can you do to make middle-relief in a shaky bullpen?
Speaking of Atlanta fringe pitchers…Damian Moss turned up on the minor league failed steriod/performance-enhancer test list.
The Braves have adopted the Greg Maddux/Tom Glavine trope that strikeouts aren’t that important. Of course, this ignores the fact that Maddux and Glavine got a fair number of strikeouts, but they were perceived as finesse pitchers who got a lot of ground balls. As a result, the Braves seem to not place much emphasis on strikeouts even though Smoltz–who did get a lot of strikeouts–was without much question their best post-season pitcher. It just seems to be an attitude the Braves have adopted for some reason. What’s really odd about this is that the Braves infield defense hasn’t been so great in recent years–this isn’t exactly the Cardinals.