28-year old righty reliever Anthony Varvaro is looking like he’s going to be a late bloomer.  He has pitched in 10 games (0 starts) for the Braves so far this year and he is 1-0 with a 1.53 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP.  He has given up 12 hits and 4 walks while whiffing 12 batters in his first 17 2/3 innings this year, which is pretty impressive.  Varvaro has now pitched in 40 games (0 starts) in his first three years with the Braves and he is 2-3 with a 3.09 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP.  The Braves hope that Varvaro keeps up the good work.

30-year old lefty starting pitcher Paul Maholm has been downright nasty so far this year.  He has pitched in 2 games (both starts) for the Braves so far this year and he is 2-0 with 0.00 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP.  He has only given up 7 hits and walked 4 batters in his first 12 2/3 innings this year while whiffing 13 batters, which are very impressive numbers.  It looks like Maholm has finally found a home as he pitched pretty well from them last year after coming over in a deal with the Cubs.  He pitched in 11 games (all starts) for the Braves last year and he was 4-5 with a 3.54 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP.  It will be interesting to see how well Maholm does in his first full season pitching for a good team.

I know that Gio Gonzalez of the Nationals and R.A. Dickey of the Mets are the front runners for the 2012 N.L. Cy Young Award, but 24-year old righty closer Craig Kimbrel has been the best pitcher in the league this year. Kimbrel has pitched in 58 games (0 starts) for the Braves so far this year and he is 2-1 with 39 saves, a 1.08 ERA and a 0.67 WHIP. He has only given up 25 hits and 14 walks in his first 58 1/3 innings this year while whiffing a stunning 106 batters. Kimbrel has now pitched in 158 games (0 starts) in his first three years with the Braves and he is 10-4 with 86 saves, a 1.50 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP.

27-year old lefty reliever Eric O’Flaherty has been rock solid for the Braves so far this year. He has pitched in 56 games (0 starts) for the Braves so far this year and he is 2-0 with a 1.99 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. O’Flaherty has now pitched in 268 games (0 starts) in his first four years with the Braves and he is 9-7 with a 2.01 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Coming to Atlanta might have saved O’Flaherty’s career, as he has been awesome for them.

24-year old lefty starting pitcher Mike Minor had a rough time early on in the 2012 season, but he has been really good lately. Since July 1st, Minor has pitched in 10 games (all starts) for the Braves in which he is 3-4 with a 2.87 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. Minor has only given up 50 hits and 9 walks in his last 62 2/3 innings while whiffing 45 batters…..and those are impressive numbers. Minor has now pitched in 25 games (all starts) for the Braves overall this year and he is 7-10 with a 4.79 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. The Braves need Minor to finish strongly if they are going to make the playoffs.

27-year old lefty reliever Jonny Venters got off to a very slow start this year for the Braves, but he has picked up the pace so far in August. Venters has pitched in 10 games (0 starts) so far in August and he is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Venters has now pitched in 54 games (0 starts) for the Braves overall this year and he is 5-3 with a 3.55 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP. The Braves need Venters to have a strong September to help them make the playoffs.

34-year old righty Ben Sheets, 26-year old righty Kris Medlen and 30-year old lefty Paul Maholm have really tightened up the starting rotation for the Braves behind Tim Hudson and Tommy Hanson. Sheets came literally out of nowhere, signing a minor league deal and getting a quick call to Atlanta. He has pitched in 7 games (all starts) for the Braves so far this year and he is 4-3 with a 3.07 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Kris Medlen has moved into the rotation recently and he has been amazing so far in his new role. Medlen has started 4 games for the Braves so far this year and he is 3-0 with a 1.05 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. Paul Maholm has been rock solid since coming over in a deadline deal with the Cubs. He has started 3 games for the Braves so far this year and he is 2-1 with a 1.57 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP. If the Braves are going to make the playoffs, these guys are going to all have to keep pitching well.

26-year old righty reliever Kris Medlen has been out of sight so far in July. He has pitched in 10 games (0 starts) so far in July and he is 0-0 with a 0.55 ERA and a 0.74 WHIP. He has only given up 8 hits and 4 walks in 16 1/3 innings so far this month with 13 whiffs, which is impressive. Medlen has now pitched in 38 games (0 starts) for the Braves so far this year and he is 1-1 with 1 save, a 2.48 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. The Braves were smart to keep Medlen in the bullpen as they toyed with the idea of making him a starter earlier this year.

26-year old righty starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens was sent to AAA-ball after a rough April. He pitched in 4 games (all starts) for the Braves in April and he was 0-2 with a 9.37 ERA and a 2.45 WHIP. But, after Brandon Beachy was lost for the season, the Braves called Jurrjens back up to replace him in the starting rotation. Jurrjens has pitched well in his first three games back for the Braves (all starts) as he is 2-0 with a 1.33 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. The Braves need him to keep up the good work if they are going to stay in the playoff hunt.

36-year old righty starting pitcher Tim Hudson started this season late due to back surgery, but he is not looking at all rusty. Hudson has pitched in 10 games (all starts) for the Braves so far this year and he is 5-3 with a 3.88 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. He has now pitched in 205 games (204 starts) in his first 8 years with the Braves and he is 94-61 with a 3.52 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. Hudson has been a rock in the foundation of the Braves’ starting rotation since the day he became a member of the team, and I look for that to continue…health willing.