Do the Braves have another ace on their hands?

Injuries create opportunities. That is the case in Detroit, where the placing of Gary Sheffield on the disabled list has created a hole at the designated hitter spot in the theoretically potent Tigers’ lineup for a prospect to get his first shot at the bigs – will he make it a memorable trip?

In the National League, the Braves have a new emerging ace on their hands. Is he legit though, or has he just been very lucky?

Jorge Campillo, Starting Pitcher, Atlanta Braves

Jorge Campillo would kick his career off in 2005 with the Mariners after having played in Mexico. Starting out in Triple-A Tacoma, he was simply brilliant, going 4-1 with a 2.71 ERA in 12 starts. Over 66 1/3 innings, Campillo struck out 43 and walked just 18. He would make a pair of appearances at the major league level, but it would be just that, just a pair.

In 2006, injuries would get in the way, and he would spend most of the time on rehab stints in the minors.

In 2007, Campillo would be back at full strength, playing in Triple-A, where he continued to have success. In 24 appearances, 22 as a starter, Campillo would go 9-6 with a 3.07 ERA, striking out 99 and walking 39 in 149 1/3 innings. This success would bring Campillo only five outings in the majors, all as a reliever, and he would struggle in that role, posting a 6.75 ERA with no decisions, with nine strikeouts and six walks in 13 1/3 innings.

That would not be enough for the Mariners to want to bring him back, and he would become a free agent, signing a minor league deal with the Braves this past offseason. Injuries would allow Campillo an opportunity to pitch out of the major league pen, and he would not allow a run until his fourth outing. He would pitch quite well out of the pen, with a 1.27 ERA in thirteen relief appearances, with no decisions, and he would strike out 17 and walk just five.

Since then, he has moved into the rotation, where he has gone from solid to spectacular, and he is currently 2-0 with a 0.60 ERA in three starts, with sixteen strikeouts and no walks in 15 innings.

Will his success keep up? He has had durability issues, with outings of six innings, four innings, and five innings in his three chances as a starter. However, control numbers like he is putting up are simply too good for him to be simply being lucky at this point. He is not exactly a young prospect at 29, but injuries have hampered his chances over the last three years, and the Mariners certainly should have given him more opportunities than they did.

Jeff Larish, First Base / Designated Hitter, Detroit Tigers

A fifth-round draft pick in 2005, Larish would only play in 24 games that season, so his professional career would not truly kick off until 2006, where he would spend the season at Lakeland. While his average would not exactly excite anyone at just .258, he would show solid signs of power, belting out eighteen home runs, with 34 more doubles, and he knocked out 65 RBI in 457 at-bats.

Promoted to Double-A for 2007, the power numbers would increase, as he belted out 28 home runs, picked up 25 doubles, and drove in 101 RBI. Again, his batting average was nothing special at .267. However, he showed excellent discipline at the plate, drawing almost as many walks (87) as times he struck out (108), for the second straight season, and this brought his OBP to a quite solid .390.

That brings us in his short career to this year. He opened this season at Triple-A Toledo, where through the first 53 games, Larish is hitting .277 with 16 home runs, 43 RBI, and 29 runs scored. The walks have taken a little bit of a dip, but he was still reaching base at a .372 clip. Desperate for a potent bat with the loss of Gary Sheffield, the Tigers made the call down to Triple-A, and he made his debut last night, going 1-for-5 at the plate.

Larish will continue to get at-bats while Sheffield is out. How ready is he though? The power is for real, but the drop in K/BB ratio is a little troubling. For now, he will be a short-term help, but there is no likelihood that he will not return to the minors.

Last Week Revisited

Last week, we looked at Seth McClung and Kevin Mench. How have they done since? In two starts, McClung is 1-1 with a 7.45 ERA. His first was respectable, as he allowed four hits, no walks, and two earned runs in five innings, and he struck out four. In his second, he received a whooping, allowing eight hits, six walks, and six earned runs in just 4 2/3 innings – with that many baserunners allowed, he is lucky it was just six.

As for Mench, he continues to get playing time, but he is doing very little with it. Since hooking on with the Jays, Mench has hit .258 with no homers, two RBI, and four runs. While he has hit 5-for-9 over the last two games, he was hitless in six appearances before that.

That wraps up Treasure Hunting for this week – next week, more treasures await!