Vintage

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ST. LOUIS — This story will eventually be about the new-look, same-results bullpen that’s dominating again in 2013. But first, a moment to talk about the funky delivery of one of the new faces of that group.

The first time I saw ’s pitching motion, a few years ago when he was a hard-throwing youngster with the Angels, I thought my WiFi connection was wonky. Because it looked like the 6-foot-5 righthander jumped toward home plate, much like the giddy-up action of a fast-pitch softball hurler lunging at the batter. It had to be a glitch in the feed that caused the screen to freak out for a moment, right? It wasn’t a glitch.

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It’s just the way Walden throws, and has since before high school. It’s a natural motion.
"A lot of people have doubted me,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," Walden told Sporting News this week. "Everybody wanted to try and be the guy who 'fixes' you and changes you. I just wanted to be myself."
He never played the outfield as a kid, so the giddy-up isn’t the remnant of a crow hop, no matter how much it might resemble the power-generating footwork in an outfielder’s throw home. Walden doesn’t really care what people call the hiccup, which is fascinating to watch, over and over. Here’s a GIF,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], gotta give credit to .

As he pushes off the mound with his right foot, he lifts up on his toe and his momentum carries him off the ground. It’s a tiny little jump.
That’s right, in the middle of his delivery, he’s completely in the air. Nothing is touching dirt. It’s slightly bizarre.
"I joke with Waldo, tell him he’s often imitated, never duplicated," says , another new face in the Atlanta bullpen. "He’s a special one."
Teammates love to try and mimic the big righthander.
"Oh, yeah. Everybody does,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," Walden says with a laugh. "They love joking with me. Woody () does it. Everybody thinks they can. Carp will do a good one. (Luis) Ayala always practices it, but it doesn’t help him. It makes him throw it slower."
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There’s nothing even remotely slow about Walden’s fastball. According to the Fangraphs PITCHf/x numbers, his fastball is averaging 95.0 mph this season and has hit a top speed of 98.9. As you can imagine, that’s nasty when combined with his approach to the plate.
"Everything about hitting is timing," says teammate , who hasn't faced Walden in a game but has an up-front view from his spot at third base. "He’s got that thing, and he’s throwing people off. Not only is he throwing 98, but he’s also jumping at you, and you’re not sure where it’s coming from and when it’s coming out. That’s why he’s so tough."
In 46 appearances with Atlanta, Walden has a 2.47 ERA and is allowing 6.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.7 per nine. His rate of 2.7 walks per nine is a career best. He’s become one of the late-game fixtures in the almost-all-new 2013 Atlanta bullpen.
In 2011 and 2012, the trio of closer and lefties Jonny Venters and Eric O’Flaherty was dominant. Kimbrel saved 88 games in the two seasons, and those three combined for a 1.79 ERA and struck out 521 batters in 417 1/3 combined innings. Kimbrel is turning in another amazing season—a 1.05 ERA, 40 saves, and 13.7 strikeouts per nine innings—but both Venters and O’Flaherty are out after Tommy John surgery.
The rest of the bullpen is a combination of completely new faces,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], or holdovers with vastly different roles. Walden came to Atlanta in a trade that sent Tommy Hansen to the Angels. Carpenter, a converted catcher, was picked up on waivers from the Red Sox last November. You might remember, he was part of the trade that sent Toronto manager John Farrell to Boston. Carpenter has a 1.81 ERA and a 10.7 K/9 rate for the Braves.
"It’s a lot of fun being here," Carpenter said. "It’s unbelievable to watch what Jonny and O and Craig have done the past couple years, and it was a big blow seeing those guys go down. They’ve been the workhorses for the past two years, and to have that happen has definitely put a damper on things at first, but we’ve found ways for guys to step up and do our best to get the job done."
Veteran lefty (1.00 ERA in 12 games) was acquired in a trade deadline deal with the Angels in late July. (2.61 ERA in 22 games) came to Atlanta in an April trade. And lefty (1.19 ERA in 59 games) and righthander (3.14 ERA in 49 games) were small parts of last year’s group,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], but have vastly increased roles.
The Braves led the majors in bullpen ERA in 2011 (3.02) and they were second in 2012 (2.76). With this new group, they’ve been even better. Their 2.38 bullpen ERA is easily the best in the majors,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], well ahead of Kansas City’s still-very-good 2.66 ERA.
"The best bullpens I was ever part of, we really cared about each other, and when somebody wasn’t able to finish off their part of the job, somebody picked them up," Atlanta pitching coach Roger McDowell told SN.
"That’s part of what makes a successful bullpen here. I don’t want to say it’s an Animal House feature in the bullpen, but this game is very stressful, and for them to have a release, with also the thought and intention of having the intensity they need when they come into the game, I think that’s very, very important."
And the results have been very, very good.