Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell is widely considered one of the best in baseball at his craft, and the amount of interest he garnered from the NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies this offseason could have left Atlanta in a difficult position entering the 2014 season.
On many occasions, Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez has referenced McDowell as his go-to source of information and advice concerning his pitching rotation and bullpen — one of the top units in the National League.
So it's of little surprise that the team made keeping McDowell in-house a top priority.
McDowell, 52, and the team agreed to a two-year contract on Saturday afternoon, adding an extra year to the franchise's initial offer this offseason. Financial details were not released.
"We are happy that Roger will continue to lead our Major League pitching staff," general manager Frank Wren said. "Our staff has performed very well under his guidance."
In a season which saw many of the Braves' top arms go down to injury — starter Tim Hudson and relievers Eric O'Flaherty, Jonny Venters and Christhian Martinez all suffered season-ending injuries, while standout Brandon Beachy made just five starts — McDowell oversaw one of the sport's brightest young pitching staffs.
Atlanta pitchers finished with the seventh-best team pitching WAR and top team ERA last season. With potential starters Beachy, Mike Minor, Julio Teheran, Kris Medlen and Alex Wood (not to mention any offseason signings, re-signings, promotions or trades), McDowell looks to be in charge of an improving staff.
As for the bullpen, with the likes of Craig Kimbrel, Luis Avilan and David Carpenter, Jordan Walden, Anthony Varvaro among other young arms, late-game situations look to be in good hands.
Needless to repeat: it's nothing but good news that McDowell (and his highly effective mound visits) will remain in Atlanta.
