Atlanta Braves’ Continued Trust in Didier Fuentes is Paying Off

Heading into the ninth inning with a narrow 3-2 lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Atlanta Braves turned to an unfamiliar face for a narrow save situation on Sunday afternoon’s series finale. 

Braves manager Walt Weiss gave the ball to the youngest arm in the bullpen, 20-year-old Didier Fuentes. He has grown evident trust in the right-handed reliever for good reason, trusting him in a big spot.

It wasn’t his prettiest inning, but Fuentes completed the save despite allowing two baserunners to reach in scoring position. The scoreless outing served as a testament to the type of competitor Fuentes has been all season, as he captured his first career save.

In 18 outings this season, Fuentes has recorded a 2.42 ERA over 26 innings of work. In a short span of time, he has seen himself become a leverage arm for the team with the best record in the league so far this season. 

As a reliever, Fuentes has been absurdly good in his role, tallying an ERA of 1.17. His command has also been at a high level, as his strikeout rate and hard-hit rate are among one of the higher percentiles in the league. 

Fuentes, who turns 21 on June 17th, made his debut last season in a short stint in the big leagues. Making all four of his appearances as a starter, Fuentes allowed 20 runs in just 13 innings. 

In the long term, there is no doubt that Fuentes will see an opportunity again as a starting pitcher. But alongside their elite bullpen arms in Robert Suárez, Raisel Iglesias and Dylan Lee, Fuentes complements the tandem into what could very well be a quartet of shutdown arms.

Shortly before Fuentes’ Sunday outing, Braves ace Chris Sale praised the reliever as someone who brings such poise and versatility each time he takes the mound.

"The versatility that Didi brings for that bullpen, he can throw one out and get the most important out of the game,” Sale said, according to 680 The Fan. “He can cover three innings and bridge the gap to get it to Iggy. He's kind of that secret weapon no one's really talking about."

Once a top-100 prospect towards the start of the season, Fuentes’ pathway as a starter may not be in the cards for this season. But in the meantime, he is embracing his impact as a bullpen arm and cementing himself as one of Snitker’s most reliable ones — doing so before he even turns 21.