Many have fathomed about whether or not R.A. Dickey was going to retire or not. Well, the Atlanta Braves answered the question by inking the knuckleballer to a 1-year deal worth $8 million. For a team that is on the midst of becoming competitive again, this is not only an interesting signing, but a good one. The last season that Dickey pitched in the NL East was with the New York Mets in 2012 when he won the NL Cy Young award. His time with the Mets was arguably the best part of his career. So, it is safe to say, Dickey knows the NL East well.
Over the course of his career R.A. Dickey has logged over 300 innings against the NL East, winning 23 games with an ERA of 3.63. His numbers may not be stellar, but he will eat up at least 170 innings. Other than Julio Teheran, the rest of the Braves’ rotation is made up of young kids, so it will be nice to have two guys atop the rotation to eat up 400+ innings. Usually pitchers with high ERAs have a WHIP (how many runners reach base per inning) of 1.3 or higher. Dickey, despite the 4+ ERA almost every year, hasn’t had a WHIP lower than 1.3 since 2010. Counting out Dickey’s 2016 campaign, his quality start percentage is 68% since 2010.
Dickey will not be dominant every time out on the mound, but he will give the Braves 6+ innings of work allowing a few runs. But, hey, he is only worth $8 million; and until kids like Aaron Blair, Sean Newcomb, and Matt Wisler can get it together, Dickey will do just fine. Lastly, the former NL Cy Young winner brings an extra tool to Atlanta, and that is a gold glove. R.A. will be a leader, an inning eater, and an extra spectacular glove on the field for the Braves. For $8 million, the Braves made a good deal.
