We’ve said it all the time in some of these previous reviews: the Atlanta Braves set a record for the number of players used in a single season last season. Michael Petersen was one of several players the Braves relied on for a short time due to injuries. It was interesting how little he was used considering the state of his injuries and that his overall results, all things considered, weren’t terrible.
On April 1, the Braves traded the most traded commodity of all time, cash, to the Angels for Michael Petersen and then stashed him away at Triple-A. (None of this was a joke, despite the date.) That was the latest in a bit of a whirlwind for Petersen, who was claimed from the Dodgers by the Marlins in September 2024, then claimed by the Blue Jays two months later and then claimed by the Angels three months after that. In short, the Braves were his fifth organization in eight months.
Unlike some of the later additions in the season, Petersen was brought in early. Because it was early, he was added as depth prior to many injuries. It’s a slight difference from other added arms, but it’s worth noting. The Front Office saw something in Petersen that brought him in beyond desperation.
Fun fact: Petersen is the only active MLB player born in the United Kingdom, and the first since PJ Conlon threw some pitches for the Mets in 2018 – although Conlon was from Belfast, and yes, we’re going to sidestep that whole issue now…
Another fun fact: Petersen was actually drafted in four consecutive seasons. He was originally drafted in the 19th round of the 2012 MLB Draft, but went to college. He was then taken in the 31st round, the 24th round and finally the 17th round before signing.
What were the expectations?
It’s safe to say that since all it took to land Petersen was cash and he was immediately stashed in Triple-A, expectations weren’t high. His addition was purely for profound reasons. Joe Jiménez had likely been out for the entire season at that point due to a previous injury, so the Braves were probably happy to add another relief arm. There were also injuries in the rotation with Reynaldo Lopez and Spencer Strider out, but Petersen didn’t fit the mold to fill their shoes in the rotation.
Petersen made his MLB debut as a 30-year-old in 2024, where he bounced around the Dodgers and Marlins and posted a pretty bad Major League line of 144/133/148 (ERA-/FIP-/xFIP-) in 19 2/3 innings. However, he was much better as a short stint reliever for the Dodgers’ Triple-A club in 2024, which likely sparked interest in him from the teams that have sought his services since. Still, he was firmly in “replacement level reliever who takes you off the waiver wire” territory. Notably, Petersen had multiple option years and was still being jettisoned from organization to organization, so he didn’t even fit the mold of “a guy with decent depth that we can put in the minors until his option years run out.”
Petersen’s appearances were sporadic, as the Braves yo-yoed him quite a bit. He came up on April 13 and went down a day later. Then on April 21 he came up and a day later he went down. May 29? Up one day, down the next. He remained on the roster for two days in June and was designated for assignment in mid-July.
Unlike some of the other guys, though, the Braves did use him, as only one of those short stints came and went without him appearing in a game. Overall, the results were fine for a last-on-the-roster type. In 6 2/3 innings spread over four appearances he had a line of 96/11/106. That’s not someone you actively want in your bullpen, but depth-wise it’s not a disaster.
Midway through the season, the Braves traded Petersen, and he went back to the Marlins in exchange for cash payments. He pitched 11 1/3 innings for Miami, and his overall season line finished at 94/111/108. In fact, he was consistent in pitching as a 0-WAR guy in small samples.
During Petersen’s short tenure with the Braves, he made four appearances. Two of them were excellent, with no notes, and a third was marred by things beyond his control. His stats only became annoying because the Phillies roughed him up in June during a long layoff. That first outing was particularly great as he went up six and down six against the Rays with a strikeout. He then had a very good first six outings with the Marlins, posting a 9/3 K/BB ratio over 6 1/3 innings, but four of his last five outings of the season were very rough.
His rough outings were pretty bad. But one thing worth noting is that the Braves actually used him in four big losses, so what he did didn’t really matter. Three of the four times he threw were in blowouts (twice when the Braves were blown out), the other time it was still a four-run difference. In a funny twist, the Marlins started giving him bigger leverage situations. Still, it’s hard to say that any specific pitch or hitter was particularly good or bad while he was with the Braves, because he basically threw the crappiest innings imaginable.
On a pitching basis, you won’t be surprised to hear that Petersen struggled terribly with command, especially with his cutter. His pitch shapes are actually quite good, and he can get the fastball towards 90 mph. He just doesn’t really have the ability to repeat his mechanics and make every pitch go where he wants, and the fact that he’s in the zone is a double-edged sword because it means hitters will find plenty of errors to hit. Combine that with the fact that his throws typically result in contact in the air, and he’s in the danger zone in all kinds of ways.
Petersen is still under team control with the Marlins, although it remains to be seen whether he stays with them or goes on another whirlwind tour of North America, courtesy of the waiver wire. He still has a minor league option year, so the Marlins can put him in the minors if they want, but he will take up a 40-man spot. Maybe he’ll continue to soak up higher-leverage innings in their bullpen, though that seems unlikely. In any case, he’s a replacement-level reliever through and through until he shows some ability to hit spots consistently.
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