Oct 12 2008
Campillo carves out spot in Braves’ rotation
By Bud L. Ellis
Braves.today.com
ATLANTA — When the Atlanta Braves signed Jorge Campillo as a free agent from the Mexican League around Christmas last December, hardly anybody noticed.
It’s the type of transaction that appears in tiny 6-point type on the agate page of your sports section, or buried way down in the list of daily moves you might find online.
But as tough as the Braves were to watch this season, imagine where they would’ve been without the 30-year-old right-hander. Moving into the starting rotation after 14 relief appearances, Campillo made 25 starts, finishing 8-7 with a 3.91 ERA.
Given the fact the Braves lost Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Tim Hudson during the season – it still seems surreal, typing that sentence – and the fact Mike Hampton didn’t make his first start until late July, Campillo’s emergence as a solid starter gives the Braves at least two pieces – Campillo and Jair Jurrjens – to build around for next season.
I like the way Campillo seized on his opportunity this season. You look at some of the starts he lost – eight innings, two runs at the Angels; four hits, two runs at Milwaukee; five hits, three runs at the Dodgers – and it’s easy to see Campillo could easily have joined Jurrjens in winning double-digit games.
He faded toward the finish line, posting a 5.94 ERA during the final two months of the season. But otherwise, Jorge was a big part of the Braves rotation. And even though Atlanta will target at least two veteran top-shelf starters in the offseason, Campillo deserves every opportunity to make the team as a starter in 2009.
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