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Player Review: Is Darius Vines a future star pitcher?

Originally posted on FanNation Braves Today
By Kyle Richardson | Last updated 10/19/23

The Atlanta Braves drafted Darius Vines in the 7th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Cal State Bakersfield. Since then, Vines has spent four straight years in the minors before he finally got to make his MLB debut this year.

In his five MLB appearances, Vines showed glimpses of just how good he could be at the major league level. Going into 2024, he will be a candidate for a spot in the starting rotation.

Darius Vines's stats

Minors: 3-2 record, 2.37 ERA, 49 strikeouts and 16 walks in 49.1 innings

Majors: 1-0 record, 3.98 ERA, 14 strikeouts and 7 walks in 20.1 innings

What did he do well?

Vines is a guy who is known for getting strikeouts and you can see by his stats that he is good for almost a strikeout per inning. He showed off his strikeout ability in the Arizona Fall League on Tuesday as he led the Salt River Rafters to a 5-1 win over Surprise. He pitched five innings of one-run ball and allowed only four hits, struck out 9 hitters, and only walked one.

“It's been surreal."

RHP Darius Vines shined in his @MLBazFallLeague debut after climbing the ranks in the @Braves organization this season: https://t.co/EV71W1iAnV pic.twitter.com/F8ekCQk803
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) October 18, 2023

Where did he struggle?

It is hard to really find an area where Vines struggled a lot because we did not get to see him that much. I would say the biggest thing for him is just working on consistency at the major league level. I believe that will come with more appearances. There is a chance Vines could be the next big thing, but he will have to work on consistency and walks.

Darius Vines's contract status

Vines is in his first year of contractual control, so he's making the league minimum, $720,000. Of note, he only gets that amount for days he is on the active roster - during his time in Gwinnett, he receives a significantly lower amount.

Of particular note, Vines did not spend enough time with the big-league club in 2023 to lose rookie eligibility, so were he to spend the 2024 season with the club, he would be eligible for Rookie of the Year awards.

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This article first appeared on FanNation Braves Today and was syndicated with permission.

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