Major League Baseball has announced their monthly award winners for the month of August and as it turns out, there’s a Braves player involved for the month of August. That player is reliever Raisel Iglesias, who has been named the National League’s Reliever of the Month for his performance over the past month.
Iglesias pitched 13 innings throughout the month of August and gave up eight hits and just one run while striking out 13 batters and racking up 10 saves in the process. Ultimately, he finished
the month with a nice-looking ERA of 0.69 and a FIP of 1.13. The only earned run he gave up all month was on August 24 against the Mets and even still, the Braves eventually ended up winning that game 4-3.
The 10 saves from Iglesias in August marked the first time that a Braves reliever had pulled off the feat since Craig Kimbrel did it back in June 2014. Additionally, Iglesias was the first Braves reliever to record 10 saves in a month without recording a blown save in the process and again, he was the first to do it for the Braves since Craig Kimbrel did it on his way to racking up 12 saves in August 2013. Again, if you’re performing at a level similar to Craig Kimbrel at his nastiest, you’re doing something.
This is the fourth time in his career that Raisel Iglesias has been named Reliever of the Month and it’s the third time it’s happened since becoming a member of the Braves. Considering the trade rumors that were swirling around at the trade deadline I suppose this goes to show the value of staying in a consistent place. Iglesias’ future with the team past this season is certainly in question but for now, he’s making the best of the situation and appears poised to end this season on a high note as the closer for the Braves.
