What the Atlanta Braves are getting in Luis Guillorme

The Atlanta Braves added a bench infielder on Friday night in former Mets utilityman Luis Guillorme

The Atlanta Braves made a big move to solidify their major league bench on Friday night, agreeing to a one year deal with former New York Mets utility infielder Luis Guillorme. What should we expect from the 29 year-old next season? 

Capable, if unspectacular, defense 

Guillorme was seen as the best defensive infielder in the Mets system prior to his 2018 debut, and time has done little to diminish those defensive chops. 

In 2022, the last year Guillorme got significant and extended defensive play, he was a 79th percentile defender via MLB Statcast, contributing five OAA (Outs Above Average). He manages to contribute defensively despite not having a great arm or foot speed, relying on his positioning, instincts, and quick first step to field his position with excellent range. 

He graded out positively at all three non-first infield positions in 2022, with 3 OAA at second base (+1% success rate added), 1 OAA at third base (+2% success rate added), and 2 OAA at shortstop with an astounding 10% success rate added. 

Given his arm strength, he's best suited to 2nd base, but there's plenty of perfectly capable defenders in the major leagues at third base that don't have great arms, with Jeimer Candelario (then of the Nationals and Cubs) a good example from last year. 

And Guillorme's hands are great, as this barehanded snag of a flying bat shows us:

(For those asking why we didn't dive into Guillorme's 2023 defense: he only had 104 total defensive opportunities because of injury, including only 4 at shortstop, so the defensive numbers aren't a statistically significant sample.)

Offensively, he can be a contributor but not a leader

For Guillorme's career, he's rocking a .261 batting average but only a .677 OPS. The issue there comes down to a lack of power - his average exit velocity (86.6) is below major league average, with the league as a whole sitting around 88.4 mph. He's decidedly anti-Braves like in this regard, as Atlanta prefers guys who hit strikes hard. 

But Guillorme's got a few things going for him offensively. For starters, while not being entirely platoon proof, he's not terrible against lefties, with his career batting average of .230 against left-handed pitching mostly colored by struggles against talented lefty relievers. Guillorme's batting .266 against lefty starting pitching, and so he's someone you won't need to sub out of the lineup if facing a lefty starter on any particular day. 

Additionally, he's not going to be counted on to carry this team. With as many talented offensive performers as the Braves have in their offense, he'll be batting 8th or 9th in most lineups. The thing he does well offensively is his approach - again looking at 2022, he rarely chased out of the zone and was even better at not swinging and missing, making pitchers attack him in the zone. He put up only a 21.3% Chase percentage and a Whiff% of only 13.3%, leading to a sub-14% strikeout rate. 

He may not hit the ball hard, but he's going to make the opposing pitcher throw strikes and he's going to hit them. In a lineup like Atlanta's, with so many talented hitters, that's really all you need him to do. 

Financially, it's a great deal

Guillorme's 2024 contract comes out to only $1.1M, meaning Atlanta has both their shortstop (Orlando Arcia) and his backup for a combined total of $3.53M. Add in David Fletcher's $6M, who will battle with Guillorme for that backup spot in spring training, and it's still less than $10M for both a 2023 All Star in Arcia and two quality backups that can cover defensively if Arcia misses time. 

As Guillorme was a 2nd-year arbitration eligible and was non-tendered by the Mets, he will still have team control for 2025, being in his third year of arbitration. If he performs admirably as a bench piece this season, it's entirely likely Atlanta settles with him prior to arbitration to bring him back for one more season. 

Off the field, he's a great teammate and certified good dude 

One of the most common takeaways from any acquisition that Alex Anthopoulos makes is how much work the Braves front office does into finding guys that fit into Atlanta's clubhouse culture and with the existing roster. 

From all reports, Guillorme's a popular guy in his own clubhouse, respected by both teammates and the media. The AJC's Justin Toscano, who was on the Mets beat prior to moving to Atlanta to cover the Braves, had nothing but good things to say about the infielder after last night's signing. 

I covered Luis Guillorme when I was on the Mets beat. He’s a versatile player and a great dude. He always seemed selfless, and simply did his job. I think it’s a really nice addition for the Braves.

— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) January 5, 2024

In almost every respect, on paper this appears to be a great marriage of a player and a team, with a versatile defender that can thrive in Atlanta's team-oriented clubhouse as this team looks to get back to the mountaintop in 2024. 

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