Braves sign ex-Yankee ‘Strikeout Factory’

The Strikeout Factory is being rehabilitated, but the Braves believe there was plenty reason to make a lowrisk investment in former Yankees left-handed prospect Jacob Lindgren.

Lindgren, nicknamed “The Strikeout Factory” for his 14.1 strikeouts per nine innings in the minor leagues, signed a one-year major league contract Sunday with the Braves, two days after the Yankees made him a nontendered free agent.

Lindgren, 23, had Tommy John elbow surgery in August and is expected to miss the entire 2017 season. Still, the move by the Yankees surprised many observers, considering his potential and the buzz generated by the 2014 second-round draft pick from Mississippi State, when Lindgren ascended through the minors and made his bigleague debut in 2015.

As it turned out, the Yankees wanted to re-sign Lindgren to a minor-league contract, but he opted to stay closer to home when the Braves offered a major league deal. The Braves will pay him about $1 million in 2017, including a small signing bonus.

The Biloxi native wrote on his Twitter page, “I am excited to announce I have signed with the Braves. Most kids in the ’Sip grew up doing the chop. I am blessed to live a dream.”

Lindgren will require a spot on the Braves’ 40-man roster until they can place him on the 60-day disabled list. But Atlanta officials believe that the one-year rehab process from surgery to be a minor inconvenience in comparison to the performance they believe he will be capable of when healthy.

Lindgren has less than one year of major league service time, and the Braves could control him for five more seasons after 2017 before he’s eligible for free agency. He has a low- to mid-90 mph fastball and a hard slider that’s his best pitch.