In my last piece where I predicted the Opening Day roster, I swung and missed on 3 of the above but, admittedly, I thought AA would play the team control game and option Nick Anderson and Jordan Luplow, but convinced myself to stop being stubborn. From now on, I’m going to stay mule-headed.
Who are the 32 Braves Left in Camp?
With 26 roster spots available, it looks like the team has 20 spots, for sure, locked in.
Starting Pitchers (3): Max Fried, Charlie Morton, Spencer Strider
Relief Pitchers (7): Raisel Iglesias, A.J. Minter, Joe Jimenez, Collin McHugh, Dylan Lee, Lucas Luetge, and Kirby Yates
Catchers(2): Sean Murphy and Travis D’Arnaud
Infielders (4): Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Orlando Arcia, Austin Riley
Outfielders (3): Ronald Acuna Jr., Michael Harris II, Eddie Rosario
DH(1): Marcell Ozuna
The Last of of Us: Braves Roster Hopefuls
With 20 locked in, that leaves 12 players in camp fighting for 6 roster spots, but realistically, it’s only 9 because 3 will start the year on the IL. Let’s get to it.
Injured List (3): Kolby Allard, Tyler Matzek, Huascar Ynoa.
Starting Pitchers (4): Dylan Dodd, Jared Shuster, Michael Soroka, Kyle Wright
Relief Pitchers (2): Michael Tonkin, Jesse Chavez
Infielders (1): Ehire Adrianza
Outfielders (2): Kevin Pillar, Sam Hilliard
Catchers: None
Last Stab at Predictions
I still think that there will be some sort of outside addition before the end of spring, but for now, I feel pretty good about my 6 for Opening Day:
Starting Pitcher (1): Shuster. He’s been hyped by Brian Snitker all spring so he gets the nod over Dodd.
Relief Pitchers (2): Tonkin and Chavez. If Braves go with 4 SPs out the gate (which I think they will), it will give them a chance to see if Tonkin can get MLB hitters out. If he gets a few appearances and flails, he’ll be cut when Wright gets activated.
Infielders (1): There’s only one to choose from and apparently his roster spot is so damn valuable that AA sent both starting SS candidates to AAA. He’s a fine player…I guess.
Outfielders (2): Sam Hilliard and Kevin Pillar. AA is going to have Snitker do a whole lot of experimenting in the first few weeks of the season and I think both Hilliard and Pillar will be 2 of the major test subjects.
Thoughts on the roster? Are you satisfied with the Braves squad? Think I’m wrong. Let’s hear your thoughts.
Posted on the last thread:
I don?t know who Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. is, but he?s in left field just now, he just drew a nice walk, and he?s a 22-year-old kid we drafted in the 17th round last year out of Stone Mountain. (He went to Redan High School.) I don?t know if he?s anything at all, but I love seeing kids from the Atlanta area go from rooting for the Braves to suiting up for the Braves. Pretty cool.
(Here’s a little more. “80 makeup kid.” Love to see that. Good luck out there, rook.)
Who’s been doing some Spring Cleaning round here?
Braves release Adeiny Hechavarria.
@32, previous thread ? For one, I?m not convinced Wright will be ready either, and for another, Wright has actually pitched in the last two years.
There is simply no reason to rush Soroka back so he can maybe throw an added 10 innings in April. I don?t see any reason to play opener games either when Shuster and Dodd are right there, fully stretched out and having had full, normal springs. Just let him throw some innings to build himself back up and call him up when you?re reasonably sure he won?t explode. The worst thing that can happen is the kids get obliterated for two or three starts and you send ?em down.
I simply don?t think Soroka?s option is all that relevant. If you?re in a position when you?re considering sending him down next year, just non-tender him and save yourself the headache; he?s not helping a major league team at that point.
Shuster is not on the 40-man roster……. yet…… That is part of the point of keeping Soroka up. If his next start goes well and he can pitch three innings, what’s the point in sending him down? Either way he has to get his work in and it doesn’t cost anything to keep him now and option him later if need be.
If Wright goes on the IL, then they can keep both Tonkin and Chavez. If Wright stays and they take 5 SP then they have to choose between Tonkin and Chavez and I think they would go with Chavez. If Wright stays and they go with 4 SP, then neither Shuster nor Soroka stays and they can take both Tonkin and Chavez.
Anyone available to do recaps this year? We have Sun, Mon, and Tues already claimed.
Also, are there any Braves Journalers interested in helping out on a Braves podcast?
The Braves have open space on the 40-man right now, and they?ll get more once Ynoa and Matzek go on the 60-day IL. They are in no way looking at any kind of roster crunch that would cause them to hesitate about adding Shuster/Dodd.
@ 4,
I sent an e-mail. Can do wednesday.
@ububba from the last thread: Were the Cubans (Cuban-Americans, I assume) at the game rooting for or against the Cuban team? At the 1996 Cuba-Japan Olympic final in AFC Stadium, I sat behind two Cuban-American fans who argued with each other about whether they could in good conscience root for the team of Castro’s Cuba. One was rooting for Japan. Wonder if that dynamic still exists in Miami.
@5, potentially, what do you have in mind?
@4 and 5?I sent you an email about a podcast. I?ve been told that I have a face made for audio.
And I can recap Fridays.
What are your thoughts about Matt Swarmer? He has looked pretty good in Spring Training – 8 appearances, 6.1 innings, 0 runs, 6ks, 1.11 WHIP. He was not impressive for the Cubs last year, but it seemed mostly due to control/location (20 walks and 12 hrs in 34 innings).and possibly trying to make him a starter. He doesn’t have a great track record in the minors, but his ks/9 were consistently above 9.
He seems like the kind of guy that could come out of nowhere and provide some value (something Atlanta seems to do quite often). From you guys that have watched him do you think he’s got the stuff to eventually stick if he gets his control issues straightened out?
So, I hate to be a contrarian once again, but I really don’t have a problem giving the spot to Arcia for a little while. He had a 104 wRC+ last year, so you could do a lot worse with the bat. Defensively, I’m obviously worried, but, ya know, what’s the worst that could happen if he’s a league average SS for a month or two, meanwhile Grissom and Shewmake get tons of additional, low pressure innings in AAA?
When Edwin Diaz went down, that bought Atlanta 2 extra games, no doubt. So I don’t think starting Arcia over Grissom or Shewmake if all of them will basically be league average is gonna sink Atlanta’s division hopes. And the entire roster just looks stacked. I know it’s fun to talk about the storylines like Ian and Soroka and Grissom et al, but Dodd and Shuster are going to pitch well, it clearly seems. SS will be fine over 162, and the rotation, bullpen, lineup, and defense are stacked. LET’S PLAY!
Last year was the best year of Arcia’s career and he still wasn’t that good. (Additionally, although it’s probably just one of those things, check out his splits versus the Nationals as opposed to every other team sometime if you want to be really depressed. Also also, he’s made six appearances at short in the past two years, so even his defense is not a guarantee.) People blandly assuming he can toss out a two-win season because that’s what projections say are setting themselves up for disappointment. He’s an okay-to-good backup. He is fundamentally overexposed as an everyday player. AA should know this.
Hey crew, this is exciting and very important news. Tomorrow, the new site is launching. For the first week, we are going to test out what works in regards to commenting. The new format will be that comments will be on for all posts. If the group consensus dislikes that setup, we will try the “Join the Bar” hyperlink tab. Please be patient as we work through this. It’s going to be awesome but there will be some kinks to work out.
I appreciate all of you and your feedback is appreciated. I would like to do a conference call of sorts to sort out plans after that week. Let me know if you’d like to join.
We are also going to be launching our BravesJournal YouTube Channel which will allow us to discuss breaking news. After the videos are uploaded, they will be put out in post form. Should be a lot of fun!
Also, in discussing podcasting, TFloyd and Alex R are interested in joining up and making something happen. I’ll also be there. 3 is a good number, but we don’t have to always have the same 3. Are any other regular Braves Journalers interested? Also, do any Braves Journalers have mixing experience? That would be something that would be very valuable to our site.
https://www.batterypower.com/2023/3/23/23653263/raisel-iglesias-injury-shoulder-inflammation-atlanta-braves
Another spot opens up…
I just saw that news. My guess is Nick Anderson gets recalled.
goes into a Frank The Tank rage
@17 doesn’t that clear the way to keep Tonkin regardless of the SP situation?
@11 I’ve been wondering the same thing but I think he’ll be depth at AAA.
First time comment, but Braves fan since 1953 … residing in Michigan.
Hoping its Nick Anderson who gets the call back from AAA.
I’m fully testing AA on the SS position. AA’s track record is so good, and yes it’s good to give significant consideration in the marathon run of 162 games… It will demand solid back-ups.
Welcome to the bar!
Today’s lineup could be the OD lineup….
I’ll bet the The Braves already knew about Iglesias’ injury before optioning Nick Anderson.
@14 @15 This is awesome news! Love seeing this place thrive.
Wish I could commit to a regular recap, but if there are pinch-hitting duties along the way, lemme know.
#8
Well, I was at the USA/Japan final, so I don?t know what the guys in the Cuba caps were thinking about as it related to rooting for Raoul?s Cuba. (Unlike the DR guys behind me, they seemed to be pulling for the US, fwiw.)
If I had been at the Cuba/USA game Sunday night, that probably would?ve been an interesting moment to put on some rabbit ears.
The dynamic? I?ve been coming down here every March since the early ?90s & the feeling for the current Cuba doesn?t seem to have changed much at all. Dunno about the national baseball team, but you’ve made me curious.
@20 welcome aboard! Nice to have another long time Braves fan and fellow Michigan resident active on here!
Who closes?
Who’s going to commit to the Frank The Tank role for the podcast/Youtube channel, is what I want to know.
I think John Sterling could do it, but I don’t want him back.
Also, welcome back to the site, everybody!
Hello, everyone. The new design is now rolling out to everyone. To make a long story short, this is a complex endeavor for a site this large and old. There WILL be hiccups, bugs, and needed tweaks. It?s unavoidable. So please be patient and roll with the punches.
well, my old link brought me in. I will see if I can leave a comment.
log in had to be recreated. After posting, took me back to the top of the line (instead of right where I left my comment). I again had to recreate the log in. Just pointing out what I see.
Having to re-login (if that’s how you choose to comment) will be required. Luckily, it didn’t actually create a duplicate account for you or anything like that, so you should be good to go. Users can also comment without logging in or use a 3rd party service like Facebook to login.
Long time on this new site (as long as anyone else, anyway.) First post.
162-0.
For anyone interested, you can set your avatar at gravatar.com pretty easily.
Love the new site!
Yo, what’s the URL to the Braves Journal WordPress admin site? Out of protest and anger, I uninstalled Google Chrome, and I’m too lazy to reinstall it to find the URL.
Here ya go.
Matt, what if you want to upload a picture? I was thinking I’d do that through my WordPress account, but if there’s an easier way, let me know.
The only way is through Gravatar.com which is owned by WordPress. If you try to do it here, it?ll just direct you over there.
The new site is beautiful. Well done and thank you, Ryan!
Hey crew! I’ve been crazy busy today with “day before spring break” cleaning at school! This is the first time logging in to the site and I have to say that I freaking love it! Let’s make sure to take notes on things we like and things we don’t like and discuss it all when we meet next week. Any Braves Journaler is welcome to join in on our Zoom call.
old man request, any way to make the font darker?
I?m gonna tweak some colors tonight. Hopefully that?ll help.
Thank all involved for the new site. It’s beautiful.
Great work guys! I’ve launched a few websites and know how much of a pain it can be.
Never had a gravatar before…. Does it look like me?
I think yours looks like you if you think mine looks like me!
Fried vs. Corbin
LFG!!!!
Testing…and to say that Kyle Muller is the A’s opening day starter ?
Looks like my head-scratch emoji turned into a question mark. I actually don’t need emojis, just thought I would test it.
Good catch. I?ll see about enabling emojis quickly.
Great work on the new site, Ryan.
If Wright needs a little more time than they currently think, will both Shuster and Dodd be on the OD roster?
It’s nice to be able to reply to a specific comment. It was also nice to just scroll to the bottom to see all the latest comments. I’ll get used to it, I’m sure.
I used to be young and dumb, but I fixed that first problem.
When I took up golf, I was young and terrible. A?least I’m no longer young.
OK. First problem: you can’t edit or delete comments. Second problem for those of us wth more than one Word Press identity…. You’ve got to change it to reply.
Still rolling out stuff. Editing (with a time limit) and deleting posts is now enabled on desktop. On mobile as well, but a couple bugs there. Your login issue should be resolved as well.
Dylan Dodd looks ready. He’s such a gunslinger and I love it so much!
Test comment for comment editing.
Thanks for all your work Matt.
+1
+2
Looking really good here
Yes indeed?thanks Matt!
Looks great and appreciate you Ryan, Matt, and other leaders. Only suggestion… Bringing back some sort of Mac tribute. Loved the ‘house that Mac built’ tagline from previous iterations.
Go Braves!
Keston Hiura or Tyler Naquin anyone?
Loving the new site design. Good work everyone involved.
Just testing out the new site. Good work. I do miss the post numbers but I guess you reply directly to a thread.
Site looks great, thanks for all the hard work. While I see the appeal of replying to comments directly, it does make it hard to locate comments that have been posted since last time I visited. Is there some way to make that easier?
So who’s the closer for now? AJ Minter or closer commitee?
I think Snit is sufficiently old school that he will have one ninth inning guy. And that is pretty obviously Minter to start the season. If AJ is good in the role, he may keep it and Iglesias will be the 8th inning guy when he comes back.
Testing my ability to comment using my phone. I haven?t been able to so far today but I suspect it?s operator error.
Test
Jay Jackson available now too.
We have a new post!