The Atlanta Braves have invested extensively in pitching prospects in recent years, more than any other franchise.
Atlanta is the only MLB team to commit more than 60% of their bonus pool to pitching over the last six drafts, with pitchers receiving 61% of all cash awarded to draftees between 2018 and 2023.
But the results of that investment are clear: Atlanta’s top prospect lists are filled with pitchers, including the consensus top five. When might the pitching prospects ‘ripen’?
MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis spoke with assistant general manager Ben Sestanovich, who supervises Atlanta’s player development, to learn more about the team’s big emphasis on pitching and when those pitching prospects are expected to make their major league debuts.
Sestanovich acknowledged the decision to focus on pitching, explaining that it came in ‘layers’ for Callis: “Last year in the Draft, we spent a lot of money up there on college arms. The year prior, there were more high school arms.
“You can never have enough pitching, so having layers of arms coming is always the goal. It also has the advantage of fostering internal competition among them, which is beneficial.”
Let’s see when Atlanta expects some of these players to reach the majors:
AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep, last year’s first-round picks, are projected to play significant roles in 2024.
Sestanovich corroborated what we’ve heard about Smith-Shawver: “With his athleticism and competitiveness, he got off to a great start last year; we moved him quickly because there was a big league need — and the rest is history.” There is no specific modification that he needs to make other than to gain more pitching experience and develop his technique. “We are ecstatic.”
Waldrep’s’stuff’, led by a splitter that Sestanovich described as “the most devastating non-fastball in our system,” is thought to be suitable for the major leagues right now. What will be his role in 2024? That is to be determined. “We view Hurston as a starter,” Sestanovich told Callis. “Is it feasible that his first taste of the major leagues was as a relief pitcher? Sure. But for the time being, our concentration is on him as a starter, and we will make adjustments as needed.
Spencer Strider is another Braves pitcher who started as a reliever before moving into the rotation, with considerable success. While it is not fair to any prospect to compare them to Strider, it is a possible road to an early debut.
