SE Atlanta News

The Atlanta Braves' future may heavily rely on the performances of their top three prospects, despite not having an abundance of highly touted players within their organization. The team has shown a willingness to promote talented Minor Leaguers aggressively, as evidenced by the promotion of No. 1 prospect AJ Smith-Shawver to the Majors last May, just two years after being drafted out of high school.

This approach continued with Spencer Schwellenbach (Atlanta's No. 3 prospect) and Hurston Waldrep (Braves' No. 2 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 72 prospect), both recently brought up to the Majors. Schwellenbach made his big league debut on May 29 after only two starts above the High-A level and is set for his third start on Wednesday in Baltimore.

Schwellenbach's journey has been rapid, considering he did not pitch at the University of Nebraska until his junior season in 2021 when he took on closing duties alongside playing shortstop. Drafted in the second round that summer, Schwellenbach missed the entire 2022 season due to Tommy John surgery and only began his professional career last year.

Given this context, Schwellenbach’s rise to the Majors less than two months into this season is noteworthy. His promotion was partly influenced by injuries within the Braves' roster—Spencer Strider is recovering from season-ending right elbow surgery, and Smith-Shawver is sidelined until at least late July with a left oblique strain.

Additionally, Schwellenbach needed to be added to the 40-man roster before December's Rule 5 Draft. His performance early this season—a 2.53 ERA over six starts for High-A Rome—earned him a promotion to Double-A Mississippi on May 14, where he struck out 17 batters while walking just one over two scoreless starts totaling 13 innings before being called up to the Majors.

The Braves had to make decisions regarding Smith-Shawver’s injury and Bryce Elder’s demotion to Triple-A Gwinnett while considering other options like Darius Vines (No. 14 prospect). Despite their lack of experience compared to other pitchers such as Allan Winans or Dylan Dodd (No. 15 prospect), Schwellenbach and Waldrep offer greater upside for potential future roles in Atlanta's rotation.

Waldrep also experienced a swift rise; he was pitching for the University of Florida in last year's College World Series finals before allowing seven earned runs over just under four innings during his Major League debut on Sunday.

As they manage these young talents, Atlanta will need more development time for both Schwellenbach and Waldrep at Minor League levels. This could be crucial later this year and beyond when they might become key rotation pieces if Max Fried or Charlie Morton are replaced next season.

Ian Anderson may return later this year, with Smith-Shawver potentially available for the final two months of play. However, given Strider’s absence and efforts to keep Chris Sale and Reynaldo López fresh, more appearances from Schwellenbach and Waldrep seem likely.

In related news:

- Double-A Mississippi: Catcher Drake Baldwin (No.11 prospect) went .280 with a homerun, double, and eleven RBIs during last week’s series against Pensacola.

- High-A Rome: E.J Exposito hit .301 with ten homers through forty-six games.

- Single-A Augusta: Cade Kuehler (No.8 prospect) recorded five strikeouts over five scoreless innings on Sunday; he's allowed just one unearned run over his past two starts spanning ten innings.

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